General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Managing Privilege [View all]AverageJoe90
(10,745 posts)Okay, there's some good point here, but there's also some things that need to be pointed out:
1. "Shut the fuck up"-I'm sure this was written with the best of intentions but what is one supposed to do when somebody goes off the rails and says something *really* screwy like "All white people are racist", or "only whites can be racist", for example? Should one, regardless of ethnicity, just sit there and say nothing? I wouldn't. I always try to be respectful of people's differing views but if someone does start talking screwy, I am going to say something. I am going to speak up. In this case, that does not, in any way, reinforce any "power dynamics", real or otherwise.
2. Reiterating my response to number 1. I full well recognize that others will have had different experiences, and do respect that.
Again, however, if someone goes into wacky fringe territory and says that all white people are to blame for racism, or all men are to blame for sexual or physical violence, should I really have to remain silent? Or could I say, "No, this is wrong, and here's why?". Just disagreeing with someone is *not* silencing them no matter who they are.
3. "Educate myself"-Okay, and this is good. But what is the "proper" education? Who are the "proper" educators? Fringe sources such as Gradient Lair or Flavia Dzodan? Or more mainstream figures like Gloria Steinem? Or something in between?
4. No real problems here. Also, "I will stand up with them whenever I can." is actually a pretty solid piece of advice.
5. This is alright, but how does one know for sure whether they have made a mistake or not? Sometimes the lines can be quite unclear in this regard, especially in the era of Tumblr. And unfortunately, the use of "privilege", especially that of "white privilege", to silence, is unfortunately, a bit more common than many would like to believe(this was true for me, once upon a time).
And to be fair, sometimes reflection and being able to find where you made mistakes isn't just the nice thing to do but essential in personal development. But there also may be a time or two on occasion, in which something was a mistake, wasn't really so much at all(the vice versa is also true).
And honestly, perhaps the biggest thing holding it back is the (literal) use of "privilege" itself. I myself have to deal with ADD and possibly a few other issues as well.....there are some People of Color who also share my struggles, but there are also some who are in a better position than I am; the latter group, technically, could be "privileged" themselves!
This is really not much more than my 2 cents, so take it or leave it as you may. But hopefully, it provokes some thought in people.