I’m not an academic exercise
Ok so, I wanna talk about a thing, it might make some folks uncomfortable but when has that stopped me? Ready? I hope so, here we go.
An incident on tumblr, regarding a white member of fandom asking a WOC to follow her to “learn” has this on my mind today. See, I had reblogged that post from the WoC fandom member, with my own POV on the whole I learn so much from you! responses I get on there.
I spoke of the way that response irks me, because shock, I don’t talk about my life as an academic exercise to wake up white folks. Because amazingly enough WoC try to go about our daily lives and talk about it without considering white people, again shocking I know.
Back to the point of this clueless person who then messaged me, and @biancajand almost identical messages about her guilt. See, that ticked me right the fuck off because:
A) she recentered my reblog on her white guilt. IDGAF about that, save it.
B) She then couldn’t take the L gracefully and STOP TALKING when I said I’d expose her ass. I don’t owe anyone that courtesy when you invade y inbox with some bullshit like that. If she messaged us, who knows who else she messaged with her same fauxpology? Lots I guess?
C) She doubled down on that with another message, talking about how she didn’t mean to do whatever, but she’d already fucked up.
All that set up was to talk about the whole “I learn so much from you!” unasked for social contract y’all on put black women or the expectation to take our lives, our experiences as just another page in a textbook instead of realizing we’re people like you. Often, the people who claim to learn so much? Never change, yet thank us for their learning. That’s a one sided exchange y’all.
So if you do actually learn from black women on here? Maybe leave a tip, support them on Patreon or otherwise be useful. Stop with this OMG THIS WAS SO USEFUL, I NEVER KNEW THIS, I LEARNED TODAY! responses to our daily lives. It’s grating, to me anyway.
Y’all wouldn’t roll into a class and expect to be educated for free, and if we’re gonna have this one sided social contract? Fuck You, Pay Us
Lastly, remember black folks, other NBPOC, LGBTQIA folks are never, ever obligated to answer your questions, not never. No one has a right to our time, our space, our energy, even for money. If someone tells you no, that’s it. Go away, take the L friend. Cause if you keep up with the demands, or my personal hated phrase, “I’m just asking a question?” 1 way express to blocksylvania is yours.
So support the folks you wanna take time and energy from. Paypal tip, support on Patreon, by them a Kofi.
My Patreon: https://patreon.com/cypheroftyr
Buy me a Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/A7765X5
