Hey y’all, it’s Tina.
Pull up a chair, grab a snack, and maybe a glass of something strong, because we need to have a serious heart-to-heart about a little thing called audacity. Lately, it feels like it’s being handed out for free at the local supermarket, and frankly? I’m overstocked.
I recently came across this quote that stopped me mid-scroll. It was bold, it was blunt, and it basically summed up my entire personality in three lines. It said: “I talk CRAZY back to anybody, idgaf who you thought you was.” It ended with a bunch of crying-laughing emojis and those big red exclamation points that scream, “I’m not the one.”
And let me tell you… I felt that in my soul.
We’ve all been there. You’re going about your day, minding your business, hydrated and glowing, and then it happens. Someone decides to test the “Customer Service Voice” you spent years perfecting. They come at you with that tone—you know the one—where they assume that because you’re polite, you’re also a doormat.
I used to be the girl who would bite her tongue until it bled. I’d walk away from an interaction and spend the next three hours in the shower thinking of all the things I should have said. My “imaginary shower arguments” were legendary. I was winning Oscars for dialogue that never left the bathroom.
But lately? The filter has retired. It’s moved to Florida. It’s playing shuffleboard and drinking margaritas. It is no longer employed by Tina Inc.
When I say I talk “crazy” back, I don’t mean I’m out here looking for a fight. I’m a lover, not a fighter! But I’ve realized that some people truly believe they have a VIP pass to your energy. They think their status, their job title, or their ego gives them a permit to talk to you however they please.
Honey, let me tell you: The permit has been revoked.
There is a specific, soul-cleansing type of joy that comes from watching someone’s face when you match their energy. You can see the gears turning in their head like, “Wait, she wasn’t supposed to say that back.” Oh, but I did.
It’s about standing your ground. If you come at me with 10% attitude, you’re getting 110% Tina. It’s just math. I’m a firm believer in the “Universal Law of Reciprocity”—you get exactly what you give, plus tax and shipping.
The funniest part is the shock. People really get comfortable in their delusions. They’ll treat you like a background character in their own movie until you remind them that you’re actually the director of yours.
I’ve had people try to pull the “Do you know who I am?” card. And my favorite response? A blank stare and a very genuine: “No, should I? Do you have a name tag or something?”
Whether it’s a rude stranger at the grocery store, a “friend” who’s gotten a little too bold with their “advice,” or that one person at work who thinks “reply all” is a weapon of war—I am here to tell you: It is okay to talk back.
In that quote I found, there are those emojis—the ones laughing so hard they’re crying. That’s the most relatable part. Because half the time I’m “talking crazy,” I’m also thinking, “Girl, did we really just say that out loud? Are we getting arrested or are we getting a standing ovation?”
It’s a gamble! But it’s a gamble I’m willing to take for my peace of mind.
The moral of the story is simple: Don’t let people confuse your kindness for weakness. If they want to play the “I’m more important than you” game, feel free to flip the board over and walk away. Or, stay and give them a piece of your mind that they’ll be thinking about for the next three to five business years.
So, let’s talk in the comments: What was the last “audacity” moment you had to shut down? Did you use your “indoor voice” or did your inner Tina come out to play?