Discussion Board Posts
Published in 1984, Audre Lorde’s article argues in favor of a unified feminist movement, which does not ignore the differences among the experiences of women belonging to different groups, but rather, it uses those differences to examine the different ways in which women are oppressed, and the ways in which those differences contribute to enriched creativity. The author explains that, right now, the feminist movement is divided by the same forces that create human differences in general, which oppose dominant groups to minority groups, thus creating simplistic patterns of difference, where the characteristics of the dominant groups are perceived as superior to the characteristics of the minority groups. This creates a situation where the dominant groups perceive themselves as superior.
Within the common struggle of women against the evils of patriarchy, the differences created by race, age and sexual orientation push women against each other, which fragments and weakens the common women’s movement. In the American society, the patriarchal power system favors young white males with a good financial situation, and places all women in an inferior position. However, women have different experiences in their relationship with the systems of power. White women are being seduced to join forces with the dominant group under the pretext of sharing power (Lorde 18). However, this possibility does not exist for women of Color, who are rejected by white women as well, motivating the large differences which exist between their experiences. Furthermore, within the Black women’s group, Black lesbians are rejected by their Black sisters due to the threat that their sexual preference poses to the Black women’s status within the Black community (Lorde 19). In part, ignoring Black lesbians and their work within Black communities is the result of fearing Black men and their rejection, as well as the redefinition of social relationship (Lorde 20).
Consequently, there is a general blindness to these differences, as the feminist movement refuses to acknowledge and examine women’s plight in terms of these differences, preferring to focus on an inexistent homogeneity of experience. This refusal to acknowledge and recognize different areas of difference as legitimate and equally important is identified by Lorde as a tool of social control. Lorde’s essay points out that within the feminist movement, there is a need for redefinition and growth, which would allow women to relate to each other across areas of differences, not rejecting them, and not considering one group as superior to the other but rather, understanding how different women’s experiences can enrich the areas of knowledge and creativity in the contemporary feminist literature. Refusing to give up and accept the patriarchal order means, for Lorde, accepting the differences among women’s groups and creating connections across borders. This way, women may survive the pressure to conform to the patriarchal order and find strength in the successes and ordeals of women with different definitions of ‘self’
Post Responding to Others’ Discussion Thread: Peggy McIntosh’s “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”
White privilege is an invisible area of privilege which most women ignore, even as they struggle to overcome male privilege. While they blame men for being unable to give up their patriarchal privilege in favor of women and to assist their empowerment by giving up some of their own power, most women are guilty of the same attitude towards people of different races, either males or females. As McIntosh (74) showed, white privilege is present in most aspects of a person’s life, and while whites often ignore it and take it for granted, it affects the lives of people of other races to a great extent.
The most important aspects which the author would lie readers to acknowledge, is the fact that racism does not only mean meanness towards persons of another race, but also means creating invisible webs of power which force non-White people to remain outsiders, or to experience systematic power abuse. What is disturbing about this is that both Whites and non-Whites in the society are so used to this situation that white privilege is likely to continue to divide the society for generations to come, without being seriously addressed. Acknowledging or trying to act in ways that neutralize its effect is useless, because this is a type of racism which permeates the deepest strata of the society, a changing it means redefining all power structures and being willing to give up the white privilege in all areas of the public space. This is very difficult to achieve and will require great pressure from policy makers, the academia and people on the street.
Post Responding to Others’ Discussion Thread: Roxanne Gay’s “Peculiar Benefits”.
The expression “Peculiar Benefits” actually refers to all of the undeserved privileges which people have without having earned them in any way. Privilege, for Gay, is not something we should hate or embrace or something we should reject but rather, it is a state of facts that we should acknowledge. Acknowledging privilege is the first step in moving towards using these peculiar benefits in order to assist other people in need (Gay). Gay points out that acknowledging privilege is a gain in itself for the society, and does not need to lead to some other types of activities in relation to this. Gay’s argument in the article is actually common –sense and does not propose any radical action or idea. It only urges readers to acknowledge their own privileges, and points out that even people of Color in America, who are marginalized from one perspective, still have reasons to feel privileged from another point of view. By urging people to acknowledge their privilege, Gay pushes people to think of the ways in which they could use this privilege to help less advantaged people. Since most people in America have some sort of privilege, most people have the resources to help others, and helping each other is the first step in reducing the unfair advantages that privilege brings.
Works Cited
Gay, Roxanne. “Peculiar Benefits”. Bad Feminist. 2014. Web.
Lorde, Audre. "Age, Race, Class and Sex: Women Redefining Difference". Race, Gender, Class-An Anthology. Eds. Margaret L. Andersen, Patricia Hill Colllins. Cerngage Learning. 2015. 15-21. Print
McIntosh, Peggy. "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack ". Race, Gender, Class-An Anthology. Eds. Margaret L. Andersen, Patricia Hill Colllins. Cerngage Learning. 2015.74-78. Print
