Less "allies" more Comrades.

So, I hear a lot of talk on social media about "allyship" and it sounds awesome right, I wanna be someone that is a safe space for people in need, who doesn't (I know many many people, but I'm talking to the ones that care about other people right now)? Here's the rub though, "ally" is performative in nature as it doesn't ever have to be backed up by action, right. So you get to just say it and feel better, without ever having to put the work in. When the work is what separates us from the fascists.

That's where Comrade comes in, it is a title you earn, you can't give it to yourself. Which of course is what we should all be striving towards. Will this be a straight line, absolutely not, will mistakes be made, yes, is it important to understand that intention and humility are key, 1000%. We are all on this journey together, and even though social media has taught us to dig in farther to defend whatever thing we have done/said, sometimes the best move is a simple I'm sorry, I'll take it under consideration thank you for pointing this out to me. It's simultaneously the easiest and hardest thing to do on these inter webs. Trust me I've been on every side of it as well, but we must learn to communicate with compassion and desire to learn, not just scold (even though that's where it ends up more times than not).

So, I will never refer to myself as an "ally" and hope only for an opportunity to prove I am worthy of the title Comrade.