My first reaction to this was, “Who is this to tell me that my opinion can’t contribute to the conversation?!” I was offended.  I thought, “More authoritarian moralism, telling me my place.”

Then I realized that the statement was unfriendly because it was angry, and that the anger was coming from a place of hurt.  Why were they hurt?  Because they don’t feel understood, they feel alone, ignored, probably from hiding away from the shame of being victimized.

And all these feelings manifested in a confrontational and extreme statement, ironically alienating people, maybe the very people that needed to be brought closer to them, the people who don’t have the empathy or perspective to listen. Whoever wrote this doesn’t need judgment or politics.

They need our patience.  They need us to sit through the emotions.

They need us to simply listen.