Sorry, but somewhere along the way in leftist circles, “don’t tone police me” became synonymous with “I’m allowed to be as shitty as I want to other people because of my trauma” and that’s the behavior I can’t get down with. Trauma is an explanation, not an excuse.

You jest but there’s literally a hipster coffee shop in SF that famously sells a $10 toast…as of 2014 when I first heard about it from my roommate who worked there so it’s probably $15 by now.

For the record, I’m Taiwanese and American and think it’s cool you’re learning Mandarin and have an appreciation for Chinese people! I similarly disapprove of the CCP for obvious reasons.

However, your statement about the US is complete whitewashing – and I don’t blame you; it’s what we were falsely taught to believe. The US has a notorious legacy of destabilizing foreign governments to suit its own agenda (sometimes then installing sockpuppet US-friendly leaders or just leaving the country in chaos). And then this is all done in the very nicely PR-rebranded effort of “democracy” while US imperialism is well-known and well-documented throughout its history.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_involvement_in_regime_change

And it’s not just history; it’s still ongoing. Look at the sockpuppet US-backed South Korean government and public utilities, or the ongoing US-facilitated destruction of the Middle East that started decades ago. Or its weird Zionist segment that continues to blindly support Israel despite Israel committing apartheid against Palestinians, following the US playbook.

From a fellow trans person: I know you mean well, but shame/ridicule is the least effective agent of change. This kind of attitude I hear not just from you but other leftist queer friends just straight up leaves a bad taste in people’s mouths and does nothing to convince folks of your cause, no matter how good your intentions are. To quote a Tshirt I once saw: Kindness is more punk rock than a middle finger.

Collective care and justice should be rooted in compassion, not denigration and superiority complexes.