Concern Trolling
A few years ago, if you admitted to disliking a group for being different, you were labeled a racist.
I was against that.
Now, if you couch that dislike in a veil of “concern” for your country’s future, you’re called thoughtful.
I’m against that too.
A few years ago, if you blurted out “go back where you came from,” you were met with outrage.
I rejected that hate.
Now, if you murmur “maybe we should reconsider our borders” behind a mask of empathy, you’re coddled by the echo chambers.
I choose honesty over soft-pedaled bias.
A few years ago, ideologues insisted you must choose a side:-either you marched in protest against bigotry or you were an enemy of progress.
I chose progress.
Now, the same voices say, “Just be gentle with your words; you’re only expressing concern.”
I say, no matter how gently you wrap it, the old prejudice still beats underneath.
A few years ago, being openly racist meant facing public condemnation and being called out for unvarnished intolerance.
I watched that happen.
Now, subtle disdain is filtered through “concern trolling”: a tactic where a harmful sentiment is dressed up as leftist worry or cultural critique, inviting support while avoiding direct accountability.
I choose clarity.
A few years ago, if you harboured bias, you were told, “Your opinions have consequences.”
I believed that.
Now, if you express the same bias with a sympathetic wink, you’re met with murmurs of “it’s just your concern speaking.”
I refuse to let concern disguise contempt.
They say: “Don’t you see? By couching your racism in concern, you’re not really being racist rather you’re being ‘honest’ about a genuine worry.”
What they don’t understand is that honesty isn’t an excuse for bias, and concern isn’t a license to harbour prejudice.
A few years ago, truth was as simple as calling out injustice.
I spoke that truth.
Now, the battlefield has shifted.
Concern trolling has become the new camouflage for the old hate—a subtle remix where every disparaging thought is masked by a plea for understanding, an appeal to nuance, or a claim to leftist credentials.
I choose to call it what it is.
A few years ago, we believed that words mattered and that they could build bridges.
I cherished that belief.
Now, words are weaponized, repackaged as care to soothe our collective guilt while leaving the underlying bias intact.
I choose to expose that hypocrisy.
In a world where the left can be as quick to coddle self-serving concern as it is to condemn blatant racism, the true enemy is the erosion of accountability.
I choose accountability.
So whether in boardrooms, online comment sections, or whispered in bathrooms, let’s be clear:
A few years ago, unchecked hate was obvious.
Now, it hides behind the cloak of “concern” and “caution.”
I choose conscience.
Because at the end of the day, a concern-trolled racism is still racism, just dressed up in friendlier terms.
I choose truth over pretense, clarity over coddling, and accountability over apathy.
Let’s not allow our desire to be gentle with one another to become an excuse for half-measures that let prejudice persist.
I choose to stand against all forms of bias, no matter how carefully they’re packaged.
With Love and Nonsense
Personal Notes
On a personal note, I was really taken aback by a reddit post (link) that exposed how some people internalize racism and then hide it behind so-called "concern." The comments baffled me as people were dressing up bias in a soft language to make it seem acceptable.
Also I've been experimenting with my writing style lately and drew a lot of stylistic structuring from Scott Aaronson’s blog (link), which helped me capture that raw, honest tone. Thanks for reading and for joining me as I explore these tough topics.