While I’m Far More Inclined to be a Prick Online, I’m Definitely Not a Bigot

I don’t know how racist I am, or sexist I am, or otherwise bigoted I am. Maybe a little. Definitely not a lot. Maybe not even a little. Maybe I’m zero percent bigoted. I don’t know. What I do know is that I can count on one hand the times that I was a prick to somebody in person.

Granted my exposure to black people and homosexuals and the transgendered has been quite limited, in every case as far as those particular groups are concerned, I’ve never been a prick.

Most of my exposure to non-white males have been women (of course) and Latinos (my wife is from Mexico, lots of family for that reason, and I’ve worked with dozens of them from many different countries in the past). And I can’t remember a single time that I was a prick to members of either group.

In fact, those times I can remember being a prick, it was to members of my own so-called group, white males. What does that tell you?

All it really should tell you is that I’m mostly a pretty swell guy.

There is one exception to that: online behavior. I’ve been a prick, in a trollish sense, online dozens and dozens of times. And never for bigoted reasons. Just because I felt like being a prick. Because my “victim” deserved it, or so I thought. Mostly white males, but possibly some weren’t, not sure. It’s just so much easier to turn on prick mode when you’re not staring a person in the eye.

As far as I’m concerned, I have precisely zero reasons to feel guilty for bigoted behaviors of other white males.

Why should I? I don’t consider anybody else responsible for my actions, so why should I feel responsible for theirs? I shouldn’t. And I’m I don’t.

I’m not a prick. Nor do I intend to become one. But I’m certainly capable of it. We all are.

I should add that when I am around folks from a group that I’m not used to being around, I am a bit more guarded and aware of my thoughts and actions. Is that wrong? Does that mean I’m bigoted? I don’t think so, but I’m not the expert.

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Founder and editor of Everything-Voluntary.com and UnschoolingDads.com, Skyler is a husband and unschooling father of three beautiful children. His writings include the column series “One Voluntaryist’s Perspective” and “One Improved Unit,” and blog series “Two Cents“. Skyler also wrote the books No Hitting! and Toward a Free Society, and edited the books Everything Voluntary and Unschooling Dads. You can hear Skyler chatting away on his podcasts, Everything Voluntary and Thinking & Doing.