Do not tell me to calm down.

Being freaked out does not mean I’m feeling defeated, or powerless. It just means I’m freaked out! Feelings aren’t facts, etc. Acknowledging how one feels is the first step toward NOT ACTING ON THAT FEELING. Breathing through it instead. Doing the next right thing.

The thing about those “economically anxious” white supremacists or white supremacists enablers is that they often don’t *realize* they’re terrified. They think they’re behaving rationally! They think their fears are facts. They think fear is “weakness.”

Fear isn’t weakness. The capacity to feel fear — and pain — is part of being human, and connects us to others, if we let it. So don’t tell me to calm down, let’s joing up and act our way out of fear instead.