Why I filter new friends in this tense political world
The one thing Drake should’ve said about ‘no new friends’
This post was originally written on Medium on January 8, 2020.
When the 2016 Election results rolled around, I was not surprised. I cried on my couch, but I was not shocked at the results. Those tears were from disappointment. I’d already dealt with two years of a disturbing college experience and plenty of frustrating experiences in Corporate America. By 2008, I’d started treating new friends the way new employers treat your job applications: I filter them out.
Some people make it quite obvious who they are. The co-worker in 2010 who was viciously nasty to every black women she encountered? We took note. The Obama bobblehead she plopped in the middle of her desk was no more than a facade. But others are more clever at hiding in plain sight. And sometimes it takes a bit more work to figure out who is hiding their -isms.
By Trump’s election, I’m just not willing to risk hanging out with racists who deny their racism.
Birds of a Feather Flock Together
Call it spying if you want to. But when you post public Instagram posts, Facebook statuses, Pinterest pics and tweets, you’ve already told the world that you want someone to read this message. And if you befriend me on any of these platforms, then you’re giving me more access to do so. But I’m a bit more open-minded than rapper Drake about “no new friends.” Instead I’m more likely to look at which people can be my “new friends.”