Pandering

I remember back in the 90's, when a show would have a single colored person, or a single white person, as a token example of inclusivity.  As though they were flailing and pointing to this one person who was either written into a stereotype, or very obviously placed, as though it magically made them open and accepting.

And now with gender and sexuality and all of that becoming a thing, I notice it again.  Instead of just having a mix, or speaking about people as a whole, I constantly see others jumping down the throats of others to make the statement "regardless of gender".  

An example from the other day which frustrated me was a meme about beards and changing tires.  It talked about how anyone should be comfortable just calling for a tow, or a tire change on the road in an attempt to make people feel affirmed in not knowing every skill that is stereotyped into an image.

I commented saying that everyone should learn this skill, simply in that it is important to know, regardless of facial hair.

Hence, beard or no beard, which is about as inclusive as it gets.  All people either have a beard or no.  So I thought people would get that, agree, and move on.  Well, someone who just wanted to throw that phrase down my throat goes about posting it, and when I saw that the statement is pretty inclusive, he tries bringing up things that obviously still fit into my statement.

I tried not to just say "Yo, I'm Agender, maybe we don't constantly need to be brought up because that singles us out more, and we want to just be people." Even though I wanted to.

In the end, he got quiet, and I wound up talking about how there is never an excuse not to learn something, even if just to guide and teach other people should the opportunity arise.

Yes, we must be inclusive and welcoming, but sometimes, that means not pointing us out for what makes us unique, but just letting us be people.  We don't need hand-holding, and we can be inclusive and think beyond the surface.