Post by @therealrawtalkphoenix

LET'S TALK ABOUT EMPATHY, ACCOUNTABILITY AND PLAYING THE VICTIM. My problem with this situation involving Dinele Lewis is not that she is struggling. My problem is the lack of empathy for the people who are still out of their money. Empathy is being able to step outside of yourself and consider how your actions have affected somebody else. And when I look at this situation, I feel like the conversation keeps centering Dinele, her struggles, her losses and what she has been through, while the people who lost their money are almost an afterthought. Let's be clear. We understand that she may be trying to repay people. We understand that she may have suffered losses herself. And if she is genuinely making an effort to honour her responsibilities, that is something worth acknowledging. BUT ACCOUNTABILITY DOES NOT MEAN THAT PEOPLE HAVE TO STOP FEELING HURT WHILE THEY WAIT FOR THEIR MONEY. These people have been waiting since 2024. We are now in 2026. They are still out of their money, and meanwhile, they are seeing birthday celebrations, hairdos, dresses, shoes, nails, birthday cakes and even ham, lamb and jam being posted on the internet. Do you understand how insulting that can feel to somebody who is still waiting to be repaid? You might be trying to rebuild your life, and you have every right to want a life for yourself. But when you owe people money, you have to understand that the way you present your lifestyle publicly can affect how those people feel. They may be making sacrifices, struggling with bills and wondering when they will get back what belongs to them, while watching you appear to enjoy yourself. And then, when people speak out about their experiences, the conversation shifts to how much YOU have suffered, how people are treating YOU and how YOU feel about the situation. Where is the empathy for the people who lost their money? You don't like being called a scammer. Fine. Nobody should throw labels around carelessly. But if you acknowledge that you owe these people money and that what they are saying about being owed is true, then you have to understand why they are upset and why they are speaking out. You cannot acknowledge the debt but expect people to remain silent about the consequences. And let's not confuse criticism with bullying. People can express themselves unfairly, and nobody deserves threats or harassment. But people who are genuinely owed money also have a right to express their frustration and speak about their experiences. YOU CANNOT DEMAND EMPATHY FOR YOURSELF WHILE SHOWING LITTLE CONSIDERATION FOR THE PEOPLE YOU HAVE HURT. You can be struggling and still be accountable. You can be hurting and still acknowledge that other people are hurting too. You can be trying to do better without making yourself the centre of every conversation about the damage that has been done. Because empathy is not just about understanding your own pain. It is about making room for somebody else's pain, even when acknowledging it makes you uncomfortable. And until the people who are owed money are repaid, their frustration is not going to disappear simply because you have explained your side of the story. ACCOUNTABILITY IS NOT VICTIMISATION. AND BEING HELD ACCOUNTABLE DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY MAKE YOU THE VICTIM. Sometimes, the most empathetic thing you can do is stop talking about how badly everybody is treating you long enough to acknowledge how badly other people feel they have been treated. #RespectDifferences #UncensoredUnapologetic #therealrawtalk #rawtalk #trini_tiktoks