[Peace-discuss] driving away members

[Alfred Kagan]

I have to say that the posting below makes me quite angry. We want to 
create a better world, a world where we have confronted sexism and 
all other kinds of discrimination. If we go along with sexism to 
accomplish our work, we can't accomplish our goals.  This discussion 
has nothing whatsoever to do with "manners" or "what can't be said." 
It has everything to do with treating people fairly and promoting 
values that we endorse. To talk about manners is to trivalize the 
discussion.  In fact, let me be so bold as to say that we would not 
even be having this discussion if we did not have to actively 
confront sexism within our own local context.


At 1:22 PM -0500 4/28/04, C. G. Estabrook wrote:
>As I've said, I don't defend Gerstein's language nor any sexism inferred
>from it.  And I agree that some white males (me, for example) enjoy
>privileges in our society (as do some non-whites and some non-males). But
>the identity politics that you imply is a counsel of despair: instead of
>working to stop the war or winning the vicious class struggle that
>underlies it, we spend our time enforcing manners -- condemning what can't
>be said, insisting on what must be admitted, and winkling out "unconscious
>racism" (as we did with Howard Dean) and "unconscious sexism" (revealed in
>Gerstein's language, regardless of what he might say on the subject).
>
>But, that said, out of curiosity, what do you think would count as my
>"giv[ing] up some of my privilege"?  How would you know that I'd done it? 
>--CGE
>
>
>On Wed, 28 Apr 2004, meghan krausch wrote:
>
>>  ...Carl, if you don't agree with the idea that white people in general
>>  and white men in specific recieve more than their share of political
>>  space, credibility, and time to share their opinions, why are you a
>>  member of AWARE in the first place? Undoing the social privileges
>>  given to whites and males in our society seems to be a core goal of
>>  this group. If you are not willing to give up some of your privilege,
>>  or, indeed, admit that you even have this privilege, perhaps AWARE is
>>  not the group for you. (That questions is rhetorical--I don't need you
>>  to repeat the arguments you've already made.)
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>Peace-discuss mailing list
>Peace-discuss at lists.cu.groogroo.com
>http://lists.cu.groogroo.com/cgi-bin/listinfo/peace-discuss


-- 


Al Kagan
African Studies Bibliographer and Professor of Library Administration
Africana Unit, Room 328
University of Illinois Library
1408 W. Gregory Drive
Urbana, IL 61801, USA

tel. 217-333-6519
fax. 217-333-2214
e-mail. akagan at uiuc.edu