The Danger of Silence
For the most part, I live my life in a bubble of privilege: I am a straight, Christian, white, educated, professional woman living in the United States of America. My gender on occasion provides some obstacle to my path, but mostly, being a woman means I suffer through such odious and obnoxious moments as mansplaining, condescension, and surprise that I’m actually highly proficient in my profession rather than outright discrimination. I choose my battles carefully when it comes to confronting outdated attitudes about women, mostly because sometimes it’s better to win the “war” than to let skirmishes distract from the bigger goal: doing the job. My silence does not indicate approval in these instances, merely a different tactic than that preferred by others who prefer to confront every little offense. I am privileged to be able to make that choice for myself and I usually follow other women’s lead as to whether I should confront it when the offense is not aimed specifically at me. Is t