The New Yorkers piece by Hilton Als is very complex piece. From the moment where he talks about the 1960s to his current life today. The complexities of the oppression and discrimination that he faces in this country is astounding and heartbreaking.To read about all the parts in his life and how each of those parts had dug away at any hope that the world could be better for him. The more I read ,the more sad I was because I had realized along with this author how even though he knew himself and accepted himself, the world would never fully accept him. That’s not just the fault of white people and microaggressions but it’s also the black community and how homosexuality in our culture is so condemned . So we see Hilton struggle not only to defend his black identity but also to grow into and love his gay one as well. In the end he listed off a lot of the comments that were said to him and how implicitly racist they were. However although seemingly they alright, they weren’t OK to say, because if they were, the author would’ve never remembered them. He remembers them because those are the microaggressions and stereotypes that suffocate him day to day.In an effort to get along, he went along with a lot of offensive comments and actions that ultimately chipped away at him and in the end destroyed his hope. What he gained instead was a sense of resentment for those who now recognized the hell and unjust world that he’s had to live and endure his whole life.