Is anyone else being alert stalked and over noticed?

[MADem]

148. I've spent my life being singled out for being a bit different from the norm.

No matter where I go, I don't quite fit the mold--close, but no cigar!

So, I get it. I get the looks, I get the suspicion, I get the whole "You're not one of us" thing going on. I have a thick skin as a consequence and I've learned to figure out that family and friends are the best support system going. Also, ya can't make people love ya, but ya CAN make them not discriminate against ya!

I just wish that those of us here under this BIG frigging tent would have some tolerance for those who gather in the corners of the tent that they do not frequent. I hate these kinds of internal snipings, these ALERT FIRST and ask questions later games. I say give people a chance to explain themselves. Do you hate old people? Do you hate white people? Two questions and the answer is "No of COURSE not," and we're done. Save the alerts for the real jerks, covert trolls, and complete assholes, not simple differences of opinion that can be hashed out with a conversation.

I wish we'd celebrate our similarities as readily as we snipe about our differences. It sure would make life easier.