you know what trope pisses me off the most? when the protag is pointing a gun at somebody and they’re like “you won’t do it. you’re too good” and the person holding the gun is like oh shit i am and they slowly lower the gun while the other person laughs. WHAT THE FUCK. if i were there, and somebody told me “you won’t do it” i would immediately shoot them dead without hesitating. who are you to tell me what i wont do. musty bitch
Keep in mind that there is almost always a third option, most especially when the person talking is vague about what, precisely, it is that you “won’t do.”
If it’s noodles, pour them on your sister instead of on her computer, or if the noodles are quite hot, pour them on her pillow or in a great spattering arc around her room.
If you have a supervillain at gunpoint and *they* say you’re “too good” and “won’t do it,” shoot them in the leg/foot or the shoulder. The former allows them to think they’re right while you lower the gun only to be confronted with sudden understanding and regret when you blow their metatarsals to kingdom come, while the latter is instant and avoids giving them even a moment’s satisfaction or any time to charge you while you’re lowering the gun to shoot them in the leg.
Door Number Three usually exists and is often your friend. Endeavor to cultivate awareness thereof.
Ethical dillemas are rarely reducible down to a clear binary.
a cis friend reached out to me and apologised for using the wrong pronouns when talking about me to someone else when i wasn’t present. but here’s the thing: in no way did i want to hear that apology.
i don’t want to know you misgendered me. i don’t want you to use the wrong pronouns for me, only for you to then later come running to me with your tail between your legs, crying about how sorry you are, expecting forgiveness without repercussion. i don’t know a single trans person who would.
what this situation lead to, and what it will always lead to, is the trans person being stuck to forgive the cis person, patting their pack and consoling their feelings of guilt. if we don’t, we risk the cis person demonising all trans people, we risk cis people revoking their allyship, we risk mockery, and we risk so much more. it’s a lose-lose situation for trans people: we got reminded we get misgendered, and we have to console the one who did it if we want to be safe.
if you misgender a trans person not present, don’t tell them you did. accept that you fucked up, and next time correct yourself so that you’re not misgendering anyone anymore. trans people get misgendered to their faces often enough as it is. we don’t deserve to be forced to comfort a cis person’s feelings regarding their own guilt after we get misgendered without our knowledge.
the guilt you feel isn’t mine to console… and if you don’t misgender me next time, the guilt will disappear naturally.
Beautifuldifferences 