I figure that for my first post, I'd help people spend a minute under the skin of someone that might be differently colored than their own.
I've been asked a few times by well-meaning people about Black Lives Matter, usually in awkwardly phrased questions like, "As, uh, a person of color, what's your take on hashtag-BlackLivesMatter?"
It might sound awkward, but my take is that it's kind of over-reactionary.
At the core of it, all human lives should matter. Are people of color targeted disproportionately for negative things to happen? Sometimes it feels like it, and if we listened to mainstream media, the answer would be an emphatic yes.
As someone who has actually lived through thirty-plus years of it, though? Yes, but only because everything is allowed to roll downhill with a snowball effect.
I just want to be treated like a person. Don't favor or disfavor me because I have extra melanin and don't sunburn easily. Favor or disfavor me based on my actions. If I act like an asshole, then by all means, dump on me as is earned. If my behaviors are much like you want to be treated, then treat me that way -- be like what you desire.
I'm not special. I'm just another meat popsicle.
