What is the point?

[Veronica]

I have to read this story for my literature class and Ive read it, but it seems like she is saying the same stuff over and over again.. I cant figure out how I am suppose to do an oral presentation on it if I cant understand it..

So.. read it and tell me what you think. this is only a partial, but you get the jest

“Racism, the belief in the inherent superiority of one race over all others and thereby the right to dominance. Sexism, the belief in the inherent superiority of one sex over the other and thereby the right to dominance. Ageism. Heterosexism. Elitism. Classism.

It is a lifetime pursuit for each one of us to extract these distortions from our living at the same time as we recognize, reclaim, and define those differences upon which they are imposed. For we have all been raised in a society where those distortions were endemic within our living. Too often, we pour the energy needed for recognizing and exploring difference into pretending those differences are insurmountable barriers, or that they do not exist at all. This results in a voluntary isolation, or false and treacherous connections. Either way, we do not develop tools for using human difference as a springboard for creative change…

Ignoring the differences of race between women and the implications of those differences presents the most serious threat to mobilization of women’s joint power.

As white women ignore their built-in privilege of whiteness and define woman in terms of their own experience alone, then women of Color become “other,” the outsider whose experience and tradition is too “alien” to comprehend…

The literatures of all women of Color recreate the textures of our lives, and many white women are heavily invested in ignoring the real differences. For as long as any difference between us means one of us must be inferior, then the recognition of any difference must be fraught with guilt. To allow women of Color to step out of stereotypes is too guilt provoking, for it threatens the complacency of those women who view oppression only in terms of sex.

Refusing to recognize difference makes it impossible to see the different problems and pitfalls facing us as women.
Thus, in a patriarchal power system where whiteskin privilege is a major prop, the entrapments used to neutralize Black women and white women are not the same…

Some problems we share as women, some we do not. You fear your children will grow up to join the patriarchy and testify against you, we fear our children will be dragged from a car and shot down in the street, and you will turn your backs upon the reasons they are dying…”

 

[hopscotch]

It reads as though the author is still defining her stance, but I'd hope she gets back to it (whether it's "mobilization of women's joint power" or whatever) soon. She is spending time on introducing her view and then narrowing it.

I happen to think it's an odd comparison of white women being worried about the patriarchy while black women are worried about their kids being shot.

Hopefully she has an interesting way of bridging that enormous gap for creative change....

Good luck.

 

[Veronica]

exactly.. thats where Im stuck.. she writes with mostly big words and just keeps circling.. wtf?? lol

 

[Covey]

Well, there isnt much there to go on....... not alot of the article there i assume.... what i am reading from this is that living in a patriarcial (sp) society women are affected by sexism. when refering to the women of color...they not only have sexism to deal with but also (being women of color) racism. Therefore women as a whole are not seen on an even level... do i make sense?

 

[Veronica]

yea, you make sense completely.. the thing is, that is all she talks about in this artcle.. Its longer than what I posted, however, I couldnt find the whole thing and its long.. But that is all she says and going over the subject continuously.. Hard to make a presentation out of it.

 

[siasl]

exactly.. thats where Im stuck.. she writes with mostly big words and just keeps circling.. wtf?? lol

yeah, she keeps circling....imo, there is an agenda to the article that's got little to with what she claims is her topic

It is a lifetime pursuit for each one of us to extract these distortions from our living at the same time as we recognize, reclaim, and define those differences upon which they are imposed

why would anyone want go through all the work of "extracting distortions", only to "reclaim" them, if they are "imposed"?

she's talking out of both sides of her mouth.

 

[Veronica]

agreed! so glad yall agree!! I was hoping it wasnt just me

 

[Fox Mulder]

This was almost certainly written by a black woman (you need to know that for the perspective and the presentation). What she is saying is that women need to recognize all the ways in which everyone is marginalized in society not just, for example if you are a white woman, the way white women are mariginalized by sex (or if you are a black woman, the way they are marginalized based on sex and race)--because for example a homosexual black woman would be marginalized on yet another layer (sex, race, and sexual orientation). In other words, white women that see only sexism as a problem (or black women that see only racism and sexism as a problem) and focus on that aspect only since it affects them only, diminish the power of all women overall to battle sexism (or the power of anyone who is affected by an "ism" to battle the "ism". By focusing on and recognizing all manner of marginalization employed by those that marginalize, each woman--white, black, gay, straight, old, young, rich, poor, etc., etc., etc., improves the odds of eliminating sexism by eliminating all manner of distinctions (or all "isms"). And of course, that's true about any marginalized group--for example, homosexuals need to focus on all manner of maringalization rather then just the manner in which he/she is marginalized.

Posting the whole article might add something, but my guess is that the entire article is summarized by what I wrote above and that should be the focus of your presentation.

BTW--this is liberal bullshit (i.e., straight white men are the devil incarnate unless one of these femi-nazis needs some sex) because by the time you are add up all the "isms" you have about 5% of the poppulation left discriminating against 95%--but that's beside the point!

 

[Fox Mulder]

This was almost certainly written by a black woman (you need to know that for the perspective and the presentation). What she is saying is that women need to recognize all the ways in which everyone is marginalized in society not just, for example if you are a white woman, the way white women are mariginalized by sex (or if you are a black woman, the way they are marginalized based on sex and race)--because for example a homosexual black woman would be marginalized on yet another layer (sex, race, and sexual orientation). In other words, white women that see only sexism as a problem (or black women that see only racism and sexism as a problem) and focus on that aspect only since it affects them only, diminish the power of all women overall to battle sexism (or the power of anyone who is affected by an "ism" to battle the "ism". By focusing on and recognizing all manner of marginalization employed by those that marginalize, each woman--white, black, gay, straight, old, young, rich, poor, etc., etc., etc., improves the odds of eliminating sexism by eliminating all manner of distinctions (or all "isms"). And of course, that's true about any marginalized group--for example, homosexuals need to focus on all manner of maringalization rather then just the manner in which he/she is marginalized.

Just re-read this--man that's fucking brilliant!!! :ninja

 

[hopscotch]

Well, I don't know that I'd got *that* far with your praise, but you seem on track to me, Mulder.

I found the article at: Women's Health: Readings on Social ... - Google Book Search

The article starts on page 79, and you're right, it's long. But I think it all boils down to her paragraph that says:

But our future survival is predicated upon our ability to relate with equality. As women, we must root out internalized patterns of oppression within ourselves if we are to move beyond the most superficial aspects of social change. Now we must recognize differences among women who are our equals, neither inferior nor superior, and devise ways to use each others' difference to enrich our visions and our joint struggles.

Of course, I didn't read the whole thing, I got bored. Tsk. I'm not taking your class (yay). But it's interesting and true in many ways. I hear routine denial of cultural differences in races, as if by denying it, the person isn't racist; but all they're doing is ignoring some simple facts. It's about the same thing as someone saying there's no real difference between boys and girls and if raised identically, they will be alike. To which I'd have to say: not a chance.