Sadly, that's true. to an extent, though, that is the fault of overzealousness.
Because some people like the conflict more than the equality and don't know when to stop.
So you get this sort of interplay:
Women: We demand equal wages! world: Yeah!
Women: And we demand the right to vote! World: yeah!
Women: And we demand legal rights for child rearing. World: yeah!
Women: and we demand that you start spelling womyn with a Y and that we say a-womyn at church and what men have to wear skirts of thursdays! World (and many women): ye ... wait, what?
And it's that last step that makes equality suffer. There's always a push to make things okay and then there's always a few members of any group who want to push past that into the realm of some dumb thing they thought up in an empowerment meeting that kills it.
And when you get into the realm of the lesser forms of racism (I certainly consider things like stereotypes and parody to be lesser racism when compared to, say, lynchings and segregation) it does get into that area where it seems like less of a big deal to people. And comparatively, it is (I don't think that anyone would argue that having to deal with a racial stereotype is way better than having to deal with the Klan). it's still an issue, of course, but one that is harder to push.
And of course, you get into the sticky area of people who know they didn't mean harm. the comments that are a bit racist, but that the speaker didn't mean any injury by. it's pretty hard to convince someone that they were being racist when they had no such intention.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2009-10-26 01:48 pm (UTC)Because some people like the conflict more than the equality and don't know when to stop.
So you get this sort of interplay:
Women: We demand equal wages!
world: Yeah!
Women: And we demand the right to vote!
World: yeah!
Women: And we demand legal rights for child rearing.
World: yeah!
Women: and we demand that you start spelling womyn with a Y and that we say a-womyn at church and what men have to wear skirts of thursdays!
World (and many women): ye ... wait, what?
And it's that last step that makes equality suffer. There's always a push to make things okay and then there's always a few members of any group who want to push past that into the realm of some dumb thing they thought up in an empowerment meeting that kills it.
And when you get into the realm of the lesser forms of racism (I certainly consider things like stereotypes and parody to be lesser racism when compared to, say, lynchings and segregation) it does get into that area where it seems like less of a big deal to people. And comparatively, it is (I don't think that anyone would argue that having to deal with a racial stereotype is way better than having to deal with the Klan). it's still an issue, of course, but one that is harder to push.
And of course, you get into the sticky area of people who know they didn't mean harm. the comments that are a bit racist, but that the speaker didn't mean any injury by. it's pretty hard to convince someone that they were being racist when they had no such intention.