a nice idea about working together
One of the sad issues about minority groups is that we are all trying to struggle out from underneath the controlling blanket of oppression and discrimination.
Whether we are women, black, disabled people, are mentally ill, trans, working class/poor etc.
And in our struggle we never ally. Never. That is our failing. (Roughseas on Dead Wild Roses)
The Arbourist has a post worth reading on systematic racism, linked to above. I particularly like the last part where he responds to some of the common criticisms levelled against Black Lives Matter.
Imagine my surprise when I got to the end of the post to find the sensible-sounding comment above. People in different oppressed groups should work together to bring changes to society. What a nice idea!
Margaret Thatcher was elected Prime Minister by the people of Britain over 30 years ago.
And all my life, which began sometime in the mid-20th century, women have assumed prominent leadership roles in all areas of society.
Rich, white, disconnected and guilty people like violet are unnecessarily consumed with a guilt born of their own white racism.
The rest of us, all creeds, colors, sexual preferences have always banded together because that’s what we needed to get through the day.
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Thanks SOM, thought provoking as ever. Glad you’ve always been on the side of the oppressed minorities.
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violet,
Today I live in a neighborhood where the family on the right is from Nigeria.
The family on the left is from Pakistan.
The family next to the Pakistanis is composed of a woman born in Mexico who works as a nurse and who married an American.
The family next to them is Chinese (Mommy sports around the neighborhood proudly with her baby daughter.
The family next to her is Hispanic. The man has a beautiful cat I’ve nick named “Sour Puss.” He’s a cute little guy and we are becoming friends.
The family next to that one, is actually white, like me. They have a cat named Rocky.
Me and Rocky have become fast friends.
And on and on it goes.
White privilege is a Ruling Class hoax just like global warming, ObamaCare and the student load program.
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Just because you feel you don’t benefit from it? Or because you and all your neighbours are incredibly rich and powerful?
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We’re all average people just doing what it takes to get by.
White Privilege is a bunch of nonsense.
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Maggie Thacher becoming the British prime minister was a result of a long and hard road for women to come from a culture of almost no political or leadership opportunities unless they were born right into them like queen Vic. That work was laid down for Maggie first by the suffragettes long before she was even born and then by the feminists, and indeed finally even the people of her own conservative party realized that a woman might deserve such a position. That is what we call progress, when as in her example, the conservative group slowly gives in to better morality and progresses.
In a way the same applies to Barack Obama and any number of exeptional individuals who are only manifestations of work against the conservative and often oppressive values of societies before them. Without the abolitionists and then the civil rights movement Obama could never have become a president.
As long as male whiteys are highly over represented in positions of power in comparrison to their persentage in any given population, it is too early to declare there is no such thing as white priviledge, or male priviledge for that matter. Or do you think the white dudes are somehow more capable and as such more deserving of their overrepresentation in positions of power?
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I would love to feel the same way about Roughseas. However, I find her comment shows her paranoia rather than any desire to work together. I recall that she found my feminist posts self-interested rather than showing me to be a real ally, and that when I express my nature as best I can she found that oppressive of cis women: enforcing a patriarchal standard of femininity, rather than expressing myself and therefore increasing freedom for all.
In reality, of course, trans women and cis women work together all the time against oppression. It is only in her mind that we never ally.
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I doubt I do feel whatever way you’re assuming about Roughseas. She did an incredibly foul post in the last week or so (be thankful you ceased following her) that appears to have disappeared. Maybe she’s had an epiphany, deleted her foul post, and now can openly include trans people in a list of the oppressed? No idea what to make of that comment above, seems surreal given what we know about her, but at face value it’s a useful ponder.
It gets even weirder when Arb agrees with her in the comments over there, spouting some conspiracy about the ‘powers that be’ being to blame for stopping people working together. Is this not the guy who said he can only champion feminism, and everything else is of lesser importance? It’s that kind of attitude that stops oppressed groups working together – my oppression (or oppression cause) is bigger than yours!
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You should all get together.
And get the Greeks. I swear to God if I see one more Greek restaurant I’m setting it on fire.
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Oh look! Yet another smug and irritating gravatar. You’re really good at finding those. If I see one more American burger joint over here …
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What can I say, its a gift.
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“One of the sad issues about minority groups is that we are all trying to struggle out from underneath the controlling blanket of oppression and discrimination.”
Well, I hate to be uppitty here and step off the plantation, but I actually rather resent being stuffed under the smothering blanket of my alleged “oppression and discrimination.” I’ve actually been enjoying my privileged and protected status in the land of opportunity, in a country dedicated to freedom and human rights.
