#Power and Privilege

[christinadbrown]

Platinum Rule 101: Misgendering Isn’t “Keeping It Real”, It’s Dangerous.

    Somewhere in between toddlerdom and Kindergarten, adults introduced me to the concept of the golden rule. The golden rule which means “treating people the way you want to be treated”, is an unspoken cultural expectation to intended provoke thoughtfulness about how to properly treat others. As someone who expects fairness and respect from those  I encounter, it seemed like an appropriate mantra to adopt throughout my developmental years, so I did. 

   Fast forward to post high school and collegiate graduation, my assumptions about the appropriateness of the golden rule was challenged. While undergoing core training with Public Allies, an AmeriCorps program, our trainers disclosed that we were expected to adopt the platinum rule. The platinum rule, is an expectation to “treat people the way they want to be treated”. This was incredibly mind boggling to me because I couldn’t comprehend how this deviated from the golden rule. It was through the process of learning about, and disclosing preferred gender pronouns, or PGPs I became aware of the stark difference. 

    Given my cisgender privilege, I was relatively accustomed to assigning the pronouns “he” and “she” to all individuals without second thought. However once confronted with requests to employ gender neutral pronouns, or utilize pronouns that I believed was inconsistent with someones gender expression I found myself frustrated others refusal to conform to the rigidness of gender binaries. Having come to this realization of my biases after a series of microaggressions and microinsults I finally understood the necessity and difficulties of employing the platinum rule. The platinum rule necessitates that our treatment of others not to  inextricably be linked with our own personal comfort, but with thoughtful consideration of other peoples needs. In other words, the platinum rule requires that privileged people decenter their privilege. 

   I have observed the golden vs. platinum rule tension play out in  intersectional��issues in recent months without rectification. Whether the demand is to call her Caitlyn, or to stop changing #BlackLivesMatter to “All Lives Matter” far too many privileged folks are committed to prioritizing their momentary individual comfort over marginalized peoples liberation. Our societal pursuit of justice and equity begins with our personal commitment to listen and honor the identities and language of the most disenfranchised. Downright refusal to meet these most basic requests isn’t keeping it real, it’s dangerous.  Intentional misgendering trans people and misrecognizing any oppressed groups is ultimately an elementary endorsement of bias which often precedes of violence against communities that are already incredibly vulnerable. 

- Christina D. Brown

Allport Scale of Prejudice and Discrimination Photo Credit : Not All Women Are the Same 

[blackgirlgradschool]

The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any.

Alice Walker

[thehaemanthus]

me: I should start writing the next chapter of OSS, I know it's going to be hard and I should put effort into it and start now

the part of my brain that's off the wall: write a series where Rhys has conversations with different people exploring the concept of High King

me: nO--

[resourcesforradicals]

“Every day I experience how language can bring people together and build power. But language can also be divisive, dangerous, and exclusionary.”

Great resource pulled together by Hanna Thomas, covering loads of different areas – from disability to geopolitics, from housing to sex and gender – with a ton of links for extra reading to back up their recommendations.

[feimineach]

A few months ago, I went to meet with a colleague at his apartment. Since I wasn’t familiar with the neighborhood and I’m paranoid about being late, I budgeted extra time to find the address. It turned out to be easy to find, so I ended up with an hour to myself. Thankfully, a person who likes to read is never bored. I pulled out a book (This book, actually) and prepared to indulge in an hour of reading in a quiet, sunny public park. I barely got through one page before a man started talking to me.

He told me I was cute and asked me if I had a boyfriend. And even after I told him I was married, he just kept talking at me. For the record, I understand that this man was just trying to be friendly, and he probably didn’t mean to annoy me or make me feel weird. But since I felt weird and annoyed, his intentions were irrelevant.

Eventually I pulled out my phone, told him I was running late, and headed on my way. By then I was too upset to properly concentrate on my book. But it wasn’t even about the book in the first place. It was about my personal space, which he ignored. This kind of thing happens all the time.

Whenever I express my frustration about this, someone invariably tells me, “But he was just trying to be friendly/strike up a conversation/learn more about the subject.” Stop. What you are telling me is that the fact that a man wants to talk to is more important (and should therefore be given more consideration) than the fact that I want to be left alone. I should dig deeper and find the good intentions behind why this man interrupted me. I should give this man the benefit of a doubt and take the fact that he bothered me as a compliment. The desires of a stranger are more important than mine.

I had a friend counter my point, saying that she personally likes it when people stop to chat her up while she’s reading. If you like that, good for you! Opportunities for that to happen are plentiful. I happen to detest it and would like it to stop. People usually follow this up by asking how potential partners are supposed to meet each other, as if it’s supposed to check-mate my argument. But that’s not my problem. If you really want to know, check out this piece called “Schrödinger’s Rapist,” which offers some advice on how to approach women without being creepy: To begin with, you must accept that I set my own risk tolerance. When you approach me, I will begin to evaluate the possibility you will do me harm. That possibility is never 0%. For some women, particularly women who have been victims of violent assaults, any level of risk is unacceptable. Those women do not want to be approached, no matter how nice you are or how much you’d like to date them. Okay? That’s their right. Don’t get pissy about it. Women are under no obligation to hear the sales pitch before deciding they are not in the market to buy.

