Hi everyone. Today’s Sunday Poser is an intriguing one. Sadje asks whether I’m the one who will speak up when I see a wrong being done or whether I’ll keep quiet. I’m going to interpret this more broadly and share how I tend to react to injustice in the world in general.
And the truth is, shameful as it is, I no longer speak up. This didn’t use to be the case. When I first started out blogging on WordPress in 2007 and especially between 2009 and 2011, I frequently wrote about injustices to groups I didn’t even belong to, like trans people. Now though, I struggle to speak up and I’m not even certain this is out of fear of speaking over marginalized groups. Well, that is, I’m quite certain that it isn’t that. It’s fear of being targeted myself.
Don’t get me wrong, I still speak out in real life against injustices being done to other people, especially those I love.
I struggle with this when it’s microaggressions like “jokes” and I actually regularly catch myself making hurtful comments towards people in minority groups I’m not part of.
This is, actually, more problematic than it might seem. I mean, I could say I’m not trans, not an immigrant, not [insert the latest scapegoat of fascism], but in reality everyone has privilege and almost everyone is marginalized in some way. Besides, like my best friend recently said, fascism’s goal is to destroy society.
I am, however, often too scared of being the next target to speak out openly. This is why I’m more gentle than I’d wish I were when pointing out transphobic or racist or otherwise oppressive comments in real life and especially why I’m no longer as vocal as I used to be on my blog. The world just isn’t as safe anymore.
This does also mean I can no longer be fully myself online. It’s just too easy to track me (and my loved ones) down from my blog. It was even easier back in the early days of my being on the Internet, when I’d almost always use my full name everywhere. However, either I was the lucky one back then for not having been attacked in real life, or the world’s become a harsher place. Probably a little of both.
A Multitude of Musings 
I know what you mean, you want to put your opinion out there and show your support but their are so many keyboard warriors and hurtful people out there. I used to be a lot more open too, but now I try to keep quiet, or at least quieter.
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Yep, it is no longer acceptable to have an opinion that contradicts the social activists but change is coming.
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What are social activists? I’m not sure I agree with you, since if social activists are what the far right call “woke”, I’d say these people have been marginalized forever and are now being silenced more. Like I said in my other comment, microaggressions (eg. racist/transphobic/whatever “jokes”) actually hurt people.
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Yeah, I get you. For me it’s indeed partly my fear of getting met with hate comments online, something I’ve for the most part managed to avoid except a few back in the day from parents of severely autistic kids who believed I was harming their kids by speaking up against cure rhetoric. It’s however also a fear that one day someone from the Internet will attack me in real life.
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The way I see it is everone is entitled to an opinion. I may not agree with it but I respect that not everyone’s opinion does not align with my own. I welcome discussion.
Recently I was appalled by the show of violence towards Telsa owners. Why? Don’t attack them because you don’t like Elon Musk. They bought the car to be green.
I’ve been blogging since 2010 and yes things have changed and not for the better.
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Thanks for sharing your perspective. Unfortunately not everyone respects each others differing opinions. And that’s in some ways understandable, since actually microaggressions are real and I don’t believe these fall under “free speech”. By the way, I had no idea Tesla drivers were being attacked. That makes no sense.
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Agree. Sorry, I should have said Tesla cars!
I hear you on microagression.
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I understand what you’re saying, and I think it’s a good course. I don’t think anyone on the Internet is interested in being influenced on these matters. Face to face, you have a chance for interaction and discussion. Out here, it’s too much to even hope for.
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You might be right, though I hope not. The thing is also, I used to enjoy debating topics I feel passionate about with people who hold different views and I didn’t care that I got the occasional truly mean comment. Now though, the stakes are higher.
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Since I don’t handle confrontation well I am not on to speak up or out about things
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Yeah, that makes sense. Thanks for sharing.
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The fact that we are afraid to speak out shows how dire the situation is. Truth, or justice don’t matter much to people anymore. Thanks for sharing Astrid
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Agree, it’s tragic. Most people have become more self-centered and, when something doesn’t directly harm them, they look the other way. Some out of lack of empathy, others, like myself, out of fear (which in a way is selfish too).
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Too true. Self preservation is important too my friend.
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You can still continue to be a champion for the rights of others even if you are not part of that group. I’ve work in elder care for many years and I’ve learned the health injustices within that industry even if I am not an elder nor a caregiver. I’ve also work in other parts of the healthcare and continue to learn other health inequities like food and language barrier. It’s an opportunity for me to learn more and ask them to tell me more. You can advocate to support other people, and I think people need those advocates more than ever.
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Very well-said. Even if I’m not vocal about the injustices done to minorities I don’t belong to, I can offer space for them to speak their truth and learn. My point though was about silently being complicit in these injusticces by not being more vocal in my support of them.
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I understand how you feel. Hugs.
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Thanks so much!
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You are right, safety is an issue anymore. It is really quite sad, but I feel the same way. They are having peaceful protests weekly here and I support them, but fear joining in the group. We do what we can and hope for the best.
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Thanks for commenting and for doing what you can. Here, the far right (who are on the government here too) claim that protests get less peaceful and this is why they need to take action against protesters. Well, they probably purposefully ignore the fact that even the hard-line protests like those done by Extinction Rebellion nowadays are mild compared to protests in the 1980s.
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I know that protests CAN get out of hand, but they can be kept peaceful too if they don’t escalate things and start breaking up the protests and arresting people. Here’s hoping smarter minds will prevail and tensions will fall.
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Agree 100%. And re the smarter people, people in positions of power mostly need to be emotionally more mature.
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Glad you were never targeted. I’ve been attacked by people, even some going as far as to say I was faking my did, so hurtful!
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Oh yes, I’ve had those comments too, though they were rare. I remember one commenter in particular saying not only that I was faking DID but that if I did have DID, I should be doing all sorts of gross things (don’t want to share as I might trigger you) as that’s what those with DID do.
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