finally speaking my mind

Instructions

----- !! DISCLAIMER: PLEASE READ !! I am not trying to anger/harm anyone or spread any negativity by sharing this. That was never (and it will never be) my intent for my opinions and for this project. I am just sick of everything I keep seeing on the news everyday, and now I'm finally using an outlet to share my thoughts. My main intention for this is to spread awareness and hopefully inspire others to speak up against AAPI hate. ----- !! PLEASE KEEP IN MIND !! This project won't explicitly mention certain sensitive topics/events, but when I do mention those topics, I'll try my best to not be specific about it. If you're sensitive to things like r*cism, please click off of this project right now. Remember that everything in the description is *my* opinion. I won't share any specific personal experiences as to maintain privacy and I don't think sharing them will add anything to this. Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, but please be considerate and don't start a war down there– if you do, I'll turn off the comments immediately, take screenshots, and report you. ----- !! Preface !! Q: What does AAPI stand for? A: AAPI means Asian-American and Pacific Islander. ----- !! My thoughts !! If you're new to my content, you won't know this, but I'm someone who doesn't stand for injustice and inequality (you might see hints of that in my Pride projects.) I know I never said anything about the BLM movement, and although I do support it, I was very scared of speaking out. I'm outgoing here online, but I'm actually very shy and reserved in real life, and I was very self-conscious and scared that it wasn't my place to speak up about BLM. I also prefer to stay away from drama in order to protect myself, and I am just as scared of talking about AAPI hate as I am about BLM, but I'm done with keeping my mouth shut. It sickens me to be reminded of my past r*cist experiences whenever I look at the news, and now it's so bad that I steer completely away from it as a safety mechanism. I've had points of my life where I'm in a very bad space emotionally, but as news reports spike and all of the incidents are intensified, all of this has put me into a state lower than I've ever been in before. Not only do I worry about my own safety every second I'm outside, but what drives me down the most is worrying about the safety of my friends and family. I can't handle the thought of them being verbally, physically, or mentally hurt like the people on the news. That's why I’ve only responded to comments days after it’s posted lately– I need a break since all of this is eating me up inside. I'm very fortunate to have an audience and to have a platform to speak up, but that also frightens me since the majority of internet communities (including Scratch's) has become more and more toxic over the years. It makes me angry to see how parts of society has grown, and it made me *livid* the first time a, er– certain man referred to the coronavirus in a way that was utterly r*cist. AAPI hate is so systemic and is burned into America's history to a point where it's difficult for people who are not POC (People of Color) to even know that they're being r*cist. It's also so bad that even POC can't recognize that they're being r*cist since a portion of America's society only thinks that people who aren't POC can be r*cist. It doesn't help that a large portion of Asians (well, at least the ones I know) are very quiet when it comes to r*cist incidents, but I'm glad people are finally standing up to it. But it pains me to say that we're not doing enough... If you can't relate to any of this, please know that other people could, and that you should be compassionate and kind to them. No one deserves to be treated unfairly just because of the color of their skin or their ethnicity. Please acknowledge that and make sure to stand up for people. The world's future lies in the hands of us in Gen Z and Gen Alpha, and it's important that we work together to steer the world towards becoming a more accepting and understanding place. ----- Hey, if you read all the way to the end, I'd like to say thanks for sticking with me :3 I'll probably unshare this project in the future... Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. It's a safe place where you're free to share your experiences and emotions. <3