The recent deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner and Tamir Rice have stirred controversy in USA. The questions about racism and social justice are back on the discussion table. The revival of civil rights and social justice movements in the United States have given me perspective on feminism as well. There are many similarities between the two movements, and the responses to critiques are pretty similar.
1) A civil rights movement is archaic and irrelevant in modern times.
Excuse: There are several anti-discrimination laws in place. Programs like affirmative action are there in place to ensure equality and make a difference. We need to focus on equality rather than racism.
The truth: There is systematic racism against people of color especially African Americans. Black people are more likely to get shot or violently attacked by police than their white counterparts. Black people get harsher sentencing for crimes compared to white people who do the same. Black people are more likely than white people to grow up poor and underprivileged. Black people are more likely than white people to experience subtle discrimination. There are hundreds of minor invisible factors that add up to a system that is racist.
Similarly, feminism is not archaic or irrelevant either. Statistically, women are far behind men in many aspects ranging from wages and quality of life to mortality and being victims of abuse.
2) You are obsessed with racism.
Excuse: Black people are obsessed with racism and think about it all the time.
The truth: As a privileged majority white people rarely experience systematic discrimination. Third party narratives and accounts barely express the challenge of being black in America. Racism is actually a system that threatens their life and livelihood. Racism holds them back from living a fulfilling and meaningful life. It is natural and logical that addressing racism be their number one priority. It is absurd to tell them to count their blessings and not be concerned with it.
Similarly, patriarchy holds back and is harmful to women much more than man can actually see. It affects aspects of their life from birth to death. It is absurd to tell women that they are obsessed with feminism and women's rights when their livelihood depends on it.
3) Changing #BlackLivesMatter to #AllLivesMatter
Comedian Arthur Chu eloquently addressed this in his tweets
https://twitter.com/arthur_affect/status/538015166634680320
https://twitter.com/arthur_affect/status/538014928448524288
http://blackmillennials.com/2014/12/01/what-you-mean-by-alllivesmatter/
Similarly, no shit men matter as much as women too. Sorry that your life as a man is so tragic and challenging, but can we talk about the elephant in the room or does it need to sit on your face for you to notice it?
You cannot reshape a narrative questioning the imbalanced scale into a narrative about a balanced scale.
4) But what about black on white or black on black crime.
Excuse: Racism isn't the important issue because black people kill other white people and black people too.
The Truth: Like all lives matter this is a distracting tactic to shift the narrative away from the inequality issues on hand. The real issue on hand is preventing racial prejudices against people of color, to examine why society is harsher on people of color. Crime is a social issue, but hate crime is a very widespread and dangerous issue that has many sociocultural factors that must be addressed. There is a long historic narrative of racially biased abuse.
Similarly, men are victims too. However, gender based violence and sexual violence against women is a significant issue that needs to be addressed. It stems from a history of patriarchy and treating women as property to be used and abused. It is not that male victims of abuse do not matter. It is that there isn't a historic or cultural narrative that condones abuse of men.
5) Not all white people are racists. I am not racist. I have black friends. I think everyone should be treated equally.
The Excuse: White people are often hesitant to openly align themselves with civil rights movements. The prefer to go for the softer narrative of equality rather than black rights. They are afraid to sound biased or accusatory against their fellow white counterparts. They feel joining in black solidarity is somehow anti-white or unequal in some sense.
The Truth: Not all white people are racists, but all white people benefit from white privilege. The majority and powerful population always directly or indirectly supports prevailing social systems. Expecting white responsibility is different from calling all white people racists. By showing solidarity with black people and their issues white people acknowledge the systematic biases and fight it. Focusing on the softer equality narrative pretends that there are no biases and does nothing to uplift discriminated people to equality.
Similarly, not all men are misogynists or rapists, but they benefit from patriarchy. As the historically dominant group the systems of patriarchy rest on them. Acknowledging feminism and participating in it does not make men traitors or anti-men in anyway. It merely acknowledges the historic disparities and willingness to fight it. The softer all people are equal approach puts the blinders on to the fact that there are centuries of patriarchal injustice that need to be undone.
Finally, the protest riots and other unfortunate side affects cannot be used to dilute the fact that Michael Brown, Eric Garner and Tamir Rice were victims of racism.
http://www.renegademothering.com/2014/12/09/discovered-white/
http://qz.com/250701/12-things-white-people-can-do-now-because-ferguson/
These two articles by white people discovering white privilege and promoting the fight against racism.
Similarly, pseudo feminism, mob justice and other unfortunate side affects cannot be used to dilute the fact that there are many rape victims and women are the primary target of domestic abuse and sexual violence. The articles against racism can also serve as a template for the cause for feminism.
Bindi
Udne Ki Aasha
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
