#unsafe streets

[xtrablak674]

If You're Giving to Get, You Missed the Point

I was minding my Black ass business, leaving my house having just checked the mailbox, and was determined to throw out the junk mail I had just acquired, and then head up the block to the postal box on the corner. Its a blessing and a curse to live on a main street that is highly trafficked and usually very busy, for this reason alone, I usually try to handle my business in the wee hours of the morning, so I don't have to fucks with the riff-raff going up and down the avenue.

This was one of those days that I had to walk smack into the path of a Karen or at least a Karen-like looking woman. I wasn't really studying her, I was off to complete my main task, mail a letter. Taking the sojourn out of my apartment in the first place is so rare, I don't look forward to getting accosted the first thing out the door. But I knew it best to put letters in the box during the daylight hours because of recent mailbox theft, and also the temperature was at the highest it would be for the day, so a good time to make a secondary errand to the supermarket and re-up on my yogurt.

She's ooo'ing and ahh'ing over how beautiful my sweater was and I am like, I really don't need this right now. I knew I was cute before I left the damned house, I don't need you telling me what I already know. But I was raised well, and said in a low annoyance-tinged voice thank you. I am sure that mildly inebriated Black man who was closer to me heard me. But nano-seconds after her compliment was a nasty, well you're welcome. #😤 It took all my effort to NOT stop my forward motion and go back and whoop her ass! I had two errand to do, and none of them had anything to do with affirming a Karen.

So she expected to give something to get something, in my mind no different than a crafty pan-handler who leads with some creative line hoping it will get you to give them some money. Her attention was given as an acknowledgement or affirmation, but clearly something that was serving her ego and her own needs. I know this because I can feel the difference when someone is genuinely seeing me, and when they are just seeing what they want, the latter is where this Karen was at clearly.

I have no desire to get into her head, it doesn't sound like a very pleasant place to be, but in seconds she turned my initial moments outside sour, and irked me enough that I had a flash of wanting to commit violence because my personal peace had been violated with her unnecessary rudeness. This is exactly the reason I don't leave my mother fucking house. Can't I go outside with having to take on the burdens of whatever disposition or energy folks are carrying that day?

When I give a compliment to someone if I even verbalize it, because I don't always, its a nod or just making eye contact and a small smile, but if I do say something its to let that person know, I see you! #👀 My intentions come from a place of encouragement with no expectation of anything from that person.

Black women in my experience are very good at this, they have a cornucopia of affirming phrases they can say to you that lift you up, because you sense their sincerity and their unnecessary need of reciprocation. They give a gift, with no expectation of getting anything back. This is the kind of human I want to be, the one who spreads love, not necessarily expecting love back.

This Karen was like a sooty cloud darkening my doorstep, tripping over alleged good intentions masked in some personal need for recognition. As far as I am concerned, she could have kept her damned mouth shut.

I shared this story with a girlfriend and she reminded me that this was a form of street harassment, which is so curious because if anyone would know that walking down the street isn't a transaction you would think would be a woman.

This whyte woman's entitlement and self-absorption wouldn't allow her to see that she was wrong from the front to the back. As a queer person street harassment has been a part of life especially as a young queer. Its part of the reason I don't expose my body when going outside, folks don't know how to act. But it seems even when I am fully covered up, folks don't know how to act. It blows my mind that a protected group can cause as much harm and damage as the group that targets them, and not even be aware of it.

[radracer]

The very unsafe ‘Slingshot’ 50’s Dragsters

[freakwiththeknifecollection]

The sick feeling you get in your stomach as an undiagnosed/closeted autistic hearing friends/loved ones make fun of or talk about "what's wrong with" the openly autistic people you know

[slugandthorn]

The coolest gender thing in the 2009 Japanese video game persona 3 100% how hard they coded shinjiro as the dead mom

[bloomingonionbitch]

(...they got six cop cars the next street over and a dang helicopter with a spotlight circling my block - y'all what is going on today???)

[nothesunisadeadlylazer]

Dick: I think you may have inherited Bruce's adoption problem

Jason:

[thedreadvampy]

The hipsters are truly descending on Leith. I thought this flavour of waxed moustache striped shirt pocket watch and sunglasses Coolest Kids At The Warehouse Rave Mr B fucker died out in like 2012 but no they're everywhere. moustaches waxed up to the heavens tweed in 26° spring weather.

my going theory now is that this style of hipster is just an inevitable symptom of gentrification at any point in history. assume when Londinium was first becoming a metropolis it was beset by moustachioed men in pinstripe toga with pocket sundials. twats.

[princehendir]

This is understandably, and reasonably, a fraught subject, due to general demographic make ups and the wider cultural issues like marginalized persons being unfairly accused of being "angry", the actual anger of persons of various marginalized groups being disproportionately stigmatized, etc. so I'm being careful with my words here. But. A lot of people in online lefty spaces genuinely have severe unmanaged pathological anger issues that they express publicly in extremely unhealthy and upsetting ways and I can't help but feel like that's a, uh, bad thing.

[generalmelchett]

got hate crimed by street children today and it made me think 'oh so I should just grow my hair out long again so I don't look weird to people' but then I was like 'NO ACTUALLY! WHY THE FUCK SHOULD I!!!!'

[thatevilenby]

Every time I see a "there's a shortage of tops/doms" post I have to wonder, is there really a top/dom shortage or do you just treat people who top/dom like shit? Is there really a shortage or do you just have unrealistic expectations that no top/dom could reasonably meet? Is there really a shortage or do you just take no steps to put yourself out there or actively talk to people who you want to top/dom you?

Essentially, is there really a shortage or do you just refuse to put the work in on your end?

[kurbcotain]

Lost my bracelet I've had forever and now I'm contemplating digging through the biohazard bin I dropped it in ... It's just gloves and pipette tips in there... I'd wear gloves myself it would literally be fine. Probably. Maybe. I need to find an accomplice.

[cuntstable]

i wish i could write meaningful poetry or even do comics properly to express ideas and things in my brain that haunt me a bit but i cant so im just left sitting on my bed staring at a wall and going Huh. Okay.

[ophthalmotropy]

I have such resentment against the 24% of voters who didn't show up. It was so easy to choose the lesser evil in a ballotage situation and make a commitment to fight against the bullshit Massa was going to bring to the table. It's easier to resist on the streets when the president elect isn't promising to repress using the armed forces.

[bottom-slut-unionizer]

If I kiss a man in public and I catch a stranger recording us I'm throwing something at them

[cliffburton]

whatever it is that makes the happiness of cats that were homeless and we're then given a house is what i need

[panthera-tigris-venenata]

Love how in the 1920 au, everyone's problem solving skills are essentially just "get Uma".