I woke up with the poem below on my mind. But now I wish I’d written about how they wait for you to make a mistake so they can pounce. It happens when they “other” you (aka dehumanize) and need a reason. A good enough reason. A person just being odd is really NOT a good reason. I’m glad we can sort of agree on that. So they sit and wait and watch. And then they pounce. 

Once, all my tires were slashed. First year in the neighborhood. I never talked to anyone there (OOPS – felony or misdemeanor? ). They never approached me. Never had a confrontation. Nothing. But I didn’t socialize with them, and someone thought I should pay for that. This is how groups operate. You are not one of us. You didn’t do anything to us, but you should pay for being different. I wonder why I hate groups. This is just one example of the BS I have to put up with from them. The othering, prejudice, and hostility. Dehumanization and scapegoating never stop.

This is why I consider groups (neighbors, work, school etc.) a hazard for people who are different. Whether’s it’s being autistic, part of the LGBTQA community or different in another way. We are not safe. But people are great.

Didn’t mean to go there. Back to how they pounce:

I hate the watching most of all. They stare and then deny it. “I was just looking.” DUDE. If I can think, why is this person staring? I wish a rock would fall out of the sky so the person would blink. And 2 more thoughts. Then you are staring. They deny everything like it’s second nature. Some say they can’t help it. But that hasn’t been confirmed so…I’m not sure. It seems innate. 

It’s funny how I can predict what they will do, yet they still deny it after it happens. I see it so often. Watch, wait, and POUNCE. And when they don’t want to wait, they bait. Story of my life! They are very consistent. But there’s no rulebook, so it’s gotta be innate, right? Not really, but it probably is.

Now I will share what I wrote about “the others” this morning after receiving a text the evening before. If they other me, I can other them. Fair? Not in their opinion, of course. I guess they throw “Do unto others…” out the door sometimes. Different rules for the minority. Maybe they can dish it out, but can’t take it?

I’m supposed to take it. Never give it. Know my place & STFU.

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What I Did This Week

Music of the Week

Books of the Week

I finished 2 books this week. And 30 books so far this year! I think this is a record. Not even when I was a teen did I read this much. Yay for needing escapism!

• The Compound by Aisling Rawle (fiction) – My rating: ★★★★(really 4.25 stars) I was a little hesitant to read this since most of the well-known books I’ve read this year have been subpar. But I decided to give this a chance because it’s about reality TV, and I rarely read fiction set in that world. Glad I read it. I own this book, and I already plan to reread it. It wasn’t the best book I’ve ever read, but after a bunch of average fiction, this book really stands out. From my notes: So far, I like the simplicity, but I was expecting more of a faster thriller. This is like (Stephen King’s) The Long Walk without guns.
• Keep The Doctor Away by James Caine (fiction) – My rating: ★★★ (really 3.50 stars) Another book that started off great but fell hard. Good for the first 30 to 40% of the book.

Quote of the Week

There is no need to win an argument if you can
change the conditions.
No need to refute a person if you can outlast them.

No need to declare hostility if you can call it
common sense.

– Jaime Hoerricks, PhD