With some of the things that occurred recently, and with the “normalize” tweets, how about we normalize compassion, empathy, or at least not assuming the worst out of people? Thread 1/14

Lots of the things we can do are actually a privilege. I know, it SHOULDN’T be that way, and we should all fight for everyone to have RIGHTS to do what we do. 2/14

However, that’s the reality in the imperfect world we currently live in, so while we combat the inequity, let’s also think how we treat people in this imperfect but real world. Think about the following scenarios: 3/14

“You buy from *insert big corporation*? How terrible of you to support such an unethical brand!”
Or, they’re struggling to put their next meals on the table, so have to buy whatever is the cheapest even if it’s from that unethical corporation? 4/14

“If you don’t speak up you’re part of the problem! If you speak up and get fired then you shouldn’t work for that employer anyway!”
Or, they can’t afford to lose their job, however crappy it is, b/c they have a family to support, 5/14

...or b/c their immigration status depends on it and they'll be deported the moment they lose it?
Or even worse, maybe they live in a place where speaking up can be dangerous, so they can’t speak up for the safety of themselves and their families? 6/14

“It’s good for you to feel uncomfortable! You’re not a true ally if you don’t like it!”
Or, they’re getting overwhelmed and anxiety attacks with all the “uncomfortable”, so they need to take a break for their mental health, so that they won’t burn out and can keep fighting? 7/14

You may be thinking: “well I have no way of knowing that since they didn’t tell me.” Then should you really assume the worst (or anything at all) about them, since you just said yourself that you don’t have all the information about them? 8/14

Or, let’s say they actually are unethical, don’t care about equity, aren’t aware of human rights issues, etc., so you feel the need to call them out.
How likely will your message go through if you start it by being condescending, judgmental, or even name-calling? 9/14

Yes, they’re infuriating, and it’s inevitable that we get frustrated. However, the goal of calling someone out is to educate and to get our messages through, not to lash out at them, dehumanize them, or destroy their mental health/lives. 10/14

Before you speak, know that everyone is fighting a different battle. It’s unlikely for you to know every little detail about someone else’s life, and everyone processes things differently. So should you really judge someone just because they do things differently than you? 11/14

I know, as humans, we all have biases, and it’s inevitable that we tend to simplify information by labeling people so they fit into certain “categories”. However, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strive to do better, label less, and be less judgmental. 12/14

The fact that you take the time to speak up about the issue means you care, so if you have the privilege to speak up and fight the inequity, do it, especially for people who can’t. 13/14

Meanwhile, if someone doesn’t, or fights differently than you do, let’s not be so quick to judge. Maybe they’re terrible and just don’t care, but maybe they’re just not as privileged as us and can’t fight in the same way as us. 14/14