Co-written with my AI sidekick, Andrew (aka ChatGPT).
Yesterday, my mom said something that stuck with me.
She’d seen an Instagram reel going around where someone in our town shared that a truck had pulled up next to them while they were driving, rolled down their window, and screamed:
“Go back to your country.”
And you know what?
Even if the story wasn’t real (though we all know things like this happen every day), it felt real. It felt real because hate like that exists. And it’s always the same twisted logic—this idea that certain people are the ones making things unsafe.
But let’s talk about what’s actually unsafe.
What’s unsafe is swerving across lanes to yell hate at someone based on how they look.
What’s unsafe is being so filled with rage that you forget you’re operating a literal vehicle.
What’s unsafe is acting on your prejudice while other people are just trying to get to work, pick up groceries, or drive their kids home.
These same people claim that immigrants are a threat to society. That they’re bringing crime. That they’re endangering others.
But who’s actually being reckless here?
Who’s actually putting lives at risk?
The person quietly driving to their destination—or the one so obsessed with hate that they roll down their window to scream at someone they don’t even know?
And let’s be real:
You can’t tell where someone’s “from” just by looking at them. That’s not about protecting a country. That’s not about law.
That’s just racism.
That’s just hate wrapped in a flag.
Because if someone really cared about safety, they’d know that racial profiling and road rage aren’t patriotic. They’re pathetic. And they’re dangerous.
We all deserve to drive in peace.
To live in peace.
To exist in peace.
If that triggers you, maybe it’s not the driver you should be yelling at.
Maybe it’s your own fear you should be questioning.
***
When my mom told that story in the car, I didn’t say much out loud—but inside, I was replaying it over and over. How messed up it is that someone could just be driving around, existing, and still become a target for someone else’s hate. How messed up it is that the people who claim to care about “safety” are often the ones out here causing the most harm.
I don’t know who that truck driver was. I don’t know who they yelled at.
But I do know this:
Every time I hear a story like that, it makes me more sure of the kind of person I don’t want to be.
And if you’ve ever felt like someone looked at you and saw something “wrong” because of your skin, your language, your roots—I just want you to know:
You deserve to be here.
You deserve peace.
You don’t need to go anywhere.
It’s the hate that needs to go.