Last week during a seminar class, for some odd reason, I felt emboldened to contribute to the discussion. At one point, meaning to say omnipresent, I instead said “omnipötent”– a word I’ve apparently only seen written. My eyes sort of darted around the room, looking for acknowledgment that what I had done was, in fact, insane. But, for some sick reason, everyone in the class withheld their judgement.
I was so tormented by this incident that I was ultimately reduced to watching myself from somewhere outside my body for the remainder of the two and a half-hour class.
All of this torture could have been avoided if someone had just called me out (e.g. “yikes” or “are you f*cking illiterate”). So, reader, consider this a call to action. Please, please stop letting the little things slide.
Examples of the “little things” include (but are certainly not limited to):
Snorting While Laughing
This has happened to me multiple times in the last week. Every occurance has been utterly demoralizing, but I am able to hold onto life only because people have witnessed and shamed me accordingly. Thank you.
Spitting a Tiny Bit on Someone
I was recently at a (cool) party and I accidentally spat on a boy while talking to him. I know this because he said, “I have no idea what you’re saying because you keep spitting on me.” And you know what? Ultimately, I was THANKFUL for this interaction, I am a better woman because of it.
Getting into a Lottery Class and Whispering “Nice” to Yourself
This is, in fact, weird. I see people second guessing themselves before and after doing this, and it is always the wrong choice. I’ve wanted to denounce this behavior as abhorrent in the past, but I have felt discouraged by those around me. I will try to be better about speaking out in the future.
Look. This might seem harsh, but in the time I’ve spent bullet journaling (and healing) since the incident in class, I’ve realized that ultimately, it is better to say something than nothing at all. Most people at Brown are really compassionate and forgiving, and they need to stop immediately. To give one the benefit of the doubt is to subject them to the slow, haunting, torture of an unacknowledged mistake. Please. If you see something, say something.
Image via Lucinda Drake.