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  •  recognizing privilege (none / 0)

    i still think it's important to note your privileges as a straight white male and how you are implicated in the system even if you yourself think you're not sexist, homophobic, etc. Larry Kramer wrote a nice screed in one of his book about how all heterosexuals were responsible for the AIDS crisis and holocaust in the gay communnity. tough reading if you're a straight person and thinking you're one of the "good guys," but as a minority who thinks white people are racist by virtue of their position in a racist system they cannot escape, i understood exactly what he was talking about. Malcolm X once said something about how white people could help us, but they could never join us. On one of my minority yahoogroups, a liberal white woman who believes all the same stuff as you do has shown up and now started to dominate the discussion. i'm sure she means well, but it's sure irritating that one of my few safe havens to discuss race  candidly, away from white people, has now been taken away and now i have to start censoring myself once again so i won't offend the white liberal who so wants to be "on my side".

    by ihlin on Sun Sep 12, 2004 at 08:19:10 AM PDT

    •  Whose side am I supposed to be on? (none / 1)

      I didn't write this to take anybody's side, so I'm sorry to dissapoint you if I don't agree with your position.  I wrote this to explain how I, as a straight, white male, can agree with many feminist issues and many gay rights issues.  Yes, I also agree with a number of minority issues, but I never once said I was taking sides on any of them.

      Let me put it another way.  I ended my post by saying that the most important words I ever learned are "with liberty and justice for all".  That's it.  That's what matters.  What don't you get about this?

      I don't care if you want to discuss racial issues in a yahoo group.  I don't care if Betty Bowers feels the need to invade upon your privacy.  I'm neither supporting nor opposing your agenda.  I'm saying that I believe you have the same rights as I do, regardless of what Zell Miller or Rick Santorum says.

      I'm saying that I don't give a damn if you fuck box turtles.  After all, they are kinda cute.  I'm saying that you are the same as me, and neither is better than the other unless we prove otherwise.  Is that so difficult to understand?

      Maybe for some people it is.  I hope it isn't but perhaps even in progressive circles inequality is an issue we need to get past.  My point and post has nothing to do with my being straight, white, or male.  It has to do with equality, and if you're going to shit on the people who believe in equality you've got a very long struggle ahead of you.

      That's all I have to say, damnit.

      New environmental blogging community at the Earth Community Project.

      by Lipo on Sun Sep 12, 2004 at 09:16:43 AM PDT

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