people commit suicide everyday. people cave under various pressures everyday. life is a journey of trials and tribulations, to which people react differently. where is their recognition? where is their remembrance?
Suicide Prevention Week was just last month, what did you do?
Today I will reblog all instances of objection to Purple Day I come across (honest to god, I hope this is the first and last one). Why will I reblog them? As a testament to derailing tactics. Here is the thing: awareness is not a zero sum game where because we create awareness for one issue, all the other equally important issues suddenly don’t matter anymore. “What about [equally oppressed group]?” derails the argument, it leads to further polarization (us vs. them who claim their cause is “more important”). Again, let’s stop playing oppression olympics. Sure, every suicide matters and if the subject matters to someone strongly enough, they should devote their time and effort to bring awareness to it. However, that shouldn’t stop the rest of us who care right now, at this moment about LGBTQ rights. My activism (as little and meaningless as it might seem to some) is not detrimental to anyone else’s activism for all other causes.
People who care about “other things”: I commend you (truly, there isn’t one ounce of sarcasm in this, I wish everyone cared for different causes because then the world would probably be a much healthier place). However, here’s what I will not accept: being told that I should divert my attention to something else of your choice because your choice is somehow better (and thus more meaningful than mine). Sorry, but no. Have your activism. I know my beliefs and yours intersect at many places and issues. Let’s work towards making that intersection more visible, not on silencing the other points where we do not intersect.
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