Thoughts on Identity
What is Identity? In the LJ community, I heard a lot of identity statements, usually about gender. I remember in the mid-90's college campuses had a big movement where students openly identified as a gender they were not biologically assigned. At the time, this caused quite a ruckus because some were railing about "the bits and pieces God gave
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Identity is one of those things I've struggled with as well, Clint. You mentioned Barack Obama being called "America's First Black President," even though his mother was white. Indeed. And I can remember times during the campaign when there that idiotic discussion -- among some blacks! -- about whether he was black enough. Or too black. Whatever the hell that means. Assumptions about ethnicity suck.
If I make a comment regarding race, ethnicity, etc., they are often dismissed as being the rantings of an angry white male...
This pretty much sums up why I can never get all worked up over the various "fails" the SF community loves to indulge in constantly. For one, they're nauseating. "But John-Mark," they may say, "you're one of the minority! Take up the cause!"
Okay, first of all, I don't have to take up anything. I am mine own person, and at the end of the day, I'm responsible for my own words and actions, no one else's. That doesn't mean I don't care. Not at all! But modern activism in some quarters, on behalf of equality, can become antagonizing of the group with "privilege." Calling people "angry white men," for example. I'm not down with antagonizing people, even if they disrespect me. I try to be peaceable, if possible.
Hell, even as his followers were being beaten, hosed, brutalized and dehumanized, Martin Luther King still preached peace and brotherhood with all human beings, without antagonizing. How did we go from that to just shouting "Failboat" at others? It's not conducive to a substantive, reasoned debate, and so I pretty much ignore all the "fails."
Clint, you're not racist for giving voice to legitimate issues behind the Arizona law. While I disagree with it on civil liberties grounds, the problems which precipitated the law are very real, and so there are legitimate arguments there. I don't see what's so wrong with recognizing that.
But if the long-memory of the internet will be my judge, and editors of the SF Ghetto turn against me for not conforming, for being a little controversial, I say to hell with them.
Amen to that. I made up my mind about that a long time ago. I see you've done the same. Good on you, Clint.
Like I said on FB, great post, Clint. You're a truly awesome guy.
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