We often talk about Twitter as being a hurtful place - and it totally can be. However - one of my greatest new friendships in life started with a disagreement on here, and the long term result of that disagreement has grown me as a person due to it's outcome... a thread
I started getting into environmental activism after Greta first got famous. Something about the way she spoke made me realise I needed to step up more. I decided to become an "activist". I joined my local Extinction Rebellion (XR) chapter in Ōtepohi (Dunedin). 1/
I asked to speak at a council meeting. I addressed Dunedin City Council and asked them to declare a climate emergency. This was the action that was being taken at councils around the world at this stage. I became more active online about my environmental beliefs. 2/
Then, a lot of dubious stuff kept happening with XR. Firstly, their strategy was a scatter shot approach, with no clear vision of direction. It was a feelings based movement based on science. Secondly, and far more importantly, it wasn't trying to do the stuff it said. 3/
The big issues were that it said that it was all about honoring Ti Tiriti o Waitangi, and that disabled people must be recognised. There was no substantial inclusive action taken on either of these measures. No XR chapter was lead by Māori OR disabled people. 4/
There may have been members at this time from these groups, I don't know. When I went to local chapter meetings, most of the people there looked like white people (careful here not to assume skin colour is a perfect determinant of racial heritage). 5/
At one of these meetings an old white man asked "what the treaty had to do with anything?". I started feeling uncomfortable - this was challenged quite well I thought from our local chapter people and he was still disagreeable. 6/
I am still in XR at this point - we are looking at how to get the main government to declare a climate emergency as our main course of action. (Because it works so well to make change you see...). A protest is planned in wellington. Around this time I get into an argument... 7/
(My great friend now) @keraoregan claims that XR is displaying a number of problematic things - the points I have raised above are the points she makes - I am pretty hostile thinking back to be honest. I say XR does care about these things, but we don't have them yet. 8/
Kera gives me more patience than I deserve, she explains her positions, she talks about other Māori and disability organisations that have been doing this work and getting results. She questions why we need an overseas movement when they could back the ones already here. 9/
I say i'll take it under consideration. What she probably didn't know is that I started experiencing massive amounts of dissonance at this point - I am all for decolonization - I implicitly believe in honoring Ti Tiriti and giving land back as principles of justice. 10/
I still stay in the movement at this point but I have started reading up outside of Twitter to look into other organisations, I start following Kera on Twitter, she leads me to follow many more disabled people on Twitter. I start learning about ableism. 11/
Then as if to prove the fact that XR is a colonizer movement home. During the protest in Wellington (deserves it's colonizer name for this stuff tbh) at some point - all white protestors are shouting Māori phrases. Kera points out to XR that they shouldn't... 12/
The XR Twitter account attacks her, says that people like her (literally these words 🤦‍♂️) don't care about climate change and just care about being perceived as virtuous, that XR is taking action at least. This is super insulting for many reasons. 13/
Long before this white bread copy paste of other Indigenous movements even existed, Kera has been working in disabled AND environmental spaces - especially with youth. She's organised a lot. She's been to major climate change conferences - representing Indigenous ppl 14/
Secondly, you can't have justice without accountability. You can't claim to be about honoring Ti Tiriti and then shut out Māori voices because you wrongly disagree with them.
It's at this point I quit - I make it public and I thank Kera for showing me what I couldn't name. 15/
The main outcome of this interaction has been an incredible friendship. My following of disabled people has made me realise how much I had internalised ableism over my Crohn's Disease. I start to forgive myself for having a gut condition I have no control over. 16/
I start realising that people talking about hard shit in their life that society deems shameful makes them incredibly brave - and it makes me braver because of it. I come out later this year - a combination of these things in my life and Rosa's storyline on B99. 17/
I start talking about my ADHD on Twitter, I connect with ADHD Twitter and learn more about the struggles of this condition than any medical staff or book has been able to explain. I join the neurodiversity movement. I start following people with autism. 18/
I've been identifying with good actually autistic memes from these people a little too frequently, they are describing symptoms unique to autism that I experience with only ADHD + comorbid "depression and anxiety". I've been questioning everything at this point. 19/
I've discovered how trans people are being harmed online, I start following and supporting trans people on here as much as I can thanks to Kera's nudge. @CateSpice details the great bravery that it takes to be a trans person. This really stuck with me. I step up more. 20/
Some substantial time later after following her - Cate posts a result of an autism online test. I ask for the link. The online test result returns "There is a high chance you have autism" (paraphrased). Oh. Fast forward to this year January. I get my diagnosis. 21/
I finally met @keraoregan yesterday. It's been nearly two years I think (I don't know cause I had to delete all my tweets a while ago - can't go into it). Over that time, I have become the best version of myself, I've become calmer and focus my rage on those who deserve it. 22/
I've become anti-racist. I lean into the discomfort of knowing that I am racist inadvertently, I always pledge to do better. I start fighting back against ableism. I make missteps here - another great friend started with a correction of "well intentioned activism" on my part. 23/
Now I am writing regularly again. I have a focus and direction I haven't had in life for years. I have goals, I have a plan. I have challenges and problems I want to face in life. Thank you @keraoregan. I hope I make up for some of the times people refuse to listen. They should.
Never doubt what a single interaction on here can do.
You can follow @roryreckons.
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