A push-back. Yes, I’m cross.

I don’t normally, okay, I NEVER, write blog posts when I’m angry. So. I’m not angry now. Okay?

But.

This morning, while doing the breakfast dishes, I started watching a Youtube video by a woman I truly admire. Love her videos. And her message. Like, seriously LOVE.

But then she started on about how shallow many other Youtubers are. And how egocentric. And how all they want to do is get their face on camera. And grandstand. And talk about themselves and/or frivolous, first world rubbish. Yadda Yadda.

And it got my back up.

Sure. There are dickheads on Youtube.  And Facebook. And Instagram. And down at the local IGA.

There are dickheads EVERYWHERE. And I say, so be it. It’s their world, too.

But the thing I want to say, the thing that’s gnawing at me, is this: As women, we need to be VERY careful when we chastise others for being visible. For speaking out. For getting in front of a camera and talking about their passions. We must realise that for many of us, being visible, putting our head above the parapet, is a constant challenge. It’s more than confronting. It’s really bloody scary. It takes courage. And we need role models.

In days not so long ago, women were burned at the stake for speaking out. We carry this memory in our dna. It haunts us. Whether we acknowledge it or not, it determines, for many of us, how we exist in the world. How we craft our lives.

Youtube has given countless women, all shapes, sizes, ages, colours and creeds, the opportunity to be SEEN. To speak out. To reach out. To express themselves in unprecedented ways. I realise I speak from the perspective of a white, middle-class Westerner. I am clearly privileged. But online opportunities are growing and spreading. Constantly. For the first time in history, we have an ever-expanding, international platform governed by—no one. No middleman, no suit, no gatekeeper, no church elder, and certainly no Minister for Good Taste and Proper Manners.

We can use this platform to get our message out there. To connect, inspire, educate, and encourage. We can also use it to build businesses and achieve financial independence.

We can use it to talk shit and preen, too. If that’s what we want.

Whether we use it to discuss politics or makeup, we have this remarkable tool right at our fingertips. We should celebrate it. Embrace it. Get down on our friggin knees and be thankful for it.

And we shouldn’t denigrate others just because they aren’t our cup of tea.

We don’t have to pop a vein over it.

All we have to do is change channels.