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Dealing With Oppressive People in a Nice Way (Or Something Like That, I Guess)
I prefer to think that you, friend, are not someone I consider an oppressor. I prefer to think that everyone that reads my little, old blog got the Tumblr education on all things social justice and know that being a racist, sexist, or anything like that just doesn't cut it.
Let me tell you a little story.
There's a fellow I love to see on the Internet. He's so nice and lovely and probably does the positive Internet scene more justice than I could ever. I think he's someone I've looked up to a lot while thinking about starting this blog. No, it's not Patrick Stump.
I don't know if this wonderful man saw this when it happened, but a few months ago, he got in a disagreement over this pretty sexist comment a not-so-positive Internet personality made. Our positive Internet personality called this boy who made the sexist comment a misogynist. So a random Tumblr user started posting, "Positive Internet personality calls himself a positive, motivational speaker?! If he calls people misogynist, he shouldn't have a career!"
Another story.
I used to have a teacher my freshman year of high school who is a very devoted Christian. He kept The Bible on his desk and would read it aloud in my class if we said anything that he personally didn't agree with. He said he thought the president was awful because he was trying to make gay marriage legal and that was a sin. He said gay people were sinners and that he wanted no part in being around or talking to gay people. When kids in my class said they hated school or something, he would chime in and say that your heart shouldn't be filled with hate, but instead with love.
Really? I think the things you were saying about gay people were pretty hateful. You don't specifically have to say the word, "Hate" to mean it. What you're saying is oppressive and you're not allowing people who cannot change who they are exist. By the way, there were several gay students in the classroom, so it wasn't like he was preaching to the world's straightest classroom there.
When we are talking about nice people dealing with oppressive jerkfaces such as Not-So-Positive Internet Personality and Public School Teacher That Was Doing Awful Things, we have to remember who is really in the wrong. Heck, we don't even need to be talking about nice people dealing with these kinds of people! The people in the wrong are the oppressive jerks, not the people calling them out.
What I'm trying to say is that we, as rational, not racist/sexist/transphobic/etc, don't have to tiptoe around the fact that yes, it's wrong to be oppressive. Personally, I like the way Patrick Stump deals with oppressive people. He lets them know that what they're doing is wrong and wants all of his followers to know that. Why be nice to people who are making it so hard to be nice to them because they're hurting our friends and family?
People have limits. Being mean to others can only get you so far in life. Friend, I give you permission to tell that special person you've somehow been blessed to deal with today that nope, their use of the f-word to that gay kid you know isn't going to cut it, or that no, they're white and they're not aloud to use the n-word. Stand up for others if they can't do it for themselves.
P.S.-
I feel like this is the perfect time to mention that if any of you are being racist/sexist/transphobic/homophobic/etc, or just flat out rude I will not hesitate from blocking you. I try to make this blog as positive as possible, even when I'm in an awful mood, and feel like the world is crashing down around me and that there's nothing to be positive about. You don't get to take the joy I have for running this blog due to your rude attitude. If I can get over my bad attitude, you can, too. Keep your lame, boring kitchen jokes (and all the other rude jokes towards marginalized groups of people) to yourselves. Maybe learn new jokes to replace them.
I feel bad that these creatures live on the same planet as some of these awful people who feel like it's necessary to use the f-word in every other sentence.
Cats deserve better.
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