10 March, 2019

reddit comment about the importance of identity, for people from unaffected groups

It’s not about the parades and the protesting and the identity politics. It’s about saying to that context and that climate that we are real people to whom these issues are real and important and that these things will not exclude us from a life of respect and dignity and happiness. And, yes, it demands that you recognize that on the grounds of we are who we are and that you know about it, because for too long we’ve had to assume and been told that all of that was conditional.
You may not have to worry about these things. They may not be something that for you is a particularly existential or serious consideration. But that doesn’t mean you have the right to scoff at and look down on people who have that consideration forced upon them every single day.
You don’t have to identify with that or pretend you know what it’s like but you should recognize their ability to have an experience of things that is different from yours and respect their prerogative to articulate that.