I'm tired of being shut up

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^^^

First they say it's a tragedy when we can't speak for ourselves.

Then, when we do speak for ourselves, they try to shut us up.

Ah, the irony.

Yeah, this is something I've had to deal with all of my life within all of my social circles. Sometimes it's as subtle as people talking over you and sometimes I have people literally tell me to shut up. It's quite hurtful and shows that they don't value what I have to say. If you're in some kind of a relationship where this is evidently the case, I think it's best to confront it directly, rather than just staying silent and subservient. People should ideally value and respect your contribution to a conversation. Ask them why they're doing it. If their reasons and particularly unreasonable and they continue to silence you through various means, it might be best to move on.

It helps to have something interesting to say. However, believing that you have something interesting to say does not automatically require anyone else to listen as you say it.

The same old whining complaints, the same old stupid jokes, and the same old speeches about "Me, Myself and I" are not things that people want to hear. Eventually, if those are all that they hear from you, they won't want to hear anything from you at all.

Which is why I said that you should ask them about it. Modifying your behaviour and choice of interaction makes sense if it has an adverse effect on how a group of people socializes together. But silencing you for other reasons like a perceived ignorance towards a subject, a position you hold or a part of your identity can be quite discriminatory and disrespectful. It's better to include people in these circumstances rather than silence them or block them out through various means. You shouldn't stand for that kind of disrespect if people you know are shutting you out for these reasons.

"The right to free speech does not grant the privilege of an audience." -- Attributed to Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Oprah Winfrey.