The more I’m on this website, the more I realize that there are waaaay too many people on tumblr who don’t understand the makeup of conservative towns. And I don’t just mean the people who are like, “But HOW did you POSSIBLY grow up believing this close-minded BIGOTRY?” I mean the way tumblr tries to do its casual call to action…to solve a problem…in a conservative town.
Like I just saw the post about the transggender student who was getting death threats from parents and tumblr’s like, “Well, no problem, we’ll just hack these parents’ Facebooks and find out where they work and call their employers…”
Yeah…that’s…that’s not gonna work.
“But if we get them fired that’ll show them that—”
You’re not gonna get them fired. You’re contacting a business in a conservative town. Despite what most people genuinely believe, the bigotry doesn’t stop after you reach a certain education level or job title. (If anything it gets worse because people have more educated ways to be bigoted.) Contacting these parents’ bosses just means that you’re facing another line of bigotry.
“Okay then we’ll contact the bosses’ bosses and—”
Yeah, no, that’s…no.
“Well, fine, we’ll go after the politicians…”
You’re really not getting this.
“Then we’ll go after the politicians’ bosses…”
Everyone’s a conservative hick!
Everyone!
It’s not just the hunters wearing camouflage who strap on their guns as they enter Walmart. It’s the deli workers who cheerfully hand the gun-toters samples of potato salad. It’s the mechanic who fixes the tire on that gun-toter’s truck. It’s the lead manager who dresses in a suit and drinks too much between shifts and grins when the gun-toter enters his store because it’ll keep the trouble out. It’s the local senator who gives the gun-toters a fixed smile because they’re too deep into their political position to oppose a constituent.
There is no hierarchy that tumblr can exploit, no easy person that can be convinced to wipe out a town’s hivemind overnight. There’s no real way to fix it at all. You either get out and never look back (*dramatic bow*) or you stay trapped in the hivemind without even realizing what’s out there (or caring).
What can we do then to keep people safe?
There is no hierarchy that tumblr can exploit, no easy person that can be convinced to wipe out a town’s hivemind overnight. There’s no real way to fix it at all. You either get out and never look back (*dramatic bow*) or you stay trapped in the hivemind without even realizing what’s out there (or caring).
—
Like I hate to be so depressing at 8:00 AM but yeah, that’s the point of this post, there is no way for a tumblr hero to swoop in.
Conservative hick towns are always going to be conservative hick towns.
By the time the old hicks die off, the once-liberal millennials will be just as conservative as their parents, and it will keep going. Just like it always has.
I’d say donate to the local charities but the biggest charity in my area is the Salvation Army sooo…
I guess you could try donating to the schools but the member of my schoolboard just released this statement about a kids’ drag day at the library:
TW: Transphobia:
Sooo, you know, there’s that.
Actually, that is one thing you can do.
Donate to the small town libraries. Most librarians are liberal, libraries often have food/clothing drives, they have resources to help people write resumes or sit through job interviews, they have events like the one above. That’s probably the best way you can make a small, miniscule, difference. Just don’t go in, well, ‘tumblr’ style and expect to change the town overnight. (Or at all.)
Argh. Okay. I don’t think we could change towns but if we could save one kids life from suicide or abuse …
If you’re close by, you could organise and actually *go* help.
Escort the kid to school as a group.
Place *bodies* in the way of the people who want to hurt her.
For ages I’ve seen a post floating round about that bikie gang that accompanies kids to court etc and protects them from their abusers/makes them feel safe.
Be those guys, for this little girl.
*show* those people that eyes are on them, and there are people (hopefully lots of people) willing to physically get in their way. Willing to literally fight them in real life. Willing to actually step up and stop them.
Gay Hell 