ISM
On MYDD there seems to be a lot of tit-for-tat about Hillary Clinton and sexism in the media, sexism here and sexism everywhere. The subject has also been brought up a few times on Dailykos and the conversation has gotten bit snippy at times. But thankfully, overall, Dailykos does seem to have a lot more harmony amongst its members. The sexism debates seem to be a popular theme on MYDD and it often gets ugly.
Note: a partial copy and paste from one of my posts
What struck me is how quickly dissenting opinions on sexism quickly turns to labeling, i.e. if you don't find a particular comment to be sexist then you, yourself are a sexist. So I'm sitting here thinking about the whole "unity" drum that has been beaten to death lately. And (of course) I thought about Barack Obama and HIS approach. If you put the partisan smears aside you can observe the profound, positive effect he has on everyday people. How was it in the midst of all the racial tension of the Wright controversy he was able bring everyone back together? And he did it almost effortlessly. And then it struck me.
When discussing discrimination the purported offending party is rarely given a real voice. For example; racism is often viewed in terms of whites discriminating against blacks. In this case; when whites discuss the 'Caucasian' perspective many times they (we) are closed off. "How can you possibly understand. You're white."
While it is true that (as Caucasians) we cannot completely empathize with African Americans about life in America as a black man (or woman), we can provide perspective from the other side. In order to reach mutual understanding and thus; create unity, it is imperative that both sides listen with an open mind.
Here is an excerpt from Barack Obama's Perfect Union Speech that I thought should have received way more attention.
In fact, a similar anger exists within segments of the white community. Most working- and middle-class white Americans don't feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race. Their experience is the immigrant experience - as far as they're concerned, no one's handed them anything, they've built it from scratch. They've worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pension dumped after a lifetime of labor. They are anxious about their futures, and feel their dreams slipping away; in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense. So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town; when they hear that an African American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committed; when they're told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced, resentment builds over time.
When Obama uttered those words I was completely stunned. As a black man he was reaching across and giving true understanding and empathy to 'the other' perspective. And in doing so he could have easily angered black voters who may passionately disagree with that point of view. THAT portion of his speech was epic. It was extremely courageous and it's one of the things that makes Barack Obama so unique.
His speech wasn't just addressing two centuries of racial injustice toward blacks. It was a unifying speech in the truest sense of the word.
Now lets flip the script with sexism. As a male I cannot completely empathize with what it means to be a female in today's society. But I can provide the male perspective and both sides are equally important to achieving mutual understanding. All too often males have to walk on eggshells to even discuss the subject. Recently I stated my opinion agreeing with the exclusion of women from the Infantry. I was called a "self-admitted sexist." While I recognize my opinion is likely unpopular among progressives, such reactionary conclusions are stonewalls to productive dialog. And I see things like that happening all the time.
In short, don't be so quick to whip out the sexism card. Don't place conditions on having an opinion, meaning, the person must be a particular gender/race/age to express themselves on equal ground. Both sides should exercise active listening. Make a concerted effort to put yourself in the other person's shoes. And most of all, lighten up! :o)