For Colored Girls Who Are Tired of People's Shit.

“To be black and conscious in America is to be in a constant state of rage.” - James Baldwin

I can’t be the only one who logs on to Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, or any other social media and doesn’t roll their eyes or scoff about at LEAST 5 of the opinions that they’ve seen. And I sit and wonder to myself if I’m just a crazy over-thinker... or if people’s opinions are largely problematic. I’d like to go with the latter. From a young age, we’ve been taught that everyone is allowed to have a voice. We all want to feel that our opinions are valid, and as such, we are “entitled” to them. But let’s unpack this for a minute. You can have your opinions, yes. But I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Hold on now, because what I’m about to say is going to shake the table. Make sure you’ve got your seatbelt on. Alright, here it comes... y’all ready? Okay. Opinions... are allowed... TO BE WRONG. Boom. I said it. Yes, opinions are mostly subjective, but just because you have a viewpoint on something it DOES NOT mean you can get away with saying whatever you want. For example, if i say something along the likes of "I personally don't think 9/11 was that big of a deal, everyone just needs to get over it." That. is. WRONG. It’s not only wrong, it’s completely asinine, immoral and fucked up. And if someone tries to call me out and tell me i'm wrong I can’t go all Tamra Judge and be like “THATZ MAH OPINYONNNNNNNNN!!!1!1!!!11”

If there are facts to back up why your opinion is wrong, then you really and truly might want to just STFU. You can’t be loud AND wrong (#PickAStruggle). But of course, people think that because they are “entitled” to their opinions, they are somehow exempt from criticism. So here’s my point. When it comes to things like racism, LGBT+ rights, or feminism, for example, having a negative or problematic viewpoint is going to get you called out. Why? Because your “viewpoint” denounces someone’s entire existence and identity. People who call other people “sensitive” when they are offended about certain topics either have the privilege to not be offended, or are just shoe-shining coons. There are logical facts to back up why women fight for equal rights. Racism isn’t a subjective topic. You either respect existence or expect resistance. And don’t even get me started on this whole “I-respect-gay-people-but-I-don’t-respect-their-lifestyle” narrative. Complete trash. Personally, I take these three subjects (along with numerous others) very seriously because they’re a large part of who I am and my intersectional experience in this country. As a queer Black woman, I face discrimination from numerous systems that were put in place to oppress me, and I have no choice but to use my voice in the continued fight to dismantle these systems. So of course, I’m going to find fault in almost every crude joke, dumb ass viewpoint and unrealistic opinion that comes my way. Living with social anxiety also makes it hard sometimes to just “brush it off,” as people who don't understand would so graciously put it, 1) because my mind is always racing and 2) because i don’t want to have to live in a world where people are so homophobic, racist, misogynistic, etc. that they’re out for blood. I can’t be myself in peace and happiness because so many people “disagree” with things I cannot change about myself and the way society has learned to hate my identity(s). I also don’t want this new generation of kids to grow up continuing this hatred. I don’t want my unborn children to have to grow up in a world that hates them before they even had the chance to take their first breath. But that kind of change won’t happen for another maybe 200 years. So until 2218, I’m going to have to be just another sensitive, angry Black girl.