You don't get to define me. I'll decide who I am and what I think.
So you hear I'm an atheist and decide I have no morals because atheists can't be good people, even though you know me personally to be a nice person who helps people and would never deliberately harm anyone.
So you find out I have a Confederate flag hanging in my room and decide I'm a hate-filled racist, even though you know me personally to not judge people on account of race, color, heritage, along with sexual preference, beliefs...
So you hear I'm an anarchist so you think I'm a crazy, bomb-throwing lunatic trying to overthrow the government. Which isn't what an anarchist is but what we were taught in school. But you know me to be a peaceful, non-violent person who wants everyone to be free to live their own life as they choose.
So you see me post about legalizing cannabis so you think I'm a "pothead" or "druggie" when, if you know me very well at all, you know I don't use any drugs except the ones prescribed for me. I just think people should be free to decide what they consume and know that, as some famous person said, The other end of the noose you put around another person's neck is tied to you. I can't be truly free until everyone else is.
So you find out I receive SNAP so you decide I'm too lazy to work to take care of myself and I'm stealing *your* money, even knowing I've worked all my life and supported my family to the best of my ability.
I'm old, so I'm this; I'm disabled, so I'm that. My skin is the lightest of browns because my ancestors hailed from Europe so I'm another thing that you've decided for me.
It's a mess: I post something favorable to conservatives and some of my liberal friends will think poorly of me. I post something favorable to liberals and some of my conservative friends think poorly of me. Not all, of course, but the ones who do never look closely and see that I'm favoring the side who is favoring people's right to make their own choices--the side that doesn't want the majority to take freedom from the minority.
I don't care who you are; you don't get to define me. Seems I recall some fellow in a book warning people to not judge lest they be judged. Define yourself.
