tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388578325782539013.post1955630019936367641..comments2024-03-26T17:32:38.865-04:00Comments on YA Outside the Lines: Coward Not Shown in the PictureBrian Katcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15159532800819759917noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388578325782539013.post-85360695238943886992016-11-18T13:02:08.140-05:002016-11-18T13:02:08.140-05:00As others have said, I too have been in this situa...As others have said, I too have been in this situation, and I've mostly reacted the same way—and like you, I've had regrets. About so many things. And now I'll join you in sharing my discomfort and hopefully making the world a better place.Bill Cameronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04796321136771189464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388578325782539013.post-70089288905037445802016-11-17T18:19:24.678-05:002016-11-17T18:19:24.678-05:00I love this post because it is so full of my feels...I love this post because it is so full of my feels and uncertainty and desire. I want to be the most perfect person in the world and no matter how I fight to be the best me, I am certain to disappoint if I look to others for confirmation of who I am at heart. Really trying to be my best self in a way that feels organic and true to me. This isn't easy. But know it helps every time someone tells their story. <3Kimberly Sabatinihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18143516055206233316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388578325782539013.post-16952113382329472312016-11-17T16:41:16.353-05:002016-11-17T16:41:16.353-05:00Yes, that is another positive aspect of speaking u...Yes, that is another positive aspect of speaking up--just being the voice that says, "I don't condone what I've just heard or seen." Whatever happens, or doesn't, as a result.Jennifer R. Hubbardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03408588432492354248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388578325782539013.post-52970720187325137442016-11-17T14:17:28.658-05:002016-11-17T14:17:28.658-05:00I think this blog post is the appropriate reaction...I think this blog post is the appropriate reaction to what your aunt said. You weren't going to change her mind and you might have ruined a very pleasant visit. It's better to use an anecdote like yours to get others thinking. Like you, since last Tuesday, I've been contemplating how best to use my voice in what I perceive as a new, scary, and very troubling landscape. Facebook feels like a cross between a minefield and echo chamber. Twitter? Like I'd be shouting into a crowd. I'm not sure what I'm going to do during the next four (hopefully not eight) years, but I get what you're saying about not wanting to stay silent. Thank you for this wonderful post.Jen Doktorskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16143138396478408692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388578325782539013.post-85768361521101170182016-11-17T10:28:51.105-05:002016-11-17T10:28:51.105-05:00Thank you for sharing this experience. I've go...Thank you for sharing this experience. I've gone both ways, letting it slide when I was in some situations, being confrontational later in life. I see this attitude more often in older people (more mentally old than physically) In part it stems from lack of familiarity. When I grew up in rural Maine back in the 1950-1960 era, the only time I saw Black people was when they carnival rides were at the Union Fair. Then I went to college in Arizona and my cultural world exploded-positively, I might add.Berekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14172936893264053007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388578325782539013.post-26322025836833524722016-11-17T10:28:38.505-05:002016-11-17T10:28:38.505-05:00Thank you, Patty. Something I am working on is fig...Thank you, Patty. Something I am working on is figuring out what to say, exactly, the next time I am in this situation-- even if it is as simple as "I do not agree with that." The holidays are coming up and I am readying myself...<br />Jody Casellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17892174349776047862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388578325782539013.post-6140000085166143152016-11-17T10:02:16.612-05:002016-11-17T10:02:16.612-05:00applause for a brave post. I've been in that s...applause for a brave post. I've been in that situation. I'm not a wave-maker. I'm silent and seething because I can't think of the right things to say when put on the spot. So I say nothing and hate myself later. <br /><br />Patty Blounthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11928111057602279792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388578325782539013.post-21502707994294167102016-11-17T09:13:21.044-05:002016-11-17T09:13:21.044-05:00I hear you, Jenn. What I'm thinking is that I ...I hear you, Jenn. What I'm thinking is that I can't worry anymore about the other person's reaction. If I am silent, I am complicit, and for myself, that won't work anymore. I've also thought about the times when I have spoken up, and in several of those instances, other people jumped in to back me up. Someone has to go first. Someone has to stand up. What would have happened in 1957 if one person, two people, ten, moved forward to walk with Elizabeth Eckford into the school building? Jody Casellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17892174349776047862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388578325782539013.post-80939758638615789892016-11-16T19:40:17.355-05:002016-11-16T19:40:17.355-05:00In my experience, questioning or challenging bigot...In my experience, questioning or challenging bigoted statements led to the people getting very angry, doubling down, and reciting anecdotes of times they had bad encounters with members of the group in question, to "prove" that they were right. Or arguing that even if every member of a marginalized group isn't dangerous, we can't afford to take chances. I was dishearteningly unable to make a dent in the wall. But I don't know, maybe speaking up plants a seed that could sprout later, even if defensiveness is the immediate reaction. I feel like I don't really know anything anymore.<br />Jennifer R. Hubbardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03408588432492354248noreply@blogger.com