I think it's different, however, for those who did not choose their differences. People who are "just born" a certain way often try hard to fit in & be normal, whereas those who seek to go beyond the edges have the opposite point of view.
I should just shut up, but I don't really "try" to be normal, if the above was a reference to me. Actually, that's not entirely true. My system's been going through an upheaval after trying to blend in as a woman. I'm bizarre to the point that there's no going back; I'm lucky if I'm treated as human and not as [insert identity/epithet/social station here], though it got a lot better after I went urban again.
Persons who are "just born" a certain way, if you listen to ethnic studies and womens' studies classes, lack something called "privilege", which I'm not up to elucidating at the moment. It's a controversial subject, because the term gets thrown around a lot as a weapon: "well, I'm more oppressed than you (read: 'you have more privilege than I'), so you should do/be/say/not say/not do/not be _X_."
I should say that my relationship with ethnic and womens' studies classes is often tense.
My point is that (if we're going to adopt this model, this is not to say that we should, as it's quite angering), everyone on this community who is plural and *did not choose to be* has a lower power status than the OP, and I perceive the OP's stance as exploitative in light of this. You may not find the same issue to affect you if you are plural by choice--if you "seek to go beyond the edges" and wish recognition for it. This is an alternative to the thesis that I try to blend in/minimize my minority aspects because I'm a minority by birth.
I don't know that I should post this, and I don't want the OP to delete this thread because I said this (after all, I view this exchange as potentially constructive), but it clarifies my position. If you were commenting on me, this is my response. If you weren't, well, you got me thinking. :)
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2005-08-05 07:18 am (UTC)I should just shut up, but I don't really "try" to be normal, if the above was a reference to me. Actually, that's not entirely true. My system's been going through an upheaval after trying to blend in as a woman. I'm bizarre to the point that there's no going back; I'm lucky if I'm treated as human and not as [insert identity/epithet/social station here], though it got a lot better after I went urban again.
Persons who are "just born" a certain way, if you listen to ethnic studies and womens' studies classes, lack something called "privilege", which I'm not up to elucidating at the moment. It's a controversial subject, because the term gets thrown around a lot as a weapon: "well, I'm more oppressed than you (read: 'you have more privilege than I'), so you should do/be/say/not say/not do/not be _X_."
I should say that my relationship with ethnic and womens' studies classes is often tense.
My point is that (if we're going to adopt this model, this is not to say that we should, as it's quite angering), everyone on this community who is plural and *did not choose to be* has a lower power status than the OP, and I perceive the OP's stance as exploitative in light of this. You may not find the same issue to affect you if you are plural by choice--if you "seek to go beyond the edges" and wish recognition for it. This is an alternative to the thesis that I try to blend in/minimize my minority aspects because I'm a minority by birth.
I don't know that I should post this, and I don't want the OP to delete this thread because I said this (after all, I view this exchange as potentially constructive), but it clarifies my position. If you were commenting on me, this is my response. If you weren't, well, you got me thinking. :)