I like that some people find reading to be an attractive trait. But I don’t read for anyone’s enjoyment but my own. Men of the world, if you see a woman reading a book, eyes darting from line to line, wrapped up in her own universe, leave her alone. She is probably having a moment, and she deserves to have it.

She might be about to learn the true identity of the killer. She might be studying for an important exam. She might be about to read a sentence that changes her life. Don’t interrupt her to tell her she’s cute or has good taste; she knows it. Don’t interrupt her to tell her she has bad taste; that’s debatable, and she doesn’t care. Don’t interrupt her to ask what her book is about; note the title and check it out for yourself if you actually care about the book and not about taking up some woman’s time. Better yet, pull out a book yourself and do some reading of your own. Unless she is on fire, nothing you have to say to her is more important than what she is reading– because she decided for herself that she wants to read. If her eyes are on the page instead of on you, she is telling you that she is all set for company at the moment.

Do women interrupt each other when they’re reading? Maybe. But it has never happened to me. Do women interrupt men? I have never done it, and I doubt it happens as often. But even if it happened occasionally, it wouldn’t be part of a larger framework of street harassment as a result of rape culture. There is a power differential in play when a man interrupts me.

(c) and source/ rest: Gender Focus (by Jessica Critcher)

(Excerpt etc. first posted on feimineach.com. Orig. attribution above.)

[thegiftedoneishere]

Where do you land?

[blackgirlgradschool]

Technically speaking an art is primitive in any phase before it has mastered its idiom of expression, and classic when it has arrived at maturity and before it has begun to decline. Similarly art is exotic with relation only to its relative incommensurability with other cultures, in influencing them at all vitally it ceases to be exotic. From this we can see what misnomers these terms really are when applied to all phases of African art. Eventually we will come to realize that art is universally organic, and then for the first time scientifically absolute principles of art appreciation will have been achieved.

Alain Locke, "A Note on African Art"

[schoolmeetlife]

You know the majority of people who complain about how things are "too PC" these days are usually those who come from the privileged-dominant culture. They've never had their identities broadly and systematically misconstrued, misappropriated, or mocked, but yet they are annoyed that people who have been targeted and victimized are speaking up against it. The privileged's sense of elementary and flimsy humor can't handle it.

To that I roll my eyes.

[murteza]

“We rarely make similar demands of other recipients of government aid. We don’t drug-test farmers who receive agriculture subsidies (lest they think about plowing while high!). We don’t require Pell Grant recipients to prove that they’re pursuing a degree that will get them a real job one day (sorry, no poetry!). We don’t require wealthy families who cash in on the home mortgage interest deduction to prove that they don’t use their homes as brothels (because surely someone out there does this). The strings that we attach to government aid are attached uniquely for the poor.”

[showmerosa]

Preparing for the Press Conference

Eight days from now Rethinkers will make their recommendations to school officials, parents, community members, and other students about how to best begin implementing restorative practices in their schools and communities. Rethinkers who are not giving speeches during the first half of the conference will be facilitating workshops to give the audience an opportunity to participate in dialogues and practice using restorative practices themselves. 

These past few weeks have been packed with so much, and the Rethinkers (some of whom are as young as 4th grade) are grappling with topics that I never even thought about until I was in college. We’ve talked about the school-to-prison pipeline, trauma and conflict, non-violent communication, gender equity, and all the while we’ve still been able to play games and be silly.

I continuously think about how I wish I could have been exposed to these things at such a young age and how lucky the youth in this program are, but then I remember all the other things that I did have growing up that lead me on the path to where I am now. And then I remember that growing up I didn’t really need to utilize the tools that the Rethinkers are learning about and striving for. I had folks advocating for me (like my aunt, who got me into a much better high-school than my neighborhood high-school). But, I also live in a system that gives me privilege just because of the color of my skin and as a result I just don’t need to advocate for myself that much because just by being myself I get the built in advantages that are a result of the legacy of racism and discrimination of our nation. Because of this privilege I know that walking down the street in my hometown, Richmond CA, I don’t have to worry about being profiled or targeted by cops, I don’t have to worry about how to not get shot, just because my skin is light.

These past few weeks I have reflected on and had conversations about the aspects of my identity that give me privilege. Skin color, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and the access and resources that come along with a university education were just a few of the things mentioned by myself or others that resonated with me. But something that was mentioned that I never really thought about was having a voice. This comment was mentioned in the context of being incarcerated, and what it is like to have every moment of your life controlled by someone other than you. Having a voice to speak my mind, to navigate through life, and to advocate for myself is a privilege that I hardly ever recognize because it is so often taken for granted living in America. But, being in Louisiana, where the incarceration rates are higher in the state alone than in any other country, I’ve been trying to reflect on just what that privilege means and how to use it in an intentional, thoughtful way. 

