“I Am Not Here To Educate You”

[dancesontrains]

I have been known to utter this from time to time. Rage. RAGE! That’s usually the underlying emotion behind the utterance

Comments

[chrys20]

Thanks so much for this. This sort of highlights many reasons why I struggled with these discussion on the internet. I didn't grow up with these definitions and outside of the small areas in academia they are not generally known. In addition to that whiteness is defined kind of differently here and sometimes I just get fed up of arguing when even I get confused. :-/

[chrys20]

To add, not knowing the socio-cultural history of the USA (apart from vague generalities such as slavery and segregation) definitely crippled me in my searh of knowledge. It is very easy to say 'educate yourself' but that term carries the presumption of a shared cultural background, shared words.

[daniela_lynx]

It's always a bit jarring for me when feminists say that we don't have to educate people. How will they learn otherwise? I get the part that it's not our obligation, but... :S

('Sup, Chilean ESL here)

[sephystabbity]

This is the kind that annoys me most. Because they will never, EVER, get it, not if you explain it to them a thousand times.

[dancesontrains]

I agree, especially with the second paragraph. I think it helped when when I was learning the basics of SJ via the internet to hang around a mostly US-dominated news site, as well as other forums- I learned a fair bit about the culture and background of some of these ideas.

And it's good to learn more about the US, as it's so powerful, as well as what might hurt/offend people from there! I just wish it was more possible to hear ESL viewpoints as well, especially as a lot of the 101 basics are most useful for either a US or Western background.

[apis_cerana]

This is a very good point. Since I read a lot of Japanese media so I don't lose the ability to at least understand my first language, a lot of discourse even about SJ rights takes on a different tone, or has differing ideas...some of which, if I brought up here, would be immediately labeled as demeaning.