TL;DR:
This is a raw one.
I'm talking about performative empathy in corporate culture, the mental and emotional toll of being a contractor in white-dominant spaces, and how AI is not the enemy—extractive systems are.
Where do I even start?
Every time I step into this contract role, it feels like I'm starting over. Again. And again.
Today, I led the Internal Communications huddle, a meeting of mostly the same people from Monday's call, plus a few higher-ups.
My role? To host, guide, and pass the mic.
Their role? Perform empathy.
When the VP talked about an upcoming team lunch—one of those performative "team-building" events—I asked the obvious but unspoken question:
*As a contractor, do I get to participate? Do I pay? Do you pay?*
Her answer?
No. I wouldn't be paid for my time. I'd fund it myself.
She followed it with a back-patting comment about how glad she was that I "felt safe enough to ask."
As if my question was a gift to her ego. As if my vulnerability was proof of her leadership.
