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Nerdy Feminist: How To Enter Feminist Discussions at the 101 Level [View all]
Last edited Thu May 24, 2012, 04:46 PM - Edit history (1)
Found this one today and thought there was some good advice in here:
How to Enter Feminist Discussions at the 101 Level and Not Totally Mess Up
As it has become abundantly clear, I've been dealing with a whole lot 'o people who are new to (and relatively insensitive toward) discussions of gender. These past few exchanges have been a truly stressful experience for me. They've made me question my ability to engage with people who frankly don't care about issues of oppression and equality. They've made me want to go live in a cave where I only interact with other hardcore feminists who "get me."
And that's really sad--because if everyone who cared deeply about a cause became so jaded by interactions with uninformed people, that cause would eventually die out. There'd be nobody willing to spread/promote the messages. And that's really the last thing I want for feminism. I really believe there needs to be a space for 101 interactions. I'm not convinced that I'm necessarily the person to champion these spaces, for my own emotional health, but I do think they are important.
As such, after doing a few things to personally cope with this frustrating business, I've decided to channel this experience into something productive and hopefully useful. What follows are my suggestions for how to enter feminist discussions (and other discussions of privilege, oppression, and inequality) at the 101 level and not totally mess up! I should note here that some of the people I engaged with were actually just trolls. But for people who are new to feminism and would like engage in good faith, here you go:
1) Do some research. The internet and library exist for a reason.
2) Check your privilege.
3) Listen. Seriously--LISTEN.
4) Remove your personal intentions from the discussion and self-reflect.
5) Accept that there is no weakness in change.
6) Have a little grace.
7) If it's not about you, don't make it about you.
8) Lastly, don't be these people.
As it has become abundantly clear, I've been dealing with a whole lot 'o people who are new to (and relatively insensitive toward) discussions of gender. These past few exchanges have been a truly stressful experience for me. They've made me question my ability to engage with people who frankly don't care about issues of oppression and equality. They've made me want to go live in a cave where I only interact with other hardcore feminists who "get me."
And that's really sad--because if everyone who cared deeply about a cause became so jaded by interactions with uninformed people, that cause would eventually die out. There'd be nobody willing to spread/promote the messages. And that's really the last thing I want for feminism. I really believe there needs to be a space for 101 interactions. I'm not convinced that I'm necessarily the person to champion these spaces, for my own emotional health, but I do think they are important.
As such, after doing a few things to personally cope with this frustrating business, I've decided to channel this experience into something productive and hopefully useful. What follows are my suggestions for how to enter feminist discussions (and other discussions of privilege, oppression, and inequality) at the 101 level and not totally mess up! I should note here that some of the people I engaged with were actually just trolls. But for people who are new to feminism and would like engage in good faith, here you go:
1) Do some research. The internet and library exist for a reason.
2) Check your privilege.
3) Listen. Seriously--LISTEN.
4) Remove your personal intentions from the discussion and self-reflect.
5) Accept that there is no weakness in change.
6) Have a little grace.
7) If it's not about you, don't make it about you.
8) Lastly, don't be these people.
Linky here: How to Enter Feminist Discussions at the 101 Level and Not Totally Mess Up
There is a lot more commentary about each numbered item in the full article.
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