rhivolution | (no subject)

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I...sort of want to write a post about how, in my mind, it is goddamn important for white people to feel uncomfortable, because it means we (we = white people including myself) are actually thinking about our shit instead of just having things bounce off the Cloak of Privilege.*

But I don't know if that would be derailing from the matter at hand, or if it is appropriate, or if it would call the shitstorm of How Dare You Want Me To Be Uncomfortable down on me, or what.

Discuss.

* It may be slightly derailing as well that I think of it like a permanent Cloak of Invisibility, a la HP.

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I think the point about uncomfortableness being necessary to growth & justice often is received better, by white people, from other white people. Fucked up but true.

I don't think allies can say such things enough, to my mind: eventually people may actually listen to them???

Yeah, the fuckedupness (fuckuppedness?) of it was part of my concern, but as you said, that's probably not as important than the message, at this time.

I'm trying to think of how to phrase it in a way that won't fuck up in the process, or just end up being me going SHUT UP, DEAL, AND LISTEN FFS.

ah you're in my head! I'm still processing that session from my professional conference on systemic racism in higher ed and how it bothered me/still bothers me that it was basically a white woman going hey, take off your privilege other white people! I dunno, its still swirling in my head but I've got the why can't white people listen to POC about this!?! in my periphery

Y'know, that post made me think, and I'd say that's part of my concern here. I want people to listen to the POC who are talking (and they are talking), but at the same time I feel like the topic might be something I need to work out in my own head and therefore best done through writing. If stuff only stays in my head, it tends to fall into the cracks and voids...see the novel and screenplay I have never written.

Must chew on it some more. Maybe when I get past the point of just wanting to bash people.

*nods* I get you... even if the session had a second presenter that was POC it probably wouldn't have stuck with me so much. But no one addressed the obvious, that a.) Yes, white woman you are addressing your privilege, b.) it's lovely that you are asking other white people to do so, but c.) the conversations that need to be had about this topic aren't going to happen in a mixed crowd, at a professional conference because well, people are to afraid of wagging their bare ass in the wind and being branded a racist or insensitive.

There's also d.) there's just some things POC won't discuss with non-POC in the room and the issue of systemic racism is probably one of those topics.

I'm debating on proposing a session on Systemic Racism in Higher Ed from a POC perspective for my regional conference, and I've got till Friday to submit a proposal.

Yeah--the fact that there wasn't a POC in a leadership perspective in the session was what threw me in hearing you talk about it. (Perhaps TPTB thought it would seem tokenist or stereotypical, which is a dumbass excuse.) It strikes me as problematic and ineffectual to have a privileged person do a General Overview of any topic where they are privileged, when addressing a broad and general audience in a national arena.

I'd say go for the proposal if you think you have the energy; it could be highly beneficial to both white people and POC.

I think I will, but part of me is cringing about the potential for utter, epic fail that could happen in such a session.

Not quite the same thing, but Wiscon had a panel discussion on how white people can talk to other white people about racism, so that people of color won't have to do all the work of educating. Not, or not just, because some white people are more likely to listen to another white person, but because the more people doing this work, the more of it may get done. (I think there are specific cases where white people will listen more readily to other white people: one is if the person calling them on something is a relative or close friend, someone they're inclined to listen to.)

Sadly, I missed it--were there any writeups?

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