Tuesday, December 03, 2013

Inclusion and intersectionality


Sometimes there is a nice synchronicity to things. Shortly after I started reading Suzanne Pharr's Homophobia: A Weapon of Sexism, I saw a tweet:

"This really pisses me off, why is a boy called a 'faggot' for not objectifying women" and it linked to a "joke" from UK Banter that is not worth repeating.

I knew the answer now, though, because it was in the book, and replied "Because he is rebelling against the patriarchy by not objectifying women." And she knew that, but was still frustrated by it, which I get.

So, building on yesterday's post, since June I have been reading books that have related to African-American history and to feminist issues. During that time period there have also been several things coming up via the internet related to the intersection of different marginalized groups.

Most of them have been negative, like a hash tag going around at one point, #feminismisforwhitewomen, and a solidarity one, because prominent feminists often ignore women of color. There was also an article about black men not supporting black women. There are very valid reasons for the frustration, but I'm not sure it is always handled well.

There are two things that come to mind for me. One goes back to Pharr's book. It focused on lesbian issues, and I spotted those blinders on myself, because previously "homophobia" meant persecution of gay men to me. On one level I knew it was more than that, but men are the default, and I was subject to that, despite being a woman.

The other issue is something that has been bugging me for a while. When I read stories about women facing sexism and misogyny, and especially sexual harassment, women of color have it worse. Where I might just get something said to me, they will get groped.

This makes me feel like crying tears of rage. I have not done anything to deserve my privilege; they have not done anything to lose it. That is not anything small. The shame of the time there was physical contact is seared into my brain, and that was just once. To always have that increased risk - that lack of safety, and that lack of control over your physical space - I know I don't fully grasp how that feels, but it's wrong that it exists.

I am becoming more aware of how things vary. There also seem to be more stories of physical harassment from England. That may be centered on low income communities, because there is certainly privilege that goes away as your economic status drops, or there may be some cultural issue there; I don't know.

I do know that I am better off for being located in the Willamette Valley. If I was in a small rural area, or in the South, being female would have different ramifications, as would being a person of color. It doesn't make Portland paradise, but I'm still grateful to be here.

When one of the flare-ups was going on, I remembered something about Ida B Wells breaking away from the women's suffrage movement because it would not stand up for black rights as well. Women felt like they would lose support by including black men in their efforts. I tried to look into that, but what I found instead was something on how Wells criticized Susan B Anthony for letting her efforts take a back seat to raising her family. I guess these conflicts go back a long way.

I know that no amount of marginalization makes up for marginalizing others. I am really positive about that one. I also know that trying to throw all of those groups out and just being for humans doesn't work. There are specific things that happen that require examination, and there is a need for safe places.

I may not know the best way to balance all of that, but we need to listen to other voices. Privilege is so blind. There are things that I would never know about if I did not read, or talk to people from other walks of life. But just because you are not forced to think about something doesn't mean that you shouldn't think about it.

Apparently, there is always going to be someone who will tell you that you are doing it wrong, whether it is being female, being black, or being gay. Right now it seems very popular to tell poor people how what they are doing wrong. A lot of it makes me want to smack people, but that's not the answer.

We need to be listening to each other. Part of that listening means to quit making judgments. A lot of the criticism that comes at various voices is because they aren't speaking for a particular group. Well, yes, if all women were alike, then one could speak for all of us, but there is a great diversity of human experience, even when you start subdividing it, and it's not a fair burden to place on anyone. If any one man said he was speaking for all men, we'd know he was full of it, so why does one woman, or one gay man, or one Mexican, have to cover everyone?

At the same time, we need to be looking outward to make sure that we are not only listening to voices similar to our own. There is not true equality of opportunity now. That must change, and it has to be equality for everyone, not just some. The false idea that one group needs to put down another to get their own has the people with actual power laughing all the way to the bank. Keeping that division going works better for them than anyone else.

The dominant voices should not be the only voices. I appreciate Roxane Gay's work on this:


Technically that is closed to me, but it doesn't take anything away from me, and the pieces that come from this add to the dialogue. They are too easily overlooked in the current system. This kind of outreach is vital.

The chasm between how I would like things to be and how they are is discouraging some times, but there are things that give me hope. One thing that has been becoming clear is how many options there are to see another side better.

With Slavery By Another Name, there is a thick book, and I love thick books, but there is also a 90-minute movie. As I start my Native American Heritage reading for the year, because I saw some art in Chicago, I am going to explore that art more. There are plays and blogs and movies. And, there were two other things I read for my Black History reading that I was not expecting to be an option at all, and that please me greatly. They get their own post tomorrow.

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