I was raised in a time and place where we didn’t talk about politics or religion much. Not for any particular reason, other than perhaps because my homework seemed to be a topic of incessant and pointed interest.
At extended family gatherings, I didn’t have That Uncle because we didn’t talk much about That Stuff. We watched football, ate foodstuffs, and played cards. When people did the talking thing, they had more than enough family whatnot to keep them occupied. Occasionally, someone would bring up some political thing, but everyone just agreed about it and moved on. Religion also came up once in a while, but typically in the form of determining when everyone last went to church and why it wasn’t Gramma’s church.
Discussing either of these topics with strangers wasn’t even in the realm of possibilities.
As such, I’m reticent to get into these two topics, especially on the internet. For once, though, I’d like to be serious and take a firm stand on a few important things.
Nazis are bad.
Institutional Racism is also bad.
Slavery is really bad.
Representation matters.
Science is important.
Climate change is real.
Mental health problems should not be shameful.
Whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever you are, someone cares about you.
If these stances make me a radical loon, then so be it. I’m a radical loon.
And FGM is also bad, I’ve been researching this and been horrified at what I found out.