Oh, that was great. Thank you for the link. It applies to other forms of privilege as well and would be good for people of all backgrounds to read.
I think few people are trying to be jerks when it comes to identifying privilege like this. I remember a comment my dad made years ago about how he didn't like my sister's new boyfriend because "he shakes hands like a girl". After I gave him a firm handshake for which he praised me, I informed him that his statement was condescending and misogynistic. He eventually got it when I compared it to something like, "Wow! For a guy, you're pretty smart!"
Blinders can be hard to pull off when you've worn them for so long and never seen the world any other way. And for a lot of people, paradigm shifts can be damn threatening. I think we need more essays like these.
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Date: 2008-04-27 05:08 pm (UTC)I think few people are trying to be jerks when it comes to identifying privilege like this. I remember a comment my dad made years ago about how he didn't like my sister's new boyfriend because "he shakes hands like a girl". After I gave him a firm handshake for which he praised me, I informed him that his statement was condescending and misogynistic. He eventually got it when I compared it to something like, "Wow! For a guy, you're pretty smart!"
Blinders can be hard to pull off when you've worn them for so long and never seen the world any other way. And for a lot of people, paradigm shifts can be damn threatening. I think we need more essays like these.