Every human being wants to feel that they matter.
The aspect of the statue genocide that is perhaps the most painful is the fact that by perpetrating it, society has made an emphatic, definitive, and violent statement that I do not matter. That my perspective, my viewpoint, my experiences, my opinions, my feelings, and my wishes, do not matter.
The physical spaces of our cities and towns have been reconfigured to reflect this decision. The very places in which we live our lives, redesigned to reflect the belief that I do not matter. Public art reevaluated to ensure that nothing that makes me feel included is allowed to remain.
No wonder taking the train into Boston is the last thing I feel like doing.
No wonder there is a pervasive sense of emptiness, of hollowness, when I walk through the streets of the city that I used to love.
No wonder I am plagued by an inescapable (and admittedly, not entirely logical) feeling that the buildings, parks, and monuments seem somehow to hate me.
No wonder it is difficult to enjoy going anywhere, or doing anything.