As someone who has been friends with Samantha I wanna share a thread about why while being woke online and in public spaces is important- but even more so in private and your personal relationships.

A few years ago she started sharing alternate ideas, some I could relate to some that I didn’t agree with. Usually as friends when ur friend says something weird or does things we perceive as weird we are a lot more tolerant. She was into self healing and crystals.

For me, my friend getting REALLY into alternate healing and spirituality - the whole “100% of our suffering is our doing” ideals honestly just sat with me in the same category as a religious perspective. Not my place- she can have her opinions.

Later on I saw her talking about being anti vaccine, even had a couple of conversations where I sat in and just listened. Didn’t agree obviously but - this was my mistake - didn’t feel like I wanted a fight that day so I didn’t disagree.

I used to joke with our other mutual friends who disagreed that the anti-vaccine and big pharma conspiracies are only a problem when she wants kids so we don’t need to say anything till she says she’s having a baby or something :/

I wonder if I had said something at that time could I have changed her mind or her perspective?
To now see someone I grew up with having her ignorance exposed publicly & then having to call her out publicly... there is a part of me that believes I failed as a friend

While some of u applauded me for doing the right thing, I hope you guys don’t make the same mistakes I made. Correct people in private FIRST. Your friends, your family. Don’t let these conversations be “for another day”

She had a very tough life and hustled hard so I hope the ignorance and tone deaf statement came from her own pain and I hope she can heal enough from it to see this issue in the same light we do one day - I failed to be a good friend so I owe her this benefit of the doubt