Read on Twitter
sometimes, upon initially seeing or hearing something i don't understand, I get upset. This isn't abnormal for anyone, but theres something I try to do that I've noticed most others don't
I try my best to put aside my feelings for a moment, especially if the thing I'm seeing is from someone I know is different from me, especially if they're a mutual. I stop and ask myself "why is this upsetting to me?" and often times the answer is just "i don't understand it"
Then I start digging deeper, is this a topic i'm not an authority on? usually yes! So i stop myself, and i think "why did this person say this?" and often times its because they are speaking out about something they /do/ understand, because it affects them every day
sometimes, this is because i experience privileges that they don't, and I recognize that. It may initially upsetting to see a broad generalization about a group I count myself in, but i remember that if they meant every person in that group, i wouldnt be seeing their comments
allyship is about putting your feelings aside, and listening to the people you claim to be an ally towards. They are the people who are authorities on the subjects they're speaking on, and more often than not, they are making those generalizations because it is important to them
so even if something confuses or upsets you at first, take a second, do some introspection. Why does this confuse you? Why are you upset? You don't need to immediately comment if something upsets you, sometimes its okay to just keep that to yourself
