I am not your mascot; you are not my stereotype
I am not your mascot
not your stereotype
not your souvenir
scapegoat
figurehead
spokesperson
representative
tissue sample
DNA test
identity
other
shadow self
not your flag-bearer
example
counter-example
token
test case
thought experiment
foil
comedic relief
straight man
love interest
support animal
spirit animal
case study
dissertation topic
translator
interpreter
therapist
exception that proves the rule
distinguished party guest
evening’s entertainment
virtue-signaling accessory
I am not your noble savage and you are not my
well-meaning but undereducated redneck republican trump supporter
(or at least that’s not all you are or all you could be
at least that’s what I would like to think
I’d like to think that we all have our own stories and people and issues that we care about
that we are capable of changing our minds, broadening our perspectives, making mistakes and moving on)
What game are we playing and who made up the rules? Who’s winning the game,
moving the pieces, counting the cards?
It’s not you
It’s not me
We’re the game pieces being moved around the board or shuffled like cards,
traded, rearranged
Now the whites are winning
Now the blacks
Watch out for the reds
Who is making the rules, picking the teams, trading the players?
I don’t know who will win
But it’s not you or me