You are not one of us.

Summary

The text describes the author's struggle with identity and acceptance within a community due to the invalidation of their political opinions and experiences of racism.

Abstract

The author expresses a deep sense of alienation, detailing how their political views and cultural identity are rejected by the majority, even in spaces where their opinions align with the dominant narrative. Despite anticipating acceptance, the author faces continued denial and invalidation of their experiences with racism. This has led the author to suppress aspects of their identity for safety and acceptance, causing self-inflicted harm and a loss of self. The piece concludes with the author, Lucy, grappling with the decision to publish her poem, which has been heavily edited to soften its original, more confrontational language, reflecting the emotional toll of speaking from a place of relative safety while feeling guilt for not being directly involved in the struggles she writes about.

Opinions

The author feels that their cultural identity and history are disregarded when they express their political opinions.
Despite aligning politically with a majority group, the author does not feel welcomed or accepted.
The author's experiences of racism are consistently denied and invalidated by others.
To avoid conflict and seek safety, the author has felt compelled to conceal parts of their identity.
The author expresses a sense of self-betrayal and loss of identity due to the need to camouflage their true self.
Lucy, the author, is apprehensive about publishing her poem due to its sensitive content and her position of privilege compared to those more directly affected by the issues she addresses.

You are not one of us.

If I speak about my political opinions I am denied my cultural identity, my history, my roots.

You are not one of us.

So in a place where my political opinions align with the majority I thought I would feel welcomed, but I am not.

My experiences of racism are continually denied and invalidated.

You are not one of us.

To fit in and be safe, I have had to hide portions of myself, political or cultural.

I have done as much damage to myself camouflaging.

I am not me anymore.

Lucy (The Egg Girl) is nauseous as she prepares to hit publish on this poem. A poem that had been in drafts for a month, but a draft that wasn’t published in time. A draft that was heavily edited because the original words used in this poem were too fitey. Instead, she careful chose words to convey the emotion undoubtedly felt by many. I speak from a privileged safety, with guilt that I am speaking at all when I’m not in the thick of it all.