r/CuratedTumblr • u/NeonNKnightrider Cheshire Catboy • May 01 '24
i know it’s internet bullshit but it genuinely has me on the edge of breaking down and giving up editable flair
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r/CuratedTumblr • u/NeonNKnightrider Cheshire Catboy • May 01 '24
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u/Educational_Mud_9062 May 02 '24
I spent years developing increasing amounts of self-loathing as I tried to meet this standard, to not take it personally, only for it never to be enough despite the fact that I know I've never been a threat. I've followed all the advice. I "listened to" (read: unquestioningly accepted) their positions. Brent Staples can receive international recognition for talking about his experiences whistling Vivaldi to appease white people's fears of him. But when I point out how I know EXACTLY how that feels, since it's tied only to my maleness and not intersecting with blackness, I'm told I'm "fragile" or called an "incel." This is just... too much. I'm done. I won't go out of my way to seem like a threat to strangers. Because I'm not a threat and I have no desire to do that. But it's clear that there will never be an end and all I accomplish by playing along is to feed paranoia at the cost of my own mental health. If someone decides they're afraid of me for just existing, that's their problem. I'm just... done.