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A review by theeuphoriczat
Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People's Business by Roxane Gay
4.0
I have been reading this collection since last year and I find myself reading the perfect essay at the perfect time.
Opinions is a collection of published articles, interviews and Q&As by Roxanne Gay, it contains a decade of arguments and criticism of the world, of our interactions in an economy that seems antithetical to our survival. Roxanne explores topics from racial hyperinvisibility to deluded emotional consumerism.
"Demands for solidarity can quickly turn into demand for groupthink, making it difficult to express nuance. It puts the terms of our understanding of the situation in black-and-white - you are either with us or against us- instead of allowing people to mourn and be angry while also being sympathetic to complexities that are being overlooked."
"Assimilation cannot be the price we must pay for freedom."
"Until the Democrats stop lounging in the middle of the political aisle-where nobody one is coming to meet them-nothing will change”
"When politicians talk about civility and public discourse, what they re really saying is that would prefer for people to remain silent in the face of injustice. They want marginalised people to accept that the conditions of oppression are unalterable facts of life. They want to luxuriate in the power they hold, where they never have to compromise, never have to confront their consciences or lack thereof, never have to face the consequences of their inaction."
Which is why I say that these politicians should never be allowed a moment of peace in public. At a restaurant, frustrate them; whilst they’re giving a speech, interrupt them; make it impossible for them to live life just as they make it impossible for others.
Opinions is a collection of published articles, interviews and Q&As by Roxanne Gay, it contains a decade of arguments and criticism of the world, of our interactions in an economy that seems antithetical to our survival. Roxanne explores topics from racial hyperinvisibility to deluded emotional consumerism.
"Demands for solidarity can quickly turn into demand for groupthink, making it difficult to express nuance. It puts the terms of our understanding of the situation in black-and-white - you are either with us or against us- instead of allowing people to mourn and be angry while also being sympathetic to complexities that are being overlooked."
"Assimilation cannot be the price we must pay for freedom."
"Until the Democrats stop lounging in the middle of the political aisle-where nobody one is coming to meet them-nothing will change”
"When politicians talk about civility and public discourse, what they re really saying is that would prefer for people to remain silent in the face of injustice. They want marginalised people to accept that the conditions of oppression are unalterable facts of life. They want to luxuriate in the power they hold, where they never have to compromise, never have to confront their consciences or lack thereof, never have to face the consequences of their inaction."
Which is why I say that these politicians should never be allowed a moment of peace in public. At a restaurant, frustrate them; whilst they’re giving a speech, interrupt them; make it impossible for them to live life just as they make it impossible for others.