Well y'all, I haven't really been utilizing this portion of the blog for some time now and I think it's because there's just been too much going on around us. When you look at everything happening on our planet right now, it's pretty overwhelming. The looming pandemic, political division, war in Ukraine, gosh, it's kind of like, bad news around every corner. None of this takes in to account the things that are happening locally as well which is a contributor to some of life's negativity. A couple weeks ago, the restaurant I work at was supposed to host a drag story time event which had been posted for weeks without any issues. Suddenly, a group of right-wing Christian folk started sharing our post around their network and things got nasty rather quickly. Our restaurant was being called repeatedly by angry people claiming that we were child groomers and pedophiles for allowing an event like this to "infect" children. The resulting chaos caused us to abruptly cancel the event after threats of a protest and the aggressive nature of the language used on their threads. My boss was a wreck, the performers were scared and let down, and I became angry. Angry that there were people out there who were so hell bent on ruining this event without actually knowing what was occurring. Angry that my boss had to go through such a negative point. Angry that the performers had to feel that level of hatred. Angry period. When does the hate end? While I was saddened by the situation and ensuing nightmare that unfolded, I was especially let down to see an old friend liking some of the posts suggesting that we were child groomers. What a horrible thing to see you know? Did she really believe that that was our intention, that I would in some way be contributing to what she believed to be child grooming? What a weird feeling but also an enlightening one. I deleted her ass off of everything and then I thought, was she judging me throughout our friendship? Was she anti-gay as we spent time together? Ugh, how can you not run those things through your head? It was so hurtful but at the same time, not unexpected given everything I'd witnessed from her through the pandemic. There are some people out there who really have this right-wing narrative that people like myself are ruining our planet and corrupting children. This situation drummed up some really old & sad feelings from high school. I was bullied relentlessly in high school. People threatened me constantly, threw things at me, taunted me, etc., I really went through it. The reason? Simply existing in a world where the LGBTQ community continues to be a target for angry straight people. I didn't understand at the time why everyone around me hated me so much outside of the fact that I was gay, but that was pretty much it. being gay was this astronomical mistake that affected every other person around me so much so that they needed me to know how little they enjoyed my existence. Well here we are folks, 2022 and it's still happening. Worried that kids can catch gay or will be corrupted after spending time with gay men. It's not a new narrative but one that I hadn't experienced in quite some time. You know? All I can say is that being an empath RIGHT NOW on our planet is a curse. Every time I open the news something horrible is happening to innocent people. My friend's are enduring big changes in their lives which I have soaked in. The relentless hate hurled at my workplace for over a week has been soaked in. I feel like I wake up weighted and go to sleep feeling the same. I haven't really recovered emotionally from all of the things happening around me. How do we even do that? How do we slap a smile on our face every day when things around us are seemingly collapsing? It's a challenge to remain positive when there is very little positive happening around you and it all stems from hatred. Hate is a powerful message to send you know? Ugh, I hope y'all are managing everything ok. I hope y'all are staying strong amidst all of the chaos happening on our planet, but also with the challenges you may be facing in your life. We just have to do our best...our best to be kind, respectful, compassionate, and level-headed. It's a fucking challenge though, isn't it? HAPPY VEG
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