Insufferableness

Something that sickens me is the callous disregard that many people in our culture have for each other.  A good example of this is when white people think they know enough about race relations in our country to make a statement, but then immediately show that they really haven't thought much about it.  This action tells the victims of racism that their suffering isn't really worth thinking much about.

Those of us who have thought a lot about it and have experienced it can see right through that weak stuff because we made the same mistakes, many years ago.  Think about if you watch a kid do something.  They make mistakes that you know they'll make ahead of time, because you made the same mistakes when you were a kid.  It's all entirely predictable. It's the same way when people who haven't experienced race issues in a deep way try to make a statement about race.  They make predictable mistakes that show they don't have much experience, but they're still willing to paint themselves as the experts, by making the statement in the first place.  Imagine if while watching that kid, you realize that the kid is in a position of power over you and that the kid thinks he's smarter than you.  It's insufferable.

That insufferableness (I'm sure that's a word) bothers me and I know it bothers many others as well.  Unfortunately, it's everywhere, which is another reason why emotional health is so important:  To help us survive the insufferableness.