If there is anything I have learned in the past few years that I am grateful for, it’s the constant reminder that coming from a marginalized position in society does not equate to coming from a position of moral purity. I could never absolve myself of that much responsibility in my life without thinking twice, without thinking of others. Power is five-way intersection, not a one-way street.
The thing about patriarchy is that individual men, gay and straight, are often really wonderful people who you love deeply, but they have internalized some really poisonous shit. So every once in a while they say or do something that really shakes you because you’re no longer totally certain they see you as a human being, and you feel totally disempowered to explain that to them.
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This happens to me all the time, and it always hits me like a slap in the face. (via lasluchasdelcorazon) I should stop being surprised. |
Suzy,
I really enjoy your comics, I do. Reading through them I realize that we (being you, my wife and I) may have been at the same places doing the same things together (New School before and after Kerry, NYU Kimmel, Catastrophe in the rain, rings any bells?) though we've never had the pleasure of meeting. I want to ask--though I agree that we should not discount racism and sexism as issues over classism, do you consider them separate? I apologize that I can't quote Bakunin, or any of that academic stuff, but I just feel like it's supposed to be about all of us. Feminism informs classism, informs racism and so forth, no? I realize that you probably have considered this long before I wrote this. Maybe I'm ranting here, maybe I'm wrong, but though ignorant folks "aren't [your] comrades" now, they're still our brothers, still our sisters. Let me know what you think I'd love to hear it.
yours,
D
I really enjoy your comics, I do. Reading through them I realize that we (being you, my wife and I) may have been at the same places doing the same things together (New School before and after Kerry, NYU Kimmel, Catastrophe in the rain, rings any bells?) though we've never had the pleasure of meeting. I want to ask--though I agree that we should not discount racism and sexism as issues over classism, do you consider them separate? I apologize that I can't quote Bakunin, or any of that academic stuff, but I just feel like it's supposed to be about all of us. Feminism informs classism, informs racism and so forth, no? I realize that you probably have considered this long before I wrote this. Maybe I'm ranting here, maybe I'm wrong, but though ignorant folks "aren't [your] comrades" now, they're still our brothers, still our sisters. Let me know what you think I'd love to hear it.
yours,
D
Hi D,
Thanks, I’m glad you like my comics. It seems we have shared a scene, huh? (But please don’t quote Bakunin, I’ll get unpleasant flashbacks.) Actually, as a low-income, queer womyn of color (albeit with light skin privilege— I’m Latin@) I’m a huge proponent of intersectionality. I do not think that each of those categories is separate because, quite frankly, I’ve experienced prejudice based on all of those things, and my experiences with any facet of my identity has undoubtedly affected the other. Also, what kind of feminist, anti-racist and anti-capitalist would I be if I didn’t analyze all of those in tandem? If not lazy, then very narrow-minded.
That said, the cismen I was specifically addressing did not feel it was necessary to analyze race and gender apart from capitalism. Because they were 1) white and 2) cismale and 3) “radical” they must’ve thought they were exempt from analyzing their own privilege, much less acknowledging that they benefit from it or abuse it. They were dismissive of any “identity politics” because it didn’t cater to their personal interests. They kind of expected “class war” to magically solve for racial and gendered injustice, as though capitalism was totally to blame for those. (Partially? Yes. But not totally.)
I think that, given the fact that gender and race have something to do with how the working class is made up, you cannot analyze class disparity without analyzing race and gender, and vice versa. But I have no interest in organizing with people that refuse to see that or own up to their own complicity in maintaining hetero-patriarchal, white supremacist, capitalist power structures.
I hope that answered your question!
So I don't know if you saw this, but keptinline reblogged your manarchist comic and wrote this under it. If only they knew, lolz.
"If someone’s views are very close to yours but just somewhat off, why not educate them instead of dismissing and berating them as if they were just as bad as a neo-nazi? Yes they are wrong, but they are so close to being right. You don’t win people over by rubbing their noses in the dirt. Its just a fact of life. Instead of trying to find enemies, try and turn them into actual allies. These guys here are not your comrades at the moment, but with a few words they probably could be. The human mind is a very malleable thing."
"If someone’s views are very close to yours but just somewhat off, why not educate them instead of dismissing and berating them as if they were just as bad as a neo-nazi? Yes they are wrong, but they are so close to being right. You don’t win people over by rubbing their noses in the dirt. Its just a fact of life. Instead of trying to find enemies, try and turn them into actual allies. These guys here are not your comrades at the moment, but with a few words they probably could be. The human mind is a very malleable thing."
OMIGOD IF ONLY. Maybe I should tell them? It’s just so… hard… to stop… laughing hysterically about it.
