Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!orion.oac.uci.edu!ucivax!gateway From: farmerl@handel.cs.colostate.EDU (lisa ann farmer) Newsgroups: soc.feminism Subject: Re: Why I Am Not a Feminist Message-ID: <14551@ccncsu.ColoState.EDU> Date: 28 Apr 91 23:49:46 GMT References: <2805efd1.34d0@petunia.CalPoly.EDU> <9104141120.6798@mydog.UUCP> <672147838@lear.cs.duke.edu> <1991Apr24.130437.1@dev8a.mdcbbs.com> Reply-To: lisa ann farmer Organization: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523 Lines: 38 Approved: tittle@ics.uci.edu Nntp-Posting-Host: zola.ics.uci.edu In article <1991Apr24.130437.1@dev8a.mdcbbs.com> rivero@dev8a.mdcbbs.com writes: >In article <672147838@lear.cs.duke.edu>, gazit@cs.duke.edu (Hillel Gazit) writes: > >> being, whether intentionally or not. Specifically, this means that it >> is not open to debate whether a white student is racist or a male >> student is sexist. He/she simply is." -- From the April issue of >> "Forbes" > >Ms. Thompson, in saying a white student "simply is" a racist, makes a >racist remark. When she says a male student "simply is" sexist, she >makes a sexist remark. There are racists of all colors, and sexists of >both genders. Pointing to one sex (race) over another for crimes that >both are equally guilty of is "simply not" fair. I went to a seminar by Lillian Roball Rose(or Ross) last fall. I think that she presented some good ways at looking at sexism, classism, racism, ableism, etc. In this society(USA) we have a white male upper-middle class, able group in power. If you are part of what is in power you are an ??ist. For example, if you are white _because_ whites are in power (they make the laws,enforce them etc) you are racist. This means that because you are white there are certain attitudes that you grow up with, certain ways that you are treated by the people in power because you are white. Because you are associated with the group that makes the (sexist,racist,ableist) laws you are part of the problem. That does not however imply that you can not be part of the solution. This does not mean you should feel guilty being white. etc. But everytime you participate in something that is -ist and you are not part of the target group and you do not say "this is -ist" then you are not being part of the solution. This is extremely hard to get across in a short amount of space - Rose actually gives day-long lectures on this stuff. So my main point is you can't be an -ist if you are not in power. Lisa farmerl@handel.cs.colostate.edu