Recently we have also been talking about the role of zero-tolerance policies in the school-to-prison pipeline and how using restorative justice as an alternative can reduce those rates. Something we touched on again and again was the role of violence and making the connection that oppression is a form of violence that we see all the time, especially institutional oppression. Institutional oppression is all the policies and practices of institutions that systematically disadvantage certain populations and result in the reproduction of inequities in society.

Michelle Alexander’s metaphor of the birdcage is a useful way to think about institutional oppression and how it plays out in school settings. One bar of the cage, such as being expelled once, might not lead to the reproduction of inequities, but when you look at all the bars together—having a formerly incarcerated parent, going to a poor quality school, de facto segregation, or the millions of other things I could list right now—they form a cage that doesn’t allow youth of color to thrive to their fullest just because of the locations they are born into. 

Just yesterday I had the opportunity to witness a fellow intern and longtime Rethinker challenge institutional oppression at an Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) public hearing. At the hearing many people spoke against the effort by one board member to remove enumerated language in OPSB's anti-bullying policy, which protected certain student groups based on race, religion, disability, and students of the LGBT community. With little notice and without a prepared speech like many other commenters had, I watched as this Rethinker spoke thoughtfully and passionately about the important topic of bullying in New Orleans' schools. To me, her comments stood out the most because they came from not a community member, teacher, or parent, but from a student. She has experience to guide her recommendations and she has family and friends who will also continue to be impacted by policy changes like the one proposed. In the end her voice was heard and the Board chose to keep the enumerated language. 

Watching and helping the Rethinkers engage with these topics is challenging for me, as someone still learning and developing a critical analysis, but also so wonderful and such an opportunity for growth. And watching the public hearing yesterday just makes me even more excited to hear all the other Rethinkers have their voices heard and create change in their schools!

[advocacywolf-blog]

Really Granny.

I am currently in Pennsylvania, Ebensburg to be exact, and it is strange. There is an odd juxtaposition in place because the social environment is almost entirely conservative, while the natural environment is peaceful and beautiful. It's a bit much to take in at times. 

So here's the conservative piece. I honestly don't feel it would matter so much if it weren't made obvious via everyone's brilliant show of ignorance regarding their own power and privilege. For example, my grandmother heard me discussing the upcoming presidential election with my mom, and chimed in, "The Democrats wouldn't be half bad if they wouldn't tax the hell out of me!"

Oh sweetie.

Let's really look at you, Granny. You live in a mansion- literally. You haven't worked a day in your life because you married a surgeon/war hero, and you've always lived comfortably regardless. You don't even -notice- your taxes in terms of how you live, you're surrounded by useless objects that you buy out of boredom, and you're one of the richest people I know personally. Yes, you are going to be taxed more than some people. This is because taxing these other people as much as you're taxed would force them into poverty. And if we don't collect any taxes? We default on our debts, we lose social security, and we lose the ability to protect ourselves from our own citizens and the countries we've needlessly pissed off over the years. Yeah. Okay Granny.

Unfortunately, her politics are the norm around here. My cousin believed there was no worse politician than Obama until I introduced him to Wayne Christian. Sigh. Why does such a pretty place have to be full of not-so-pretty ideas?

[kalkydri]

[blackgirlgradschool]

Few intellectuals have waged a public battle against white supremacy and patriarchy like Toni Morrison. Morrison has both examined and challenged systems of domination throughout her intellectual life. 

If you can only be tall because someone else is on their knees ... then you have a serious problem.  ... And white people have a very very serious problem.  And they should start thinking about what they can do about it.

[project-reconnect-toledo]

Project Reconnect 2012 Discussion: Power and Privilege

1. Our gracious hostess

2. Her gracious fiancee (and previous host)

3. Animated conversations, always

4. Congregate around food, always

5. Our wonderful moderator

[arielee75]

Power and Privilege arround me

In my mind, power and privilege is something that people cannot see. It is kind of invisible system that surrounds people’s daily life and hard for people to identify and define. I think power and privilege is different with responsibility, but the same is everyone have it can use it to help society to solve the unfair problems. It is important to pay attention to when interacting with other people, because even it is hard to define but we still need to recognize it for what it is and use this knowledge to help address inequities. And with some specific privilege may bring people together from all types of social individual in order to make changes to our society.

I think the most important networks for me are friends. The reasons why I think friends are important for me, because I am studying in US alone now. My parent is far from me. When we suck in a problem, the first people we could find are friends. We are study and even live together just like small individual group.

And the most power and privilege networks I am in are MSU. MSU for me is kind of small society. During one year of University study, I strongly feel the power of freedom surround by me. Professor and student could discuss the time of class schedule or even you could just say no with them (Of course you should have the powerful reason to say no).

[presstheishu]

The Price of Privilege: Why White America Must Confront Its Legacy of Oppression

From lynchings to systemic racism, the legacy of white supremacy is not just history—it’s a current, collective debt. It’s time for White America to pay it forward through truth, action, and accountability. Let’s get one thing straight: any so-called “unfair advantage” that White people think Black Americans receive today is not only deserved—it’s a fraction of what is owed. If reparations…