13 August, 2009

Not My Type of Feminism, Redux

I wrote this as part of a post I made back in May, but given current goings-on, I think it still applies, and will (unfortunately) probably still apply to certain segments of the blogosphere for quite a while:

I find it [...] difficult to understand why some are so dedicated to holding on to the last vestiges of their privilege, even as they give lip service to things like "inclusion" and "diversity." Neither term holds meaning when used by a certain type "good" mainstream liberal/feminist/et al to describe just how awesome and progressive they themselves are; oftentimes, these words are used to make those in the mainstream feel better about themselves, their privilege(s), and their biases--some of which they just cannot let go.

I want to be optimistic; I want to trust people when they say that they really do want to change, to be more inclusive, to give space to those who may be underrepresented, and that they are actively working on all of these things. There are certain things that I don't want to do, however, and most of the time, this includes being forever mega-understanding and/or fulfilling the role of Magical Invisibly Disabled Girl (I do enough of that when I'm not on the internet, to be frank) ALL OF THE DAMNED TIME. Initially, I responded to a WATRD blogger's comment on yesterday's post by being somewhat conciliatory and providing links to various disability blogs, hoping that she would actually take my suggestions--and this, after many voices have made similar suggestions to boot.

Because of the most recent WATRD post, however, I now feel even less confident that all of the voices who have (thank FSM) spoken up are, in fact, being taken seriously.

A huge part of making changes--whether personal or not--involves a willingness to actually do the work on one's own. It's not just about talking the talk, either. Saying that you will change means nothing if you do not actually make any changes.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

*hug*

I wish I could say something supportive and wonderful, but today involved going to a "fully accessible" museum that suggested Don swap out his electric wheelchair for one of their manual ones that were designed so the person in it couldn't push it themselves, because they didn't design for electric wheelchairs.

And apparently we should be grateful because they have some vague nods to accessibility.

Haaaate.

Thank you for pointing Heather back in my direction. *hug*