Teed Rockwell
1 min readFeb 25, 2022

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I agree with that. But empathizing is not the same as agreeing. I can understand why marginalized people will want to monopolize a conversation after centuries of being ignored and silenced. But there is a difference between disagreeing with someone and objecting to the very idea that they are expressing any opinions at all. She did not address the content of your message in any way whatsoever. She just said that you shouldn't be saying anything at all because that would be centering yourself.

We both realize that if we have anything to say of this topic someone will usually say STFU white guy at some point. There is no reason for us to get fragile about that. If you're privileged, It's just part of the price of participating in dialogues on marginalization at this point in time. If you're white, someone will say you are centering yourself. If you're male, someone will say you are mansplaining. But that doesn't mean we have to pretend it's a legitimate contribution to a dialogue. She stil has a right to say it, but I have a right to object to it. And as it's your page, you have a right to not object to it. Yours may very well be the better strategy in the long run. Eventually people get tired of saying that, and then actual communication can sometimes happen.

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Teed Rockwell
Teed Rockwell

Written by Teed Rockwell

I am White Anglo-Saxon Protestant Male Heterosexual cisgendered over-educated able-bodied affluent and thin. Hope to learn from those living on the margins.

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