Dear Society,

I must begin this letter by expressing my sincere thanks of how you, an apparently extremely concerned individual, took time out of your, I’m sure, very busy schedule to notice me. Thank you for taking your perspective off of the many issues in our world that are actually important to notice and ridicule many of my countless flaws. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

That being said, there is something else I must get off my chest.

Screw. You.

Yes, I realize I’m far from perfect. Yes, I realize I am screwed up and far from what society deems as acceptable. Yes, I realize I have probably doomed myself. What you need to realize is I don’t give a single flippity flop about what you have to say about it. No, I do not need you to tell me what my problem is. No, I do not find myself at all concerned about the many ways that I do not meet the standards of society. No, you do not need to tell me all the ways you disapprove of me.

I may be screwed up, but so is this world. This is a world where the darkest things come to roost. Our society is blighted with rape culture, world hunger, global warming, inequality, slavery, abuse, a culture of poverty, pollution, a dying planet, mental illnesses, unemployment, homelessness, corrupt leaders, crime, murder, sexism, abuse, war, and many other horrid entities with even uglier inner systems. However, why you would rather send me a disgusted glare and cruel words as we pass on the street rather than trying to fix any of this is beyond me.

No matter how ugly I may be to you, how unusually I may dress, how much I weigh, how unsightly my tattoos may be to you, how out of place my hijab or burqa may be, how strange the way I walk is, how my prosthetic limb clicks as I move, how many scars I have, how much skin I’m showing, how much money I make, how differently I hold myself than the rest of my gender, how high my heels are, how much makeup I wear, how I speak, how confident or not I am, who I’m sitting next to on the subway, who I do or don’t chose to kiss, where I work, where I live, what color my hair is, or what I believe in I can promise you that your opinion of me is not the reason I do what I do. You can stare and gape and gripe all you like. It won’t change a single thing. I didn’t wake up this morning with the intent of pissing you off. That’s just an added bonus.

The way I live my life has absolutely nothing to do with you. I don’t need to be fixed or changed to meet your standards. I do not need to be attacked or punished for being who I am. I am unique. I am strange. I am quiet. I am loud. I am subtle. I am extravagant. I am different from my peers.  I am capable of fear. I am a rebel. I am a revolutionary. I am a trailblazer. I am a friend. I am a parent. I am a sibling. I am a neighbor. I am a son. I am a daughter. I am an outcast. I am a freak. I am alone. I am a member of the new generation.

No matter whatever else I maybe, I am always, completely, totally, 100% me. If you’ve got a problem with that, well take a number. I don’t need anyone’s approval to figure out that I am of worth. That’s the one thing I will always know. You don’t have to like me. I love me, and that’s all that matters.

Sincerely,
Everyone You’ve Ever Screwed Over