Group 2 Group Presentation
Gender as a Social Construction and Social Structure
Throughout the reading were several recurring themes. The significant ones were the racism, white privilege, cultural exploitation, stereotypes, discrimination, and intersectionality.
Some themes however were expressed more implicitly. For instance, gender as a social construction is something that exists at an almost invisible level. The social structure of gender is another example. It is a reading about women’s movement but the struggle is not only for African American women or women from different cultural backgrounds, this targets a whole movement of women trying to rise above all together. A quote that emphasizes my point was mentioned in the text; “We do not experience racism. Whether directed at ourselves or others theoretically. Neither do white women. How does one then emotionally come to terms with racism” (Smith 62) I think this quote demonstrates that this is more than just discrimination against a certain type of group when really every kind of woman is affected by it.
In “I Don’t Understand Those Who Have Turned Away From Me,” by Chrystos, she explains how she considers white women to be liars, and even explains how she is afraid of them. These negative emotions culminate in distrust for white women. She then explains how she feels more comfortable among heterosexuals than fellow lesbians of white color, claiming that she can be more of herself among heterosexuals. She also claims that she has learned that feminism is no longer a tool for freedom. She desperately argues that she has tried to understand and get along with the women in the feminist movement. She explains how she has worked along with them, gone to their discussions, no matter how much they played the blame game. She has worked alongside them, no matter how many insults were whispered behind her back. In the end, she decides that instead of helping her, feminism has drained her life away, leaving her with a sense of confusion and abandonment. This is a clear example of racism within feminism. In this writing, white women insult her even though they are all in the same group; they are all feminists. What is the difference? Only skin color. She says how some feminists in her group denounced their culture, and how as a consequence did not walk a path of joy. They walked the path of an automaton that follows without question. In my opinion, this is a very powerful writing that uncovers the veil on many issues that follow feminism. It is difficult to believe that women of different color would be so petty to each other, even though they are fighting for the same thing. However, this is the crux of the issue; they are not fighting for the same thing. They cannot be fighting for the same thing when white women exhibit a superiority complex, even though they themselves are in the same position of the women they secretly scorn. White women seek equality among the white men of their time, without consideration of the many black women that fight for the equality of all. White women consider themselves to be in a category all of their own, erroneously thinking that, “I may be oppressed in this world of man, but at least I am not black.” They do not pause to consider that they are all in the same boat, and no difference of skin color can change that. It is also important to understand that not all white women are of this opinion. It is also prevalent in this writing that Chrysta is deeply distrustful of white women in general, although not without good reason. However, if this type of mistrust continues, the wounds that have been created between women of white color, and women of dark color, will never heal. This writing easily elaborates and gives explanation of why white women should not be trusted, claiming that white women are disloyal because they have little need to be loyal. Although justified in this scenario, this type of attitude needs to change. A person cannot expect change to happen in this world, in society, in feminism, if these two groups cling to these preconceived notions. Much has changed in 35 years. It is not logical to hold on to these feelings that started more than three decades ago, and still strive to change the way black people and white people, different groups of people, view each other. This related to feminism because racism within feminism needs to stop. Many critics of feminism use this as an example of why feminism is not important, or why it is flawed. They don’t want to dig deeper and realize that feminism can help so many people, if only the people within the groups stop to realize that.
In “This Bridge Called My Back,” a section called “And When You Leave, Take Your Pictures With You” discusses racism and how it pertains to women’s movements. What I noticed in that section was that the narrators were of different ethnic backgrounds and spoke of feminism, gender oppression, white privilege and several other topics that relate to racism. The introduction of the section is about skin color and third world women feminists vs. white women feminists: “This section attempts to describe in tangible ways how, under the name of feminism, white women of economic and educational privilege have used that privilege at the expense of Third World women.” (pg. 61) What stood out was the topic of white privilege and how women who are white are privileged over women of color. Since the beginning, there has always been white privilege. It has become such a way of life for people that they do not think about whether or not they are using white privilege, whether if it is judging someone by the way they look or by their name. According to an essay written by Jacob Bennett, “White privilege was not perpetuated by conscious and explicit efforts, but by white citizen’s subconscious.” My definition of white privilege is that, in this society, people who are white or have lighter skin are looked upon in a better way than people who are of color. What Bennett is saying that is that people do not do this on purpose but do it without knowing.
Another part of the reading that has to do with racism would be white privilege and that talks specifically about Third World women and how they grew up in a racist world and that white people get the upper hand usually: “Racism affects all of our lives, but it is only white women who can “afford” to remain oblivious to these effects. The rest of us have had it breathing or bleeding down our necks.” (Smith 62) Here, she is saying that racism exists and that we all have to live with it but white people do not think any of this is happening, so they are oblivious. She also talks about how society has named white women as stronger individuals and how they have more power: “It implies power to implement racist ideology. Women of color do not have such power, but white women are born with it and the greater their economic privilege, the greater their power.” (pg. 62) What they are saying here is that women of color will not go anywhere because of the way they look but the more money white people have the more power they will have in society. Even today white privilege still exists.
