Tayana Osuna, arts & culture editor
Every. Single. Morning. I wake up, the sun is shining, I hear cars passing, my roommates squirming in their rooms and for a moment, it is okay. But then I, for whatever stupid reason, think it’s a great idea to open up my phone to find what you ask? “Cheeto man does this,” “Cheeto man does that,” “Guess what Cheeto man signed!” Probably something that’ll give my rights away, that’s for sure.
I’m so tired. I’m literally exhausted at trying to keep up with all the hate. I’m exhausted from trying to preemptively prepare myself from the unfavorable situations I may find myself in. A man who doesn’t understand the concept of “no” potentially approaching me! Someone’s idiot grandma yelling slurs at my friends! My siblings being questioned by the popsicle police! Someone’s deadbeat dad telling me what he thinks I should do WITH MY OWN DAMN BODY! I can’t do it!
Every day I have at least one conversation with friends about more of our rights being taken away. Every day I have to see that a ceasefire, A REAL CEASEFIRE, has yet to happen in Palestine. Every day I get videos of cops, of ICE, of countless white men assaulting and berating other human beings who are all just asking to be fed, to be housed, to — god forbid — be taken care of by companies they’ve given thousands of dollars to so they don’t just die when shit hits the fan. Which frankly, shit is always hitting the fan, okay? The fan is full of shit, absolutely covered, it ain’t even its original color no more. Just shit stained and all!!! AHHHH I CAN’T!
I don’t even know how many school shootings have happened this year because there’ve been so many! We even had a 21-year-old boy, Javion Magee, who was lynched! LYNCHED! HOW IS THE WORLD NOT ON FIRE!? Oh, wait… IT IS!
Planes are crashing and trans kids just don’t exist anymore according to fish-face over here. The Gulf of México is gonna be considered a slur; watch, I give it a month, it’ll be Bde Maka Ska all over again. Countries all over the world are protesting for us against our own idiot government because our right to protest is literally being taken away!
I mean what in the world! What even, genuinely. How am I supposed to hold it all together? What, I’m just expected to go to class, go to work, do all my homework, maintain relationships, have a skincare routine, stay in shape, have hobbies, know absolutely everything that is happening because otherwise I feel guilty if I’m not keeping up, like oh my god! It’s too much! Can I speak to the manager? Because I am less than satisfied and I WILL be making it everyone’s problem.