Today I was sitting in the sun in a public park full of families and dog owners and people tending their community garden plots. I had my nose buried in a 700 page trade paperback, and didn't even look up when someone stopped near me and muttered something about my "good legs". It was pretty hard to concentrate on the book when he started calling me a racist bitch for not responding and then said he hoped I'd die unhappy and have a horrible life as he walked off.

I guess a big part of the problem with this is that I can't just speak up and educate every person who behaves this way towards me about how wrong it is. If I can be threatened and cursed for not saying anything, I have to keep in mind how much worse it could be if I did try and stand up for myself.

I don't like feeling helpless.