Personal ruminations on RaceFail

[lalouve]

This is a self-centered post, mostly because I have trouble dropping the ongoing RaceFail (the enormous number of really good entries which rydra_wong  is painstakingly compiling is making it very hard to withdraw, even if I wanted to), and because, like all privileged people, I should be checking my privilege. Sorry to make it All About Me, like so many

Comments

[bibliofile]

and let me say that there are many options other than Coetzee when studying Afriucan literature - the self-indulgent white male texts are beginning to get to me

Yeah, no kidding, on both points (more options & SIWM books).

I'm hoping that lots of us remember to apply what we learned as feminists because there are lots of parallels.

What else? Read more, find out more, see what else is going on at your school/in your city.

[lalouve]

I can't understand what everyone sees in Coetzee. Yes, the man can write, but he seems to be entirely focused on the experience of loss of privilege and standing up for rights that you shouldn't have. I find them, most of all, irrelevant.
Feminism really can be helpful, I find - and it's of course easier for me because I don't have the US type of institutionalised racism in my background. How well I'd deal with my country's style of racism remains to be seen.

[skywardprodigal]

Yes, the man can write, but he seems to be entirely focused on the experience of loss of privilege and standing up for rights that you shouldn't have.

LOLOLOL. THIS.

I laugh because I wanted to peal off my own skin rather than read another Coetzee book and you put it so neatly why.

[lalouve]

I had to teach Disgrace a year ago; the only good thing about it was that my students were completely outraged at the main character's treatment of women, white and PoC alike.

[thistleingrey]

Thank you for posting this.

[lalouve]

You're welcome. I feel that I'm being entirely too self-centered but OTOH the change I want has to start with me...

[skywardprodigal]

This was an enjoyable read for me. Thanks for making it public.

[lalouve]

You're welcome. I am torn between the egocentricity of the public 'this is how I feel as a white women' and the need to have the discussion in public because it is a public concern; if it is enjoyable, I think that's a redeeming feature ;)

[aquaeri]

This is very useful for me - I think I knew it all but the explicit reminders are helpful. Although I am another white (and ex-Scandinavian) person, so I wonder if it's just that we have most success communicating with people like ourselves?

[lalouve]

I think that's part of it - not so much white as ex-Scandinavian (I'm not having a clear successful run of communicating with the Irish, for example...).