A False Step

[poliphilo]

I got a savaging on a Feminist forum the other day. It was my own stupid fault. I'm too old to run with that particular crowd. Besides, I didn't study the subject at university and I don't use- or respect- the jargon.

I consider myself a feminist. If feminism means believing in the equality of the sexes, I'm enthusiastically for it. 

But I should have realised that the gnomic, slightly mischievous comments I go in for aren't going to wash on this particular site (with its ginormous rulebook)- and that you can't challenge someone (especially if if you're a white male) in that culture of victimhood without being accused of  "exercising privilege" and "silencing" them. 

A black American woman had accused a white European woman of racism. The white European woman had replied that the black American woman wasn't taking cultural differences into consideration and that her view was "US-centric". At least I think that's what had happened. The mods then intervened to rule that if a black person accuses a white person of racism that is gospel and no comeback is possible. The white person must take her whipping in patience and humility and afterwards kiss the rod.

I said I thought this was unfair- and that US-centrism is a real issue.  Are black American women really so fragile that they need protecting from all disagreement? Isn't it kind of insulting to assume they can't hold their own in debate?

I'll admit I didn't express myself as clearly or fully at the time. I spoke off the cuff. I should have been more careful- not that it would have made much difference if I had.

I thought I'd stir up a bit of controversy. I was wrong. The pack turned on me and tore me to shreds.

I am- among other things- a white, cracker racialist who likes to wave his dick around.

I'm talking about this here because after a while I realised there was no point in trying to explain myself over there. No-one  was interested in debate, only in parading their righteousness and calling me names. When you're in a hole it's foolish to go on digging.

I'll admit I felt a bit sorry for myself at first- but I'm over it now. I took a nice walk round a lake yesterday and had fish and chips in a garden centre and visited with my niece and nephew and that sort of cleared my head. 

Comments

[solar-diablo.livejournal.com]

Are black American women really so fragile that they need protecting from all disagreement? Isn't it kind of insulting to assume they can't hold their own in debate?

Depending on the group, it's not just black American women. There is most certainly a carefully cultivated sense of victimhood in American culture that nearly everyone feels entitled to. It's not too difficult to tease out of a genuine concern and grievance over oppressions past and present. All you have to do is look for the "I'm more oppressed than thou" mentality. Or do what you did - wade into a community where you either conform to an ideology/opinion as dogmatic as anything white landed Christian patriarchy espoused, and attempt to call for a calm, reasoned, objective critique/discussion. For future reference, Tony:

- As a male your opinion counts only half as much.

- As a Caucasian you must halve that half again.

- You may score some points for having been pagan once, but you also were once fully invested in organized Christianity. Halve it again.

- Finally, you're straight. Your opinion is now worth 1/16 that of, say, a lesbian woman of color who practices Dianic Wicca.

To be fair, I suppose the argument can be made that like many derivatives of political correctness, such groups are not designed for open and honest discussion. They are there to provide a shelter, an identity, and a therapeutic palliative to those who may or may not have been hurt by "The Mainstream" (however one may define that). They are not there to create a sense of equality with those different from them, at least for the time being. If you feel it's worth your time to express a view in such society, then good luck to you. For me, I've got perfectly good walls to beat my head against in the privacy of my own home.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

That's an excellent analysis.

You're right. The community is as much a refuge as anything. People are there to have their wounds bathed, their frazzled nerves soothed and their opinions validated. It's not a forum for frank and open debate.