![]() They’re only concerned if the issue appears catastrophic to a certain degree, and they belittle other issues that don’t “measure up.”Īgain, the beauty of a site focused on intersectional feminism is that it can address a wide range of issues from various perspectives. Sometimes people think an issue isn’t that big of a deal if it doesn’t involve global poverty, physical or sexual violence, massive death, or natural disasters. Asking, “Aren’t there more important issues?” If we’re enthusiastic about issues that affect cis white women but neglect those affecting people of color, trans people, disabled people, and other marginalized groups, we’re allowing racism, violence against trans people, ableism, and other forms of oppression, which are often linked to sexism, to continue.Įxcluding certain forms of oppression from the “feminist agenda” often means taking the side of the oppressor.ģ. So if you’re wondering how something is a feminist issue, you might simply need to examine your privilege. I should also note that the “how is this feminist” question comes up a lot on articles related to trans issues and race. It encompasses many topics including race, dis/ability, gender, mental health, body image, sexuality, class, sexual and romantic orientation, religion, and more.Īll of these issues can be feminist issues. In contrast, intersectional feminism examines the ways in which people of different backgrounds and identities experience oppression. For a lot of us, me included, our introduction to feminism is often a type that focuses primarily on the issues of cis white women. Many fellow feminists haven’t been introduced to intersectionality yet. I encourage you when posting in a comments section to pause before you press enter.Īsk yourself: Am I about to deny the existence of a form of oppression I don’t experience? Would I benefit more from listening instead of commenting? Is my comment encouraging the dismantling of oppression or the continuation of it?Ģ. Rather than advocating against state-sanctioned violence toward people of color, ’splainers focus on telling black and brown people how to avoid confrontation with the police. For example, rather than working to make spaces more accessible with content warnings and other appropriate tools, ’splainers tell people with PTSD to “get tougher skin.” ’Splainers often reinforce an unjust status quo. And you tell marginalized people how to deal with oppression, rather than helping work to alleviate it. You speak over voices who are more qualified to speak on the subject. When ’splaining, you usually do a number of harmful things: You incorrectly explain something because of your privileged perspective. This looks like a man explaining catcalling to a woman, or a thin person telling a fat person how they should navigate through a fat-stigmatized world. Many feminists are familiar with mansplaining, but there are other forms of privileged explaining that occur in feminist spaces, including thin-splaining, able-splaining, and white-splaining.įor those who don’t know, privileged explaining, also known as “ ’splaining,” is when a person with privilege explains a form of oppression they don’t experience to a person who experiences it. We can start by eliminating these harmful commenting habits. If this group of folks who work for social change doesn’t understand how their thinking alienates people from the feminist movement by oppressing other marginalized folks, progress will be painfully slow.Ĭollectively and individually, feminists often exclude those of us who need feminism the most. While reading these comments, I often think to myself: Wait, aren’t these the same people who are supposed to be about equality? Aren’t these the people who march for justice? Many feminist commenters have not-so-feminist commenting habits. I’m talking about the proud feminists (some self-proclaimed, some with feminist symbols as their profile picture) who frequent the page. I’m not talking about the trolls and men’s rights activists who visit the page and pretend to be us. While some of the page is filled with inspiring testimonies from marginalized voices, thought-provoking questions, and interesting examinations of exclusionary language, there are also many feminists whose comments leave me feeling deeply concerned about our fight for equality. We need to remove the toxic and exclusionary thinking from our own anti-oppression movements.Īs one of the moderators for the Everyday Feminism Facebook page, I read some of the most uplifting and harmful comments. I owe a lot to feminism, and I’ll never forget that. Without the wonderful people who introduced me to feminism, I wouldn’t be the unapologetic black girl I am today. ![]() You and other friends in social justice spaces taught me to love every part of myself. ![]() This article was originally published by Everyday Feminism.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |