Some people who stutter push back against talk of “acceptance” and call it “toxic positivity” not because positivity is harmful, but because it clashes with how they’ve come to see their own situation. If you’ve settled into the belief that life is unfair and nothing can really change, then seeing others take small steps forward can feel uncomfortable, even threatening. It can be easier to dismiss that progress as fake or naïve than to face the effort and risk that change would require. In that sense, calling it “toxic positivity” can be less about the message itself and more about protecting a familiar way of thinking, even if that way of thinking keeps you stuck.