IBARW3: You can't order justice for one

[yeloson]

So it's another annual ibarw week. This time, with intersectionality!

Let's hit some basics!

1. Being in one oppressed group doesn't bar you from oppressing others.

That is, say, being queer doesn't mean you can't be racist. Or being a person of color doesn't mean you can't be sexist. Etc. Etc. Just cause someone is stepping on your neck doesn't give you excuse to step on the necks of others. You'd think this would be pretty obvious, but a lot of people try to excuse bad behavior for what happened to them. That's bullshit.

2. Not all oppressions work the same!

Not only does sexism not work exactly like racism not work exactly like heterosupremacy not work exactly like ablism, but hell, sexism for a black woman and sexism for an asian woman work differently as well. This is important because not only does it mean different oppressions might not look the same, it also means privilege doesn't look the same all the time either. Which makes it easier to get us to violate the first point because your own privilege is often invisible to you, and might not look exactly the same as the oppression you're dealing with.

Where you stand with intersectionality is really about what you're looking for- are you looking for social justice for all of us? Or are you just looking for someone to pull their foot off your neck, without worrying about whose necks you may be standing on yourself?

I've come across too many social justice organizations which supposedly fought for justice on one end while being irrationally afraid of brown people, or using "gay" as an insult, or even protecting leaders who have engaged in sexual assault instead of tossing them on their ass. In the end, choosing to put yourself in the position of master isn't social justice at all.

Equality is an all or nothing affair. You don't get equality for one.

Comments

[itsmrwilson.livejournal.com]

Funny you should bring this up. Meredith and I were just talking about this in comparing the recent roller derby craze with the WNBA and why the latter tends to involve POC (in the game and the audience) while the latter doesn't so much.

[yeloson.livejournal.com]

You used latter twice, which one has POC and which one doesn't? I've only seen a single Derby game, and that's out here in the Bay, and there was solid numbers of POC, but then again, this is the Bay...

[shewhohashope.livejournal.com]

Yours is the first ibarw that popped up on my flist and you managed to hit the theme!

Thanks for the link.

[skywardprodigal.livejournal.com]

Amen.

[oyceter]

Word!