Writing this took courage. Deciding when to take a courageous stand is a tough decision. What a toxic setting you were in.

While there were no great options here, one question we can ask if there might have been ways to push back against the narratives by creating open-minded conversations about this when the topic of Ayo came up. I am suggesting the "Hey, let's look at this from different vantage points" approach.

Often, positioning yourself not opposing something but trying to foster dialogue is more effective at countering a narrative than just positioning yourself as against it.