PSA: "Politics" (Patreon)

I'm making a post on my social media pages that I want to share here. I think that most of you will be fine with what I have to say, but there may be a few for whom this is a dealbreaker. While I've always been very anxious about conflict, I also don't want even one of you to see this sometime later on and wish you had withdrawn your financial support earlier. I love you all and truly hope you are well. The post is copied below the line.

Love,

JB

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Let’s never confuse “avoiding politics” with “not acknowledging widespread systemic cruelty and ignorance that directly contribute to an environment in which acts of harassment, oppression, and violence are committed”. 

There’s literally no one who is NOT welcome to watch my videos. I believe that ASMR heals, and I believe that everyone deserves healing, even those whose opinions I may personally, vehemently disagree with. But, there’s an issue that’s unique to ASMR content creators: 

We are professional comforters; our work and our channels thrive in environments in which ALL viewers can feel safe, not judged, and appreciated for who they are. For this reason (at least in part) many content creators (including myself) tend to tiptoe around expressing opinions that may make our viewers feel judged or unwelcome.

However, I am no longer comfortable with the likelihood that my “apolitical” approach to my work encourages certain viewers to hold beliefs about me that simply aren’t true. I want to emphasize once more that ALL of you are welcome to my videos, that I recognize the essential humanity in ALL of you, and that you ALL deserve healing. I am also someone who, in my private life, could absolutely be categorized as a “hardcore feminist”, a “bleeding heart liberal”, and a “social justice warrior”. That’s who I am, and I’m proud of it.

I know I’ll lose some subscribers over this and, while I’m honestly not bothered by the numbers, I am sincerely saddened to think that there are people who might’ve found solace and healing in my videos who will no longer feel comfortable seeking that. For that reason, I’ll never say that I don’t care about losing subscribers, or “good riddance”, or anything like that. I’m truly sorry to see you go. I’ve simply reached the point where I’ve realized that a public declaration like this is literally the very least I can do to responsibly address the countless daily horrors that so many people are suffering in our world these days.

"Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” - Elie Wiesel

Sending Love,

JB