Monday, February 19, 2024

"Ask me about my grief" t-shirt ...

One of the grief accounts asked whether mourners would wear an "Ask me about my grief" t-shirt.  This was asked as a poll or survey.  The account owner wondered, would people actually ask?  What kind of conversations would this open up?  Could it help normalize and destigmatize talking about grief?

I'm not sure whether I'd wear the t-shirt.  Not because I'm afraid, but because I suspect it wouldn't do anything.  I'm pretty open about my grief.  Most people wouldn't read it.  Most of those who read it wouldn't ask.  Most of those who asked wouldn't really be asking--they'd then go on to tell you about *their* troubles.  (I'm not sure why, but it's an overwhelmingly common reaction.)

It would be rare that anyone would be outright rude or cruel to you in reference to the t-shirt and grief, so I was going to say that it couldn't hurt.  But the implicit rejection of those who didn't react, or asked and then went on to other things, could be extremely hurtful.

So, I'm still not sure whether I'd wear the t-shirt, or recommend whether anyone else should or shouldn't ...

No comments:

Post a Comment