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Just for the record ...
Jul. 19th, 2013 02:14 pmDear Barak,
As a white woman, I cannot understand what it must be like to be followed in stores or have people lock their car doors when you're near for no reason other than the fact that you're black. It must be horribly demeaning, and I wish I knew how to make people stop believing the shit that prompts them to do it.
However ...
If I am alone in an elevator, and any man who is a stranger to me gets on, I become nervous. My muscles tense up, I clutch my purse a bit closer, I edge a bit closer to the door (if he hasn't positioned himself between me and it), and I hold my breath until the doors open and I can escape. And I make absolutely no apologies for it. It's not a matter of race, it's a matter of sex, and a matter of my safety.
Although I absolutely understand why you might think otherwise, not every slight or negative reaction you get is because you're black. Sometimes it's just because you're a guy.
Chalcedony
As a white woman, I cannot understand what it must be like to be followed in stores or have people lock their car doors when you're near for no reason other than the fact that you're black. It must be horribly demeaning, and I wish I knew how to make people stop believing the shit that prompts them to do it.
However ...
If I am alone in an elevator, and any man who is a stranger to me gets on, I become nervous. My muscles tense up, I clutch my purse a bit closer, I edge a bit closer to the door (if he hasn't positioned himself between me and it), and I hold my breath until the doors open and I can escape. And I make absolutely no apologies for it. It's not a matter of race, it's a matter of sex, and a matter of my safety.
Although I absolutely understand why you might think otherwise, not every slight or negative reaction you get is because you're black. Sometimes it's just because you're a guy.
Chalcedony
