How many times in your life did someone physically assault you because of what you look like?
You’re talking to the wrong guy. Many. I grew up in the inner city and was one of the only white kids in my grade school or neighborhood. I’d get chased around by groups of kids and beaten up. Very often --once they found out they could-- I’d have one of my knees dislocated. I spent a lot of time hiding in the bushes. I had bright red hair, am small and was skinny, and looked like howdy doodie-- or so I’m told, so even after we moved from that place, I’ve been singled out for my looks here and there. Until I grew big enough to go all in on fighting back, and shortened my hair to stubble.
A lot of fighting back is intellect. Understanding who was just teasing and could be joked with to defuse, who was just following, and who I had to fight, understanding when and where it was safe to enter a restroom.
I’m an old man now. A few times per year I still relive the fear of being chased and understanding that violence was about to happen when I hear or see other people being chased in movies. I cant look at that stuff. Being surrounded and overpowered is pretty visceral, and is having your leg yanked and twisted to dislocate it–especially when they cant remember which knee it was. I know exactly what reliving PTSD is. The severity comes and goes, but its more severe over time than makes any logical sense, and I sit there sort of stunned while I relive it. Which actually becomes …tedious in its lack of healing. Frankly, at a certain period in my life, I became a bully myself. The fight changes you I think.
Do my creds check out enough?
My point was, conflict requires intellect, and you I dont see that you are applying that intellect.
Yes good point, clearly my story was steeped in “white” privilege, rather than understanding and dissecting conflict and trauma.
You know squid, here the thing. Whenever issues of Israel and the the palestinian genocide pop up, I see lots of hysterical posts like yours. Theres a clear pattern of attempting bury the lead in their own self interest, and push antisemitism to the fore to the exclusion of everything else. Exactly like you’re doing now. So are you commenting in good faith right now? I cant say for sure. But your last comment shows you minimize every other concern in order to yell and potentially bully. I’d care more about your words if you talked about doing the right thing and human rights – you know, the context of whats going on-- rather than this woe is me thing, nobody knows my sorrows shtick that comes across. I have no doubt you’ve experienced attacks based on your ethnicity, but many of us have-- many of us much more severe than yours. As an frequent OP and mod somewhere you could focus on leading forward toward everyones shared interests despite your experience. You’re not doing that. if you have any interest in being a better person, do better.
You’re talking to the wrong guy. Many. I grew up in the inner city and was one of the only white kids in my grade school or neighborhood. I’d get chased around by groups of kids and beaten up. Very often --once they found out they could-- I’d have one of my knees dislocated. I spent a lot of time hiding in the bushes. I had bright red hair, am small and was skinny, and looked like howdy doodie-- or so I’m told, so even after we moved from that place, I’ve been singled out for my looks here and there. Until I grew big enough to go all in on fighting back, and shortened my hair to stubble.
A lot of fighting back is intellect. Understanding who was just teasing and could be joked with to defuse, who was just following, and who I had to fight, understanding when and where it was safe to enter a restroom.
I’m an old man now. A few times per year I still relive the fear of being chased and understanding that violence was about to happen when I hear or see other people being chased in movies. I cant look at that stuff. Being surrounded and overpowered is pretty visceral, and is having your leg yanked and twisted to dislocate it–especially when they cant remember which knee it was. I know exactly what reliving PTSD is. The severity comes and goes, but its more severe over time than makes any logical sense, and I sit there sort of stunned while I relive it. Which actually becomes …tedious in its lack of healing. Frankly, at a certain period in my life, I became a bully myself. The fight changes you I think.
Do my creds check out enough?
My point was, conflict requires intellect, and you I dont see that you are applying that intellect.
You could have stopped with “white.”
Also, you think I was talking about when I was a kid?
Yes good point, clearly my story was steeped in “white” privilege, rather than understanding and dissecting conflict and trauma.
You know squid, here the thing. Whenever issues of Israel and the the palestinian genocide pop up, I see lots of hysterical posts like yours. Theres a clear pattern of attempting bury the lead in their own self interest, and push antisemitism to the fore to the exclusion of everything else. Exactly like you’re doing now. So are you commenting in good faith right now? I cant say for sure. But your last comment shows you minimize every other concern in order to yell and potentially bully. I’d care more about your words if you talked about doing the right thing and human rights – you know, the context of whats going on-- rather than this woe is me thing, nobody knows my sorrows shtick that comes across. I have no doubt you’ve experienced attacks based on your ethnicity, but many of us have-- many of us much more severe than yours. As an frequent OP and mod somewhere you could focus on leading forward toward everyones shared interests despite your experience. You’re not doing that. if you have any interest in being a better person, do better.
Yes, well us Jews are known for being “hysterical” when faced with perfectly justifiable bigotry against us.
I should be like “the good ones” and not speak up.