Ally & Intersectionalist & Traitor
Ally for All
We are who we are (albeit in process). Love is love. 'Nuff said.Intersectionalist
We are holistic beings. Categories and labels help in some ways, and yet we must never forget every group of which we are a part is truly heterogeneous.
There is also an interconnected nature between and within social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group. This aids in understanding overlapping and interdependent systems of prejudice, discrimination and disadvantage.
I'm an Upper-middle-class Professional Able-bodied Middle-aged White USAmerican Cisgender Male in a Heterosexual marriage. So on the one hand I get that I'm the freaking poster child for privilege. And I know I'm still full implicit biases, so I welcome help identifying where my blinders are. I'm responsible for my own growth, and I am realistic enough to know I can't do it on my own; I need help since I don't know what I don't know. Here's just one example:
There is also an interconnected nature between and within social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group. This aids in understanding overlapping and interdependent systems of prejudice, discrimination and disadvantage.
I'm an Upper-middle-class Professional Able-bodied Middle-aged White USAmerican Cisgender Male in a Heterosexual marriage. So on the one hand I get that I'm the freaking poster child for privilege. And I know I'm still full implicit biases, so I welcome help identifying where my blinders are. I'm responsible for my own growth, and I am realistic enough to know I can't do it on my own; I need help since I don't know what I don't know. Here's just one example:
Feminist
The focus is on the feminine because that is what is being pushed down. However, focusing on the feminine does not mean we're focusing only on women. Men are belittled and called "less of a man" anytime they portray a trait that is associated with femininity. If women and the feminine were seen as equal to men and the masculine this would not happen.
Feminism is about raising up things associated with females to have an equal place in society as things associated with males. So why not call it equalism, or humanism? The terms equalism & humanism both suggest male things need to come down to a lower level, and female things rise to meet them in the middle. That's not the point. The point is to raise up the feminine so it is on the same playing field that the masculine is already on. Feminists don't want men to lower themselves, they just want them to make room for women. And this societal setup where men have more power, better wages, etc., has been around a long time.
During her first oral arguments before the Supreme Court in the 1973 case of Frontiero v. Richardson (which contested a U.S. Air Force policy of providing benefits to dependent spouses differently based on sex), Dr. Ruth Bader Ginsburg famously said, "I ask no favor for my sex. All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks". She was quoting the words of Sarah Moore Grimké, a 19th century abolitionist and women's rights activist.
Now, the above is just one model for explaining and describing my journey in all this and how this impacts and is impacted by my place in the world as a Man. The concept(s) can also be translated to describe how I impact and am impacted by my place in the world as a White. See, watch what happens when I simply replace "feminism" with "Black Lives Matter":
The point of the phrase Black Lives Matter, and the Black Lives Matter movement, has never been to say that Black lives are more valuable than White lives. The point is that Black Lives and things associated with Black people have been given a lesser place in society and we want to bring those things up to a place of equality. And until it is a lived-out-truth that Black lives really do matter, "All lives matter" isn't true.
Now consider the other descriptors in my privilege, like Upper-middle-class, or American. And not just each one in isolation, but in combination as a White Man, or a Professional White USAmerican.
Reality: Few get more than they need. Some get just what they need. Many get less than they need.
During her first oral arguments before the Supreme Court in the 1973 case of Frontiero v. Richardson (which contested a U.S. Air Force policy of providing benefits to dependent spouses differently based on sex), Dr. Ruth Bader Ginsburg famously said, "I ask no favor for my sex. All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks". She was quoting the words of Sarah Moore Grimké, a 19th century abolitionist and women's rights activist.
Now, the above is just one model for explaining and describing my journey in all this and how this impacts and is impacted by my place in the world as a Man. The concept(s) can also be translated to describe how I impact and am impacted by my place in the world as a White. See, watch what happens when I simply replace "feminism" with "Black Lives Matter":
The point of the phrase Black Lives Matter, and the Black Lives Matter movement, has never been to say that Black lives are more valuable than White lives. The point is that Black Lives and things associated with Black people have been given a lesser place in society and we want to bring those things up to a place of equality. And until it is a lived-out-truth that Black lives really do matter, "All lives matter" isn't true.
Now consider the other descriptors in my privilege, like Upper-middle-class, or American. And not just each one in isolation, but in combination as a White Man, or a Professional White USAmerican.
Traitor to the System
As I learn to shut up, sit down, back off, and really listen to the voices of those around me, I'm learning our societal systems are in need of change. So if you're a person of privilege like me, don't expect me to get on your bandwagon. Instead, I invite you to sit down next to me and listen to the voices around us. We've been in power for way too long. It's long-past time to use that power to make things better. Here is an image that captures this nicely. It draws a contrast between four distinct ideas: reality, equality, equity, and justice.Reality: Few get more than they need. Some get just what they need. Many get less than they need.
Equality: Everyone gets the same support. This works better for some than others.
Equity: Everyone gets the support they need.
Justice: The structural and systemic causes of inequality are addressed. Everyone can come as they are.
See the difference?
See the difference?
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