I am not into politics. My attitude towards it, for better or for worse is: I don't really want to know, don't have a strong enough opinion to discuss, and largely in my day-to-day life don't care. Although this whole 2016 campaign and election has made me unhappy and discouraged, I am holding off predictions of doom-and-gloom while I wait to see what happens. On top of that, I do not view myself as a white privileged person - which I realize is probably the very definition of white privilege. Like it or not, this is me.
But the uptick in hate crimes from all of this? I have a real problem with that.
I read several articles about wearing a safety pin. It began with Brexit to show that the wearer is an ally against
anyone who feels targeted by hate. Soon after I saw several posts about how wearing a safety pin is just an empty gesture (like so many Facebook "click Like to show you're against such-and-such" posts), or a show of white privilege, or whatever. So I sat on the fence for several days. Last night I spoke to an acquaintance of mine who was wearing one and asked him what spurred him to add a safety pin to his attire. I can't recall all of the details of what he said, but what sticks with me was his conviction.
I returned home, pulled out my safety pins and started adding them to my coats and hats and whatever else I wear when I leave the house. Will it make a difference? Who knows. This is a promise to myself - not anyone else - that if I witness hate, I will do something about it. I don't know precisely what; I have some generic ideas of what I could do in various situations. I'm reading, learning. I'll find that out what I'm capable of when it happens. At a minimum, I want people to know I'm not cool with hateful behavior.
If this interests you and you want more information, check out What can I do? I am still researching and considering what I want to do next.
thank you for the link. I still am depressed and it helps to hear others are not taking this laying down. I like the link. Above all we must protect our rights to free speech.
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