"After my last post on a thread created by the paranoia-inducing cyber-bully JustAlongForTheRide, whom I can only conclude has been monitoring my page this whole summer, waiting like a jungle predator stalking its prey for me to say anything that doesn’t line up with his views"
Grr, I'm a tiger!
"they can’t take a joke from us non-SJWs, which are a more racially, politically, sexually, and spiritually diverse audience than SJWs are willing to admit."
Remind me of what your idea of a joke is? Do you mean coming up with your own words to Be Prepared? Really? You actually think you came up with comedy gold there?
"I mean, sure, discrimination is the worst"
At least we agree on something.
"but, if you want it to end, the key is not to quote people in a way that lets you mock and ridicule them in a “safe space” without opposition."
You *have* been opposing it. Just not effectively. So far all you've managed to come up with, either on Deviantart or here, is a whole lotta capslock, repeated assertions that you're not homophobic or racist, and the occasional "these are my family's beliefs. What do I choose: my family's values or my friends'?"
"Nor is it complaining about how you’re a victim in hopes of gaining sympathy. The key to overcoming discrimination is to not let it hurt you at all and only act in self-defense if it truly gets violent."
Oh really? So you're acting like a victim, then, because I'm clearly seeing you doing all of the above. You've complained to your Deviantart crowd about being a victim over here on FSTDT, specifically said that it's hurt you by stressing you out, and you've come over to act in self-defense even though not a scrap of violence is happening. What gives?
"Acting like a victim does not earn my respect."
Sarah's response has been exemplary. She has responded to every salient point you have made.
"I know because, in the distant past, acting like a victim didn’t do any good for me."
Ah yes, the depression. I'll add my voice to Sarah's in saying I'm sorry that happened to you. Depression is horrific. What I will say is, it sounds a lot like you reached out and didn't get the support you needed. There's nothing wrong with reaching out, but a lot of people don't know how to deal with depression in others so maybe you reached out to people who didn't know how to help? Either way, just putting a strong face on it can do harm or good. It can be a show of resilience, or it can be a denial of the problem.
On that note maybe I should say here: one thing I think the right have got, well, 'right' is that the younger generation need to be resilient. Resilience is an excellent skill and means we can get back up again when something knocks us down.
The problem there is that some people say "can't they take a joke?" and tend to confuse that with their right to insult and abuse others. Resilience is great, but when there are people around saying, "I could be nasty to you in this situation so I will. Why don't you just spring back?" is abuse for the sake of abuse. It adds nothing.
The other problem is that insulting, demeaning, humiliating, etc. a certain group of people makes it easier for others to take it just one step further, and one step further than that, and one step further than that...
Resilience has an important place in all of that because we all get ridiculed occasionally or have to deal with some kind of unfairness, that's just life. But when people are going out of their way to do it for no other reason than "I can't be bothered to empathise", "I don't want to have to think about your experience in this", "this is what my parents taught me so it must be right", that adds up to abuse. It's not just one person coming up to you in the street and punching you in the nose, it's a kind of 'death by a thousand cuts'.
That's why you see people like Sarah, me, and many others here on this site. Individually the discriminatory jokes are not big issues. It's the fact that you're not the only one doing it. There are thousands upon thousands doing the same thing. We're aiming to put a dent in that by pointing out that you're contributing to a less-inclusive society for everyone.
White, straight, religious men are a part of the tapestry of life. You guys have your own unique trials to deal with. We recognise that. We want those to get better. All we ask is that you recognise that you are one part of a tapestry, not the 'default' and that non-white, non-straight, non-religious people are some sort of alien 'other' to be ignored, belittled, or overcome.