The section “–But I Know You, American Woman” from the book This Bridge Called My Back brings up another important topic related to feminism. The discrimination between races in feminism is a large issue, which if not resolved can impede many triumphs in the feminist movement. In this section of the reading, cultural misconceptions are an important component of the discrimination that occurs. The article makes an important point when it states “Women live in male systems, know male rules, speak male language when around men, etc. But what do men really know about women? Only screwed up myths concocted to perpetuate the power imbalance” (Moschkovic 80). The article then goes on to explain how this is the exact same thing with the many cultures of women around the world. It comes down to the dominant culture of the Anglo Americans and that of the colonized or third world cultures. The cultural misconceptions and ignorance deepens the division among women. It creates a racial/cultural class system among a group who should ideally be working together towards the same goal. In our contemporary time period, race continues to be a leading dilemma in the United States. Ending the oppression of women must include settling the misconceptions among the races and cultures as well. Anglo Americans are the dominant culture in the United States as well as in the feminist movement. If these women are leading the movement for the better quality of life of all women, they must first understand the culture of other women. As stated in the reading, “Don’t speak about someone/something unless you can admit your ignorance on the subject” (Moschkovic 79). If all feminist can admit to this ignorance, we could essentially work towards a common goal that resolves a greater problem for all women, not just that of one culture/race.
“Third World women have become the subject matter of many literary and artistic endeavors by white women, and yet we are refused access to the pen, the publishing house, the galleries, and the classroom.” (Smith, 61)
Not only have women of color become a subject of interest for white women, but they also are denied any part of the conversation that is primarily about them. As a result of this, women of color have gradually become an image, a concept, the likes of which hangs as pictures on the walls of white women.
In no way is the exploitation of a culture better represented than this: the unwanted use of an oppressed culture’s image as an object of interest for the oppressor. The particular use of the word “artifact” further emphasizes this point by summoning imagery of a museum or anthropological study. Women of color as well as their culture have been reduced to an exhibit occupied by those privileged enough to look upon it as such. This idea of past racism permeates even the present day. Racism is a concept that many think of as “solved” or something that no longer exists. Even the idea of white privilege is denied.
In terms of intersectionality, cultural exploitation is of particular relevance. Women face oppression, and especially women of color. Intersectionality is at the foreground of feminist issues, because it pertains to contemporary ideas of feminism that neglect the disenfranchised who are victims of both gendered and racial oppression.
One of the major issues amongst the feminist groups is the discrimination that occurs within the feminist groups. Throughout most of the readings ignorance is demonstrated by white women towards the minority groups, and the white women’s ignorance has more of an impact on the feminist movement overall. Most of the white women mentioned in the articles are depicted as educated and wealthy. Therefore, their ignorance is a factor that creates a barrier between them and minority women. They are educated but do not fully understand that they are objectifying the Black, Hispanic, Asian, lesbian, etc. women. They are distancing themselves from those who could best support them because their education and upbringing, blinds them from understanding and supporting the minority women and the obstacles they face. For the most part it seems that the white women only include minority women when it comes to sharing their stories of hardship and oppression. They fail to realize that they are also oppressors amidst their fight to end gender based oppression. They are so concerned with their own battle that they ignore the needs of others.
The ignorance that is demonstrated leads to the stereotypes associated with each minority. For example, in “An Open Letter to Mary Daly” by Audre Lorde where she addresses the focus and distortion made of her culture. Lorde states “What you excluded from Gyn/Ecology dismissed my heritage and of all the other non-European women, and denied the real connections that exist between all of us” (Lorde 95). The writer of Gyn/Ecology demonstrated parts of Lorde’s culture that supported stereotypes associated with black women. In Judit Moschkovich’s “-But I Know You, American Woman”, she states how she believes that “lack of knowledge about other cultures is one of the basics for cultural oppression.” One of the stereotypes she says Latino and Black people face is that other people think that machismo and women’s oppression is prominent in their culture, but Moschkovich believes that oppression can happen anywhere and to anyone. Basically, what I understood from the readings is that the ignorance, stereotypes, and other presumed knowledge about other cultures results in the struggle to fight oppression within the feminist movement.
