Questioning Social Justice
This picture spoke to me for a multitude of reasons.
So between white folks throwing a bitchfit because they got their fee fees hurt over my 10 Conversations post, the birthers' racist bullshit, and me dropping Debunkingwhite after their fail yet again, not to mention some of the racist bullshit my friends of color have endured, this past week has been deemed "White Folks Done Lost They Gawd Damn Minds....More Than Usual" week.
And after seeing both conservative whites and liberal whites engage in epic racism, I'm not seeing much of a distinction between the two.
But more than that, I've been seriously questioning social justice and my involvement in these groups in real life and online.
This week I've had some serious discussions with a number of friends: boston_pobble, afro_dyte, witchsistah and Dan. A while ago, Gail Simone and I discussed the same issues as well.
Truth be told, there were always certain SJ circles that I was very selective about rolling in. Or at the very least, I took them in small doses.
Many of these groups were immensely cliquish and turned toxic very quickly. But more than that, the hypocrisy has become abundantly clear. For many of them, it's not about battling oppression. It's about scoring points, looking good, staying en vogue as the stylish online progressive.
While none of this is new, it is sobering all the same when you're reminded of that reality.
Witchsistah made the best point: too many whites pretend to be concerned about ending racism and white supremacy but do nothing to make a dent in it.
"Yeah, they're all 'learning.' Fine. But when are you going to take what you've learned and actually APPLY it in the real world? That's like me saying I'm learning how to drive by reading about it, learning about the internal combustion engine, reading the autobiographies of the Andrettis, Pettys and Earnhardts. But until I actually risk putting myself behind the wheel on the road, there's no way for me to try and act like I know how to drive. It's reminiscent of folks who are perpetual students in college, been there 6-7-8 even 10 years as a student and ain't thinkin' about getting an actual JOB or anything.
They're scared they'll lost status with their fellow Whites. That those White perks won't be there for them when they actually get behind the wheel. And guess what? They won't. White folks are NOT gonna be happy with them trying to be all anti-racist with them. Whites (and we're talking everyday, ordiinary Whites and not KKK members or neo-Nazis) will start to look at them askance like they're not really "one of them." They'll start getting treated like *gasp* PoC get from jump and everyday! We canNOT have that, now can we! That's why it's like yanking healthy molars to get Whites to DO anything regarding race.
Or else folks are trying to figure out what the LEAST amount they can get away with doing to shut PoC up. Maybe it's enough not to use racist slurs in front of our faces? Maybe fucking a PoC will do it? Maybe using 'White privilege' as many times as possible in your college paper will satisfy those darkies? What can I do to LOOK like a "good White person" while keeping ALL of my White goodies (even if it IS at the expense of PoC)?"
I've said it once and I'll say it again. If racism was a top priority for whites, or for that matter a priority at all, racism (at least as we know it) would've been done away with a long time ago.
But it's more than just white faux allies in anti-racism spots. I've seen the same dynamic play out in feminist and queer spaces. There's a reason why many WOC identify as womanists and have created their own spaces. It's because too often, these feminist spaces spend most of their time denigrating, policing, silencing and tearing down women worst than most male misogynists would dare to do. Not shocking, the constant targets in those spaces, WOC.
And most queer spaces are little more than bonafied Klan convention. My black ass would probably feel safer at a Tea Bag rally. Which is why I've stated before that while I will fight for LGBTQ rights, I've got no use for this so-called "community." And for all the bullshit about POCs being more homophobic than whites, I'll take my chances with homophobic POC over a racist white queer any day.
It's not just enough to be right about the argument. Your methods and motives have to be on point as well. This is where a lot fauxgressives fuck up. They think because they're campaigning under the flag of social justice, that they have an all access pass to act a fool and show their whole ass. Or because they're a minority and/or a speshul white person, the rules don't apply to them. Too often I've witnessed cases where these fauxgressives will engage in so much asshattery that they manage to make martyrs out of the conservatives, they're beefing with.
But then, fighting for equality probably wasn't their true motive to begin with. In fact with too many white fauxgressives, that's the last thing they want. Many folks have different agendas when it comes to anti-oppression. Whereas some genuinely believe in fighting oppression and gaining EQUALITY FOR ALL, others are fighting anti-oppression to remove the stigma from their own marginalized status so they can resume reaping privilege with everyone else and throwing other minorities under the bus. Examples of this are with many racist white feminists who throw WOC under the bus as well as too many racist gay white men who do the same.
A lot of it goes back to white privilege. Few people understand how pervasive it is and the level of entitlement one has because of it. That entitlement is why too many gay leaders think that they can win gay rights by using a few sound bytes from the Civil Rights movement and hosting a few pep rallies for gay marriage. The white privilege prevents them from seeing the level of sacrifice it requires to garner equality. This is why many white gays are shocked that homophobia exists whereas queer POCs are shocked that they're shocked. Because trust, there's a difference between making the decision to fight for social justice and doing so because you have no other choice.
AD made an excellent point, most of the people running these social justice spaces are privileged middle-class whites and most couldn't care less about equality or social justice.
She also made me realize something else. There's a monumental difference between spaces run by POCs and spaces run by whites. On POC run spaces, when I talk about my experiences, I'm not being gaslit by condescending caucasians. My intelligence/sanity/honesty about my experiences isn't being questioned every 20 seconds and I'm not wasting my energy having to explain why bigotry is wrong or why POCs should be on equal footing as whites. It's cathartic just to vent and chat and exchange ideas and be treated like a person. Even POCs who may not understand LGBTQ issues and have cis straight privilege, they at least are humble enough to shut the fuck up and listen.
And don't get it twisted. This isn't to say that POCs are magically infallible, because they aren't. This isn't to say that we don't disagree or there aren't arguments, privilege or fail. But as AD pointed out, the difference is that my humanity isn't being ripped to shreds like it is on many other spaces.
So maybe it's time for POCs to start taking the reins a bit more in LGBTQ rights, feminism/womanism and anti-racism. Maybe it's time we assume leadership or create spaces where we can do so. I also think in doing so, you'll find out real quick which whites are in it for REAL solidarity and REAL equality who have ulterior motives. Because if their motives are on point, real white allies won't mind POCs being in charge, they don't have an issue being outnumbered or letting the best qualified person lead them; even if said qualified person is a POC.
Which of course leads to the $64,000 question.
Are there good white allies out there? The answer. Yes. In fact there are more than a few. However, you'll never hear me mention them too often. But I've been blessed to have more than a few in my life. Real white allies stand tall because it's the right thing to do. Not for glory, not for looking good. Real white allies actually treat POCs as equals and truly understand that racism is real as is white privilege. Real white allies don't mind being the only white person in the room. They won't think twice about checking a racist relative and will stand tall for POCs even when no one is looking, they have nothing to gain and everything to lose.
The truth is, most real white progressives, you won't find in social justice groups. Because they aren't doing it for glory, they're doing it because it's the right thing to do.
I've said this previously and I'll say it again. This is why I will almost rather deal with clueless but well-meaning white folks who know nothing about anti-oppression or social justice. It may require a little more patience and many more teaching moments but at least you know where they stand. Their motives and efforts are genuine. They know they don't have all the answers and will actually make a good faith attempt to shut the fuck up, listen and learn.
Wanna know why we can't have an honest discussion on race? Click the links above and you'll easily see why.
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