Also, we ally with one another on the bottom here quite well, thank you very much. Those I have trouble aligning myself with are usually well off elitists who insist on trying to force me into some kind of victim class mentality.
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”Those I have trouble aligning myself with are usually well off elitists who insist on trying to force me into some kind of victim class mentality.”
Oh, come now Insanity, you’ve never needed anyone to force you; in fact this is perfect case of No Judas Goat Needed as you merrily walk through that gate like a lost sheep so you can bleat to your hearts content. Look at your blog for the gods sake.
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Ahem, I am not a lost sheep, I am a found sheep. You’re right, I do merrily walk thorough the gate and hardly ever bleat.
Now, the arrogant elitists like you who insist I’m either some pampered thing or else I’m oppressed and I better get back on the plantation, you people tend to tick me off.
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You think I am elitist? Oooh! How nice. Thank you very much! I rather appreciate that. So much better than being regarded as part of the great unwashed rabble.
I much prefer being a snob than a slob.
I must be mistaken re: your position, perhaps I should apologise? Although I never once thought you were ”some pampered thing.”
I have always understood you and your supposed born-again fundamentalist half-wit gun toting,forced birther christian chums were forever whining about being ”persecuted”. (oppressed)
Something like this in fact ….
I can so see you as Loretta IB. A perfect fit in fact.
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Now see Ark, you manage to be both a snob and a slob at the same time. And woven among your never ending hostility are some very racist and sexist themes. Then in your perpetual arrogance, you run about calling your so called inferiors half wits. Are we supposed to be impressed by you? Because I usually just feel something more akin to pity.
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Racist?
Granted, I have been guilty of the occasional bout of sexism, that I freely admit, and having had this pointed out I have been at pains to correct this behaviour.
But as for racism… no, dear, of this you are most ceratainly mistaken. However, knowing your character well enough – assuming what you write s a reasonable reflection I am tempted to actually call you a damn liar.
Arrogance? Good grief, this from one who thinks she is gods gift to conservative womanhood.
Arrogance? Good heavens above, this from a woman who truly believes she will be sipping mint juleps in heaven with that smelly little itinerant narrative construct because she has confessed to being a sinner.
Oh dear, oh dear….
What a silly little woman you are.
Maybe you truly ought to have yourself measured for an ironing board.
On the subject of my so called inferiors.
Sorry, you are correct,the term half-wit is probably a bit too generous.
Maybe quarter-wit would be a more accurate description?
I don’t think you are capable of being impressed by much at all to be honest,such is your self proclaimed cynicism.
It will be a shame when you get to heaven and discover Jesus is fanatical about celibacy. Your final hopes dashed.
ne’er mind eh?
Meantime you can secretly drool over Donald Trump
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Winston Churchill said something on the lines of Democracy not being a very good, though alas the best method of governance. Up to a degree I agree with him on the subject. Democracy is only working as long as most of the voters have realized, that they represent some minority or the other. Their minority may not be oppressed at the moment and in contrast some majority they belong to may be oppressed. Yet, for a democracy to work it needs to be to benefit all, not just the minority or majority for that matter, one self belongs to in some specific issue. If the rights of all are not respected, then who says your rights are respected? For example “white” middle aged men who share conservative values, often seem to have this general notion, that they represent a some sort of majority, when what they are in any given society is a rather small minority…
A nother issue for a functional democracy is understanding what are the rights of an individual and therefore what actually is oppression and what is not. A Christian for example in a country mostly inhabited by other Christians may feel oppressed because they feel they have lost something they were born with, even if what they have lost is simply, that service providers have changed from exclusive representations of merry Christmass to inclusive happy holidays terminology. But you can not loose something that was never yours to begin whith. The rights of any one person end where the rights of a nother begin. By the terminology of happy holidays, both the Christian and the non-Christian get to be greeted nicely, so who has lost and what? It seems the very same Christian may indeed spout out ideas like Judeo Christian heritage when it suits their political values, but when it comes to include Hannuka as one of the “happy holidays”, such notions of common cause are suddenly forgotten. Oppressing others is never the actual right of anybody, is it?
It should be obvious to all of us, that any oppression is against the iterrests of us all. Yet, there are individuals who see opportunities to exploit, abuse and oppress other people (as groups or as individuals) only as methods to self satisfying success measurement. It is a result of a lack of empathy to give them the emotional fulfilment of success, that they are only able to achieve by manipulating others. What they lack emotionally is often the result of their competitive cultural heritage and a failure to see the bigger picture. It is sad and very hard to repair.
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