Cultural/Ethnic Oppression/Discrimination
Judit Moschkovich’s essay called “-But I Know You, American Woman” is a direct response to a publication in a nationally distributed women’s newspaper (79). Moschkovich writes in her perspective as a Jewish Latina immigrant criticizing Anglo-American’s view of Latino culture. She points out that stereotypes of other cultures, in her case Latino culture, comes from ignorance of culture and lack of self-education. These criticisms are perpetuated by systems such as the education system, politics and the media. One example of destructive stereotypes is the one that says Latino culture is machista and oppressive towards women. Anglo-Americans come to dislike a whole culture (Latinos) because of assumptions of sexism in that culture but yet ignore sexist oppression within their culture. This type of feminism excludes Latino women and is the opposite of intersectional feminism in which culture, race and sex are all intertwined. Mitsuye Yamada, an Asian Pacific American woman, also speaks of this exclusion of culture from feminism and lack of education that leads to oppression. Yamada talks about how women of color such as Asian and Latino women are not taken seriously in white feminism because of assumptions of sexism in their culture. Often, Asian women are only invited into the feminist community as temporary visitors who are there for brief input or as guest speakers who are not fully integrated members. Asian women are written off as active members in the feminist community because “…women are too happily bound to their traditional roles as mothers and wives, as if the same cannot be said of a great number of white American women among us” (Yamada 72). Here she makes the same critique Judit Moschkovich makes about white feminists pointing their fingers at other cultures but ignoring the same problem in their own culture. Both authors make the point that when Anglo-American feminists try to learn about cultures they go to women of color such as Asians and Latinas to tell them about their struggles when in reality this is not the correct way to learn. Yamada says that white feminists have the idea that it is “your responsibility to teach us” “your” being women of color and “us” being Anglo-Feminists (72). Moschkovich explains the reasoning for why this expectation is wrong by saying “the oppressed should not teach the oppressor” (79). Yamada goes further into this conversation by saying that the result of feminism not being receptive to culture is separation of ideologies. Feminism becomes one struggle and defense of culture and ethnicity becomes another struggle. This defeats the essential idea of intersectional feminism that says race, sex, gender, culture and ethnicity all relate to each other and are just as important. A powerful statement by Yamada summates this, “My ethnicity cannot be separated from my feminism” (73). She also says there should not be a metaphorical war of “ethnicity over womanhood” (Yamada 73). The ethnic discrimination of women that both Moschkovich and Yamada talk about is still relevant in today’s society more than ever. In class we spoke about the discrimination of immigrant women in the 1970s faced when they were unwillingly sterilized. These women were subjected to forceful sterilization because of sexist and racist stereotypes that said immigrant women birthed too many children. (Gutierrez 1) Of course feminism does not exclude men. When thousands of German women were sexually assaulted on New Year’s Eve in Cologne, Germany people were quick to blame the assaults on male Syrian refugees (Al Jazeera 1). Due to the fact that Germany accepted large numbers of Syrian refugees, people assumed that it had to be the perverted Syrian men that were welcomes by the German government (Al Jazeera 1) Here it is clear how ethnic and sexist discrimination came into play of mass stereotyping.
Intersectionality is one of the main themes running through these readings. Many of them speak from a perspective of being two or more oppressed groups, not only as women, but also as people of color, or as lesbians. Chrystos speaks about how lesbian groups can be so constrictive, that these women ignore their cultures and have replaced it with lesbian culture, but Chrystos does not feel that this would work. Chrystos is made of her different groups or cultures, woman, lesbian, American Indian; and while she tried to connect to lesbians they did not embrace the other areas of her life. Doris Davenport speaks about how feminism needs to start addressing these other communities. It cannot just be about women being equal, because as the class has discussed, who do these women become equal to? There has to be a movement addressing racism and homophobia according to Davenport on page 90. Many women also do not want to commit to one type of feminism, because it ignores other parts of who they are. Intersectionality is important to feminism so that all women are heard, not just one group. This relates to today’s feminism as it broadens to include groups such as transgender women or other gender minorities as a movement to end oppression.
Bennett, Jacob, “White Privilege: A History of the Concept.” Thesis, Georgia State University, 2012. http://scholarworks.gsu.edu/history_theses/54
Moraga, Cherríe, and Gloria Anzaldúa. This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color. New York: Kitchen Table, Women of Color, 1983. Print.
“German Far-right Protests against Refugees Turn Violent.” Violent Protests in Germany Against Refugees. Al Jazeera, 9 Jan. 2016. Web. 14 Feb. 2016. http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2016/1/9/germanys-merkel-toughens-tone-on-refugees-amid-competing-protests1.html
Gutierrez, Elena R.a. “Commentary on “No Más Bebés”.” MUJERES TALK. OSU Library, 26 Jan. 2016. Web. 14 Feb. 2016. https://library.osu.edu/blogs/mujerestalk/2016/01/26/commentary-on-no-mas-bebes/
Title Image by Tyler Feder http://roaringsoftly.com/ Instagram: tylerfeder
