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I don’t like to think one systematic oppression is worst than another. Especially when people have been raped and murdered under every single type. The issue is understanding Kyriarchy. Which is a big word for the way that these multiple oppressions intersect with each other. So when someone goes into a Holocaust vs Slavery conversation, stick to the issues that make them similar instead of debating which is worse. Creating a hierarchy of pain supports oppression because it makes one “better”.

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People who should be there for her and aren’t are often given the cold shoulder—her way of informing them that she’s miffed at them. Washoe greeted Kat [the caretaker] in just this way when she finally returned to work with the chimps. Kat made her apologies to Washoe, then decided to tell her the truth, signing “MY BABY DIED.” Washoe stared at her, then looked down. She finally peered into Kat’s eyes again and carefully signed “CRY”, touching her cheek and drawing her finger down the path a tear would make on a human. (Chimpanzees don’t shed tears.) Kat later remarked that that one sign told her more about Washoe and her mental capabilities than all her longer, grammatically perfect sentences.