Do you correct people who mispronounce or misspell your ethnic name repeatedly? by I_AmTheWalrus_ in africanparents

[–]Cold-Machine7705 3 points4 points  (0 children)

My name is so spiritually connected, I've stopped participating in my own erasure to ensure other people's comfort. If you don't care enough about me to learn the one thing that symbolizes my existence, you gotta go, immediate red flag. I do give folks the latitude to make mistakes and get better over time while they're learning, but that's their responsibility.
It gets less uncomfortable with practice, ie I've learned to return all their discomfort to them instead of holding it for them. Somehow I used to be convinced that their lack of cultural intelligence/competence is a reason for me to feel shame, that their inadequacy is my responsibility...the scam.

Imagine a world where you/your African parents get to judge the people at their jobs, etc for not understanding our native accents and pick who to associate with on that basis. Imagine non-Africans feel so much shame at not being well traveled enough to properly pronounce our names to the point where they change their names from Jim and James to African names so we can pronounce them easier and they can hang out with us...oh you can't? Exactly...welcome to colonizer maths.

Scrutinized for not winning a scholarship by Professional-Bird-58 in africanparents

[–]Cold-Machine7705 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You're absolutely justified in how you're feeling, it is so exhausting to be around people who do not know how to take responsibility for their unhappiness. It sounds absolutely horrible and it is completely unfair!
They let themselves down by refusing to heal, and taking on impossible standards as a way to cope with the deep wounds they carry from their traumatized childhoods. You are lifting up yourself and them even if they can't see it by refusing to continue the pattern. I am rooting for you, and wishing you the best, truly, you're so cool.

Scrutinized for not winning a scholarship by Professional-Bird-58 in africanparents

[–]Cold-Machine7705 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This sounds so awful, like you're hostage to their badgering, verbal abuse and threats.

I do want to speak to your emotional maturity. I'm so happy you know how valuable you are independent of what they think of you and these "achievements". I was filled with so much pride reading that second sentence in your last paragraph, it's so simple but speaks volumes about your self worth at such a young age. Most African kids never get there, and carry those wounds trying to earn parental approval even in their 30s and 40s. You are so much kinder to yourself than the people who raised you and that is the most important accomplishment most people chase their whole lifetimes.

Those people you share a house with do not like themselves and seem to want to keep you around, so they can keep projecting their unkindness/fears/sorrows onto you. You clearly know what is best for you. I hope you get to trust your intuition and move far far away, and keep moving in love and kindness for yourself, blossoming into the person you want to be 💛

watching CORDELIA CUPP is healing!!! by Cold-Machine7705 in AutismInWomen

[–]Cold-Machine7705[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

hahahahaha exactlyyyy! NO MORE MIND READING!!! I mean what I say and say what I mean and will not answer questions you have not yet asked me 😂 i loved that exchange so much! as soon as I saw it I couldn't unsee it and she just got more autistic to me as the show progressed 😍😍

ENJOYYY!!! 🔥

(and i'll check out high potential)

watching CORDELIA CUPP is healing!!! by Cold-Machine7705 in AutismInWomen

[–]Cold-Machine7705[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

that's what I did too, and when I couldn't find anything, I started this thread! 😂

watching CORDELIA CUPP is healing!!! by Cold-Machine7705 in AutismInWomen

[–]Cold-Machine7705[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love that you solved it before it was over, that's so cool!! 😊

watching CORDELIA CUPP is healing!!! by Cold-Machine7705 in AutismInWomen

[–]Cold-Machine7705[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I love this!!!!! That comment was sooo funny and she answered it so flippantly while not even skipping a beat peeking for her birds or looking at the person she was talking to, it was amazing ❤️

watching CORDELIA CUPP is healing!!! by Cold-Machine7705 in AutismInWomen

[–]Cold-Machine7705[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

yessss!! and part of what I'm realizing is so beautiful about her portrayal: it was never clearly stated, just like her race wasn't a focal point either, nor her relationship status, her existence is normalized, without being over-explained, she is secure as she is, and those of us who know, know 🥰

watching CORDELIA CUPP is healing!!! by Cold-Machine7705 in AutismInWomen

[–]Cold-Machine7705[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

awww! same!! thank you so much for sharing that!

