Trying to Stop being Clever

In an effort to talk less about myself, I'm going to try to replace all unsolicited outgoing comments with "I can relate to that on multiple levels."

WARNING: This opinion piece includes the subjects of rape and race. These are things I have no authority on, but I argue that I have the right to express my opinion on them. Does that mean I SHOULD? Not necessarily. In fact, I'm coming up short on reasons why it's a good idea at all. Knowing your surroundings is a survival instinct. We rely on our instincts for many things, but there are a lot of areas where we have overridden our instincts to allow ourselves to let our guard down and to allow ourselves to become victims. We no longer listen to the voices in our heads saying "don't get too comfortable." Our legal protections have caused many to assume that they won't become victims. They believe that, because something is wrong and/or illegal, that people won't do it. But we know better. We see all the time stories about how someone did something horrible, that laws were broken, people were victimized. Yet many of us seem to tempt fate for the sake of ...