It’s sunny and chilly and perhaps I started the day with my personal red thermometer level right near the top.
Or maybe, maybe, some things are simply irksome. Like, for example, the tone some straight white cisgender men take when talking about something they don’t like. It’s as though they are on a panel where their opinion means everything, where it is the final word on the matter, like we’ve been waiting to find out if things are OK or not OK or acceptable.
I have dubbed it the Life & Everything Approval Committee.
They do this on a range of topics, from the appearance of women, to how people should talk about their very own human rights, to choice of language, to whether anything less than unwavering perfection is acceptable in something someone else built that they have nothing to do with.
These opinions are offered with a tone of finality and the weight of fact, sometimes couched in “reluctant” language as though they don’t like having to deem things unsatisfactory, but it is their burden, their lot in life.
Some of you may be reading this and saying “oh yeah, I know exactly what you mean.” And some may be reading this and saying “umm I think you’ve called me out on this specifically,” that is if you haven’t blocked me.
And some may be reading this and saying “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” and in that case, I have some bad news for you. You probably do this without a clue that’s what you’re doing. You also probably think people who are not straight white cisgender men are too sensitive, or touchy, or you can’t understand why people get annoyed.
Today, I will solve the mystery: it’s your self-appointed position as head of the committee.
Let me be clear; obviously it’s not ALL men, which is something no one should have to say, but people are often more concerned with how hearing things make them feel than how they make other people feel.
But it is an awful lot of men. Enough men and so frequently you would think they really have committee meetings.
So if this is your habit, unhabit it. If someone does this to you or someone else, don’t hesitate to point it out.
And above all, have a lovely Friday and a wonderful weekend.
A Bit to Read 
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