(no subject)
In our society, is it possible for black people to be racist or women to be sexist [victimizing whites and men, respectively]?
[can men experience sexism from women, whites from blacks (in US society)? is this whole idea of reverse-racism valid?]
No.
Can blacks or women be prejudiced, discriminatory, unfair, or hostile to whites or men? Clearly. But this is irrelevant to the first question.
Individual acts of discrimination and injustice [based on race, gender, whatever] can happen between any combination of people, but these individual acts are not necessarily racism/sexism. Context counts.
Racism is a [namely subtle but sometimes obvious, mostly invisible though occasionally visible] system of power and perspective--a system and an ideology.
A woman's discriminatory act against a man may be significant and bad, but is not sexism, for sexism is an entire structure and societal framework, not just independent, individual acts. When a man discriminates against a woman because of her gender it is not merely an isolated act, but enforces a system of power already thriving and in place. Women and blacks can be discriminatory, but they currently do not have the power, means, or system in place to be sexist or racist.
It is about context, not specifics, and the System that we must attack first and foremost before anything can flourish or anyone can authentically discover Him- or Herself.
*
Condy Rice is a victim of this System because she is none other than a pawn--a different-colored, different-gendered figurehead in a white man's role. She has done nothing to make that role reflective of her identity and self; she's merely the token person of color filling in a pre-defined slot in the System. "Look, we're diverse," they say. But diversity to them is not about new ideas, perspectives, people, or ways of life. Diversity to them is parading around lots of different-colored show pawns who all operate in the same way--their way--and abide by their game rules, unquestioningly.
*
Also, labels are stupid. What Chilean woman ever decided to define herself as Hispanic, or Ghanian teenage boy to define himself as black? You only become aware of and begin to employ these kind of self-definitions in a system where society informs you that you aren't the norm, or that your group of people should be lumped together into a generic definition so we can classify and understand you. That's not auto-definition here, folks, it's exterior definition telling them "you're black, you're Hispanic, you're such-and-such."
*
It's the power we're handed
From the moment of birth
When we're told our pale skin
Is our measure of worth
"Colorblind" is a code-word
For "the problem's not mine"
'Cause white folk have the privilege to say, "Everything's fine."
[can men experience sexism from women, whites from blacks (in US society)? is this whole idea of reverse-racism valid?]
No.
Can blacks or women be prejudiced, discriminatory, unfair, or hostile to whites or men? Clearly. But this is irrelevant to the first question.
Individual acts of discrimination and injustice [based on race, gender, whatever] can happen between any combination of people, but these individual acts are not necessarily racism/sexism. Context counts.
Racism is a [namely subtle but sometimes obvious, mostly invisible though occasionally visible] system of power and perspective--a system and an ideology.
A woman's discriminatory act against a man may be significant and bad, but is not sexism, for sexism is an entire structure and societal framework, not just independent, individual acts. When a man discriminates against a woman because of her gender it is not merely an isolated act, but enforces a system of power already thriving and in place. Women and blacks can be discriminatory, but they currently do not have the power, means, or system in place to be sexist or racist.
It is about context, not specifics, and the System that we must attack first and foremost before anything can flourish or anyone can authentically discover Him- or Herself.
*
Condy Rice is a victim of this System because she is none other than a pawn--a different-colored, different-gendered figurehead in a white man's role. She has done nothing to make that role reflective of her identity and self; she's merely the token person of color filling in a pre-defined slot in the System. "Look, we're diverse," they say. But diversity to them is not about new ideas, perspectives, people, or ways of life. Diversity to them is parading around lots of different-colored show pawns who all operate in the same way--their way--and abide by their game rules, unquestioningly.
*
Also, labels are stupid. What Chilean woman ever decided to define herself as Hispanic, or Ghanian teenage boy to define himself as black? You only become aware of and begin to employ these kind of self-definitions in a system where society informs you that you aren't the norm, or that your group of people should be lumped together into a generic definition so we can classify and understand you. That's not auto-definition here, folks, it's exterior definition telling them "you're black, you're Hispanic, you're such-and-such."
*
It's the power we're handed
From the moment of birth
When we're told our pale skin
Is our measure of worth
"Colorblind" is a code-word
For "the problem's not mine"
'Cause white folk have the privilege to say, "Everything's fine."