Mizzou Activists turn Orlando Vigil into Oppression Olympics
I don’t know about you, but every time I attend a prayer vigil for victims of mass-murder, it’s always a good time to apply all the wonderful things I learned in those wonderful social justice/gender studies courses I took in college. That, of course, is what happened yesterday at Mizzou. #NotTheOnion
*Note: I only post this because it’s public and sunlight is the best disinfectant. Do not personally attack this person.
Tiffany Melecio, who describes herself on Facebook as “shy, baby feminist to radical, body loving, queertastic wom warrior,” took the chance to make a vigil for the Orlando victims all about…herself…or they…or whatever pronoun zhe prefers…Check out the meltdown that went down on the Facebook event page. Highlights down below.
Comments on the Facebook event:
Natasha: I’m still thinking about the unimaginable pain in the voice of the speaker who got heckled tonight. I hope she’s okay. These racists [In SJW this means the people who called out the actual racism.] took an event of mourning and loss and derailed it. They violently rejected [HATE CRIME/SPEECH] people who are already hurting, had to make sure even in their deepest sorrow that they know they aren’t universally supported even in a community built on resilient pride against that kind of hatred. It’s so unspeakably ugly. We white people desperately need to learn when to listen at times like these especially. We must do better by those who were lost on Sunday. We mourn together but we don’t experience the same oppression. Understanding that is so critical.
Erin: I have to disagree with the majority of this. While I do commend this young woman for being brave and sharing both her story and her anger at the lack of support shown for the Latino community, I was offended by her specifically asking the white people in attendance “who are you really here for?” As a white, heterosexual female I was not there because my ethnicity or sexual orientation are similar to those of the victims, but because the victims were human and did not deserve to die due to the intolerance and hatred that is extremely prevalent in our society and all over the world. I was there to show that I support love, understanding and tolerance despite the plethora of differences between myself and the people who lost their lives….but because of her “us against them” way of sharing her feelings, it did nothing but make me feel as though she felt that I should not have even been there.
[Here’s where the Oppression Olympics becomes way complicated] I feel this is the point the man who spoke out was trying to make and people have taken his being offended out of context. White privilege is a thing, white male privilege is an even bigger thing, but this was not the time nor the place to create a divide or express anger over anything other than the tremendous loss our country experienced together, blind to both ethnicity and sexual orientation.
Natasha [NOT HAPPY]: Perhaps stop policing the tone of people who are grieving for a loss in THEIR community. It’s not yours in any sense as a straight cis white person, so I don’t really see why you think people here want to hear your opinion. “Blind to both ethnicity and sexual orientation” indeed. Ignoring those things helps no one. White people’s defensiveness and derailment tactics helped no one and were supremely disrespectful.
Matt: Thanks for making it a racial thing. That was so uncalled for and such fucking bullsh*t. Like anyone who supports the gay community needs to hear that. I totally supported the loud guy at the back that called out the female speaker.
Visiting from California here, and I was so turned off by this that we just left. Total f%#$^ bullsh*t.
And I quote, “I wish we had this turn out for….”
Complete utter crap. Shame on you.
[HERE’S THE RESPONSE HE GOT]
Sarah: White dude doesn’t like being made to feel uncomfortable, supports fellow white dude in attempted shaming/silencing of a woman of color. I wish it were more surprising. It is still disgusting.
You brought your anger to the wrong place, Matt. If you can’t hold space for someone who is different from you for 5 minutes while she voices her experience, the experiences of others in her community, how can you expect the same from anyone else?
Sophia: To the privileged white men that spoke out of ignorance…#weloveyouanyway Thank you, young woman that represented the Latino community, I hope you have more opportunities to share and more white people to hear…