I couldn’t quite decide what I wanted to write about in this week’s newsletter. The last two weeks have felt like my social media has been filled with constant revelations that my head is spinning. Yet, as I sit at my dining table trying to type this letter, I was scrolling through my phone and came across a WhatsApp message that left me annoyed a few days ago. A fellow journalist wanted my opinion on something and when she didn’t get a response to her email and tweet, she was given my number by another journalist in order to get an opinion about a topic I wasn’t ready to talk about. She wasn't the only one requesting my voice; my week consisted of fellow journalists asking for my opinion. Someone wanted me to discuss a new race row on Strictly Come Dancing, while someone else wanted me to explain what Michelle Obama means to me as a black woman.
While I make money from giving my opinion, I am learning more and more to be selective with my thoughts and know their worth. We live in a culture where platforms make society more democratic and we all have the ability to have our voices heard by others. But, I think that where some of us are so used to hearing our voices, that we have forgotten to pass the mic where appropriate. I think that we have become frightened of saying “I don’t know” in fear of looking stupid.