Notes

I want to start out by saying that my friends are invaluable to me. They are so much more important to me than any half-assed opinion I have. I know you are the better person than I am. You are extremely confident and capable in ways that I am not, and I think putting yourself out there for others is one of the bravest and most admirable things anyone can do. On the other hand, I am a selfish person who will often put myself before others who are suffering. So as much as I would like to say that I could've been a better person on that day, I would make the exact same decision if given the opportunity. I'm just not the good person that you are, and I'm sorry for that.

However, people shouldn't be defined by whether they choose to do one action or not. People like Noah, Lucas, and Neil are some of the kindest people I've ever met, and I'm absolutely certain that they also wish there wasn't any discrimination. I understand that the act of not participating worked against the goals of the protest, even inadvertently. But empathy is a two-way street, and just as I should understand that something needs to be done to better the experience of discriminated peoples, you should understand that people in general are three dimensional (other than those who don't count as people like landon), not characterizable by one event. Every action has its unique nuances. By spitting at the people who wished not to attend, the protest is only creating a more toxic environment for all peoples. By turning good people into enemies and labeling them as privileged, bigoted, and hateful, the protest makes false claims for unity. So whilst maybe I deserve much of the criticism thrown my way, a lot of good people don't. And those good people are hard to find, so don't alienate them.