#intersecionality

[mish-mash-marsh]

Fuck "normal amounts of diversity" in media. "Normal" people in real life are diverse.

I want two aro people to talk to each other. To get to talk about it with someone else who gets it. Aro people irl know - getting to talk to other aros about it is just different sometimes.

I want two trans people to talk to each other onscreen. I want them to differ, to be visibly different, to be able to disagree. Isn't that so much more interesting?

I want more than one black character in a "main cast" lineup. Let them have black friendships, black families, black neighbors. Let them come from different backgrounds, from the same backgrounds.

I want more than one asian person — holy shit, groundbreaking idea — let there be both a Korean person and a Chinese person. Let there be three Vietnamese girls and four Japanese men and five Pakistani characters because life is just random and diverse like that.

Characters from countries people don't hear about as often—give me a character from Cape Verde, from Kyrgyzstan, from Guyana.

And fuck "giving each character one thing to make them part of the diverse cast". I want a pansexual Ghanian with a disability. I want her to get to talk to another Ghanian who is also queer, but also different. I want her to have disabled friends.

I want a transman to be a single father in the tv show.

I want an indigenous woman with chronic pain in the book.

I want a mixed nonbinary jewish character to be undocumented in the movie.

I want to see my friendships reflected, my futures portrayed, my struggles, my intersectionalities represented.

I want there to be enough diversity that the very real diversity within those communities is highlighted, from different experiences, to differing opinions.

Stop checking boxes. Stop saying, oh, there's a black best friend in the cast, we've checked off our "race" representation, we don't need anymore. There can and should always be more.

So yeah.

I want "unrealistic amounts" of diversity.

[polemicandcontent]

[blergityblargh]

Marxism vs. Intersectionality

Marxists agree that individuals or groups can experience multiple forms of overlapping oppressions simultaneously, and that each configuration presents a unique set of social barriers. From a Marxist standpoint, no one form of oppression can be understood or overcome in isolation, and the struggle against oppression and exploitation must draw in and include all layers of the oppressed. Marxists also firmly oppose discriminatory attitudes and behaviours and argue that these only serve to divide us, preventing the unity of the working class required to achieve emancipation. On the surface, then, it may seem as if Marxism and intersectionality are complementary. However, if we look beneath the surface into the theory underpinning intersectionality, we can see that in its understanding of oppression and how to fight it, it is very different from Marxism. Intersectionality, despite the best intentions of many of its proponents, cannot adequately explain the origins of the varying forms of oppression, and therefore the solutions.

[a-fistful-of-stardust]

honestly who isn’t obsessed with divide right now??? this song is now my life & i hope u all enjoy this cover bc i spent all weekend on it oops :’)

[dreamycortex]

[superbadassfeminist-blog]

A definition, to start :-)

From Wikipedia of course!  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersectionality

Intersectionality (or intersectionalism) is the study of intersections between forms or systems of oppression,domination or discrimination. An example is black feminism, which argues that the experience of being a black woman cannot be understood in terms of being black, and of being a woman, considered independently, but must include the interactions, which frequently reinforce each other.[1]

This feminist sociological theory was first named by Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989, though the concept can be traced back to the 19th century.[2][3] The theory suggests that—and seeks to examine how—various biological, social and cultural categories such as gender, race, class, ability, sexual orientation, religion, caste, and other axes of identity interact on multiple and often simultaneous levels, contributing to systemic injustice and social inequality. Intersectionality holds that the classical conceptualizations of oppression within society, such as racism, sexism, biphobia, homophobia,transphobia, and belief-based bigotry, do not act independently of one another. Instead, these forms of oppression interrelate, creating a system of oppression that reflects the "intersection" of multiple forms of discrimination.[4