Trawling through Facebook again for some insight into the minds of others, I came across this posting from a hardcore American feminist:<\/p>\n
Separate from activism, I’m finding myself wondering about the groups people surround themselves with. A lot of what’s going on is the result of people existing in an echo chamber. If you are a person watching the internet lose its mind and wondering why, look around you and seriously ask yourself, “do I have any black friends? any muslim friends? any queer friends? any friends with chronic health issues? any friends in wildly different income brackets?” And if not, why not? I don’t think people should just go out and find their token buddies. But I do think everybody really needs to make more of an effort to extend themselves past the group of people that looks and sounds like them. <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Two things immediately leap out at me.<\/p>\n
1) Despite\u00a0expending considerable efforts\u00a0campaigning on behalf of minorities it appears she doesn’t actually know any.<\/p>\n
2) Getting to know people who (you think) are likely to share your obsession with identity politics isn’t going to help you escape an echo chamber. \u00a0Note there is no desire to connect with conservative, straight, white Christians to help understand why her preferred candidate just got trounced.<\/p>\n
A comment beneath the post is also illuminating:<\/p>\n
That is exactly where I’m starting. I live in a Muslim neighborhood and it’s making me sick thinking about how terrified everyone must be. I’m going to talk to a Muslim coworker today about who to approach and how, and exactly what I can do.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Could this be any more condescending?<\/p>\n
This is also a good place to note that I’m more aware every day about how my place in society has given me the latitude to be as loud and irreverent as I am, and accumulate the skills I have. I’m really working hard to use that for people that haven’t had the same options, and not just my own benefit.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Y’know, maybe folk just want to be left alone and don’t want privileged, middle-class lefties “helping” them?<\/p>\n
UPDATE<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\nI’m reminded of this<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Trawling through Facebook again for some insight into the minds of others, I came across this posting from a hardcore American feminist: Separate from activism, I’m finding myself wondering about the groups people surround themselves with. A lot of what’s … Continue reading