Let's start with a bizarre scenario:
Let's say that you are alone in the living room watching TV. A large, muscular man walks in and issues a warning:
"If you decide to watch something I don't like, I'll BEAT YOU!!!!"
And then he leaves. Here's the problem: You don't know the guy. You don't know what his preferences are. You just know that there is the potential for danger. What is the best way to ensure that you will never feel his wrath?
Turn off the tv.
You remove the threat by eliminating the conditions necessary for the threat to manifest itself. You use what power you have to change the situation.
And that's what passing vs. acceptance is ultimately about, power. When you pass, just like when you turn off the tv, you take away the power of others to judge you. Acceptance is hoping that the large man (society) likes what you're watching. Sometimes he will, sometimes he won't.
That's not to say that passing is the end-all. Working to maintain passability can be a chore if not nerve-wracking. But still, a lot of the conversation I hear has people who honestly try to blend passing and acceptance into some mish-mash definition that they feel comfortable with, and I just wanted to help clarify if I could.
Just my opinion of course..