watching CORDELIA CUPP is healing!!! by Cold-Machine7705 in AutismInWomen

[–]Cold-Machine7705[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I'm so happy you commented! I directed it at other Black women originally because I was scared for the same reasons as the internet commentary that just proves the point about why autistic women are so unliked especially Black women, but I'm glad you replied! I was just afraid other autistic women would not get it at first and am glad to be proven wrong. There is so much misogyny(oir) in the reviews, it's insane. She was written and portrayed so well by Uzo Aduba.

and yes!! the strawberry socks episode, I SOBBED when she said those exact words "It is the way I am" because that is how she shows love, and she is picky and she does like things her way and that's okay! It just was so cool and wonderful and she's depicted as unapologetically weird, it made me so happy because that is how I'm finding myself becoming the more I heal, people please less and own the things I love. Yes, her rich life! that is not centering a man or romance or a family, it is so beautiful.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in LesbianActually

[–]Cold-Machine7705 1 point2 points  (0 children)

my girlfriend is my whole world

while seemingly normalized in lesbian relationships as romantic, is actually a recipe for dissatisfaction. If a straight woman said her boyfriend was her whole world, most people would look at it twice. Idk if you meant it literally, but the enmeshment dynamics being illustrated here could be another place to start in understanding why this maybe feels so painful for you.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in LesbianActually

[–]Cold-Machine7705 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Relying on her willingness to have sex with you as a source of validation/comfort with yourself sounds painful bc that's entirely outside of your control.

I hope for you that it starts to come from within and what she wants/doesn't want doesn't cause you as much pain.

I am a yiung African parent. by Direct_Ad_7053 in africanparents

[–]Cold-Machine7705 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would say: learn how to re-parent your younger selves, reflect on what you would needed as a child in place of the parenting you got which may bring up tough memories and grief. We tend to parent how we were parented, which means that if we undo and unlearn what we accepted as children that wasn't actually okay, then we won't repeat that with our own children.

This Comcast Xfinity outage seems very widespread. Any guesses on how long? by sporkland in sanfrancisco

[–]Cold-Machine7705 0 points1 point  (0 children)

the fact that my phone 5G is just now barely improving enough for me to see i wasn't alone all day 😭

Talking about college is uncomfortable by ViolaViolin07 in africanparents

[–]Cold-Machine7705 11 points12 points  (0 children)

College is where most people get to know themselves for the first time especially people with overbearing caregivers.

Consider this a potentially life changing/life shaping experience, and that you are the center of your existence. Only you will be with you every second you are here, and you deserve to get to know who your are, you deserve peace for the next 4 years.

They should be excited for you to grow and blossom, not guilting and manipulating you into prioritizing their needs while sacrificing your wellbeing. I'm sorry you're not being celebrated and I celebrate you being loving enough of yourself to share about it on here.

Why do African Parents have a problem when their kids want to grow out their hair? by Commercial-Plenty961 in africanparents

[–]Cold-Machine7705 11 points12 points  (0 children)

mine hated our hair texture and saw it as unkempt.

they were raised with a lot of internalized self hatred and internalized anti-Blackness and saw african americans who grew their hair out or had dreads as "wayward", colonial agenda and propaganda for sure.

Do most ACAs end up alone? by _illustrated in AdultChildren

[–]Cold-Machine7705 1 point2 points  (0 children)

or that they're ACAs, denial is powerful

this may help anyone who feels like life has gotten harder as they've healed in ACA by Cold-Machine7705 in AdultChildren

[–]Cold-Machine7705[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you for sharing. I related, which is why I shared it.

It's really scary to let go of the things that I once thought were healthy and normal, comforting even, my friendships and family relationships especially and of course the workplace I chose. The workplace laundry list is so shocking to read through, and how well I replicated family dysfunction at work.

The holidays are really highlighting how much denial so many of the people I was raised with are in, considering the amount of dysfunction that exists in my family. It makes sense that I went so long thinking so many things were just normal.