Lol… NIMBY is now the catch all for shaming anyone for having reasonable boundaries. If we can’t create things without destroying our natural world then we need to rethink how we’re living. Also- do you even live in an area where the water could be contaminated?

I appreciate this sentiment. Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t find that hikers are all that hostile to newcomers? All I really expect as a casual hiker is to not be subjected to any disrespectful behavior. I haven’t experienced any real gatekeeping behavior or overt exclusion (of course, I don’t hike all that regularly). It’s always nice if people are friendly and go out of their way to be helpful, but it’s a bit much to expect everyone to be in that headspace mentally. Sometimes we just don’t feel up to it.

I think anytime you enter a subculture, there’s going to be an uncomfortable phase before you feel like you fit in. That’s just the nature of trying something new. We can’t expect our hand to be held during this process. It’s nice if you have someone to do that, but mostly we just have to be adults and work through difficult things. It builds resilience!

Yeah, I really don’t think you’re making a strong case if your argument is built on an assumption like this. Little does the author know that I too feel this anxiety of not belonging on the trails because I’m not a regular hiker. Any time I go I have this “am I doing this right?” feeling. And anxiety brain likes to assume everyone around you is confident and judging you. But you can slap race onto this narrative and it gives the framing of having deeper social implications. The only real difference here (and it is a bit of privilege) is that when I have anxiety about this scenario, my race doesn’t come into play where if I were a POC, maybe I would attribute this feeling to my race.

The problem with looking everywhere for racial tensions is that you’ll see it everywhere. Even when the perception is incorrect. But if you questioned it at all, you’re a racist. Which is supposed to spook any well-meaning person from saying anything. No one wants to be called a racist, of course. But if we keep letting these narratives of the most subtle interpretations of racism flood the airwaves, it actually impedes the discussions of overt and nefarious racism happening in society. The population is just too fatigued from race talks to deal with it at that point.