There is a button on the door at the ferry terminal.
It’s made for disabled people.
It’s there to open the door so that those who have trouble opening doors can get by.
Lately I’ve noticed that this button is regularly pushed.
And not for the elderly,
Nor those with mobility issues.
Instead?
The first through the door tends to smack the button for those behind them.
Watching this happen one day, I saw a mother with stroller.
The button wasn’t there for them.
I saw a student struggling with heavy backpack.
They used the door too.
But the button wasn’t designed for them.
Nor was it designed for the tired looking middle aged white guy.
But they all seemed to need it.
So, dear reader, let me smack a button for you.
If you feel cut out by ‘affirmative action’ hiring criteria,
DO NOT FIGHT IT.
Do not despair.
Instead?
Check all of the boxes.
You are a transgendered, dwarven, neuro-diverse, immigrant, POC.
They can’t argue with you.
Just say: It’s how I self identify.
And?
If they argue with you?
Accuse them of being colonial, western supremacist, cis normative, ableist, fat shaming patriarchs who are using their privilege to put you down.
Then?
When they question your ‘self identity’?
Double down on your victimhood.
Accuse them of oppressing you and denying your ‘lived experience’.
Then?
Smile
And if everyone checked all of the boxes,
The same way we all use the disabled door?
If we worked for equality, not equity?
Well…
That racism stuff might just start to fade.
You see, socially we design things for specific needs without knowing about the hidden burdens that we all carry.
And a button that only allows certain people through?
Well,
That’s really short sighted.
So if you believe that maybe, just maybe, if we treat each other with civility and kindness, we might be able to open doors for more people in need than those short sighted, well intentioned gatekeepers have envisioned.
Smack the button below to share this post widely.
Because if you can’t beat them?
Become them.
