And this applies to all kinds of privilege. Now, I understand the impulse to get defensive. It can be very off-putting to feel attacked for a transgression that you know yourself not to be guilty of. But in the context of social justice and movement building, if youre feeling attacked, it probably means youre having your privilege challenged, not that you are a bad person. As I always say, If it doesnt apply to you, then its not about you. If its not about you, then dont take it personally. Being a good ally means recognizing that sometimes your input is not needed or wanted, and that its incredibly inappropriate to demand that a marginalized group, (in this case, WoC within the feminist movement) restructure a conversation that is happening to serve their needs, in a way that is more comfortable for the very people they are mobilizing against. That is the very definition of flexing ones privilege. ... White feminism is a set of beliefs that allows for the exclusion of issues that specifically affect women of colour. It is one size-fits all feminism, where middle class white women are the mould that others must fit. It is a method of practicing feminism, not an indictment of every individual white feminist, everywhere, always. ... By insisting we explicitly redeem you personally whenever we talk about a system that disadvantages us, you place yourself firmly into white feminist territory. Every rule has exceptions, but wed never get anywhere if we had to list every single one whenever the rule was brought up in conversation.
Posted on: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 08:28:37 +0000
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