Disappointing Day

I experienced something last night that I've never experienced before. I've encountered it on the internet, but never been the subject of it.

People often times talk about situations that involve people in the abstract. For instance I've seen a group of people on the internet talk about Gay Rights, the idea of it. They have definate ideas about Gay Rights. Ideas that they've come to by reading things and talking to others of like minds. What they don't realize is that on the other end of the computer is a gay person living the life. The actual real life.

Last night people talked about Pete and I like that. They refered to us as the title we have within that group. They talked about us using our title, almost as if we weren't there. Pete and I remained silent. We tried to let it roll it off our backs. We tried to put it in perspective with relation to the meeting we were having. We tried.

In the end we walked out.

It's hard to sit there and be talked about in the abstract and not take what people are saying personally. Really hard. It ends in hurt feelings.

So I'm reminded again that people need to remember that when they talk about ideas in the abstract, they need to remember that there are real humans involved in those ideas. People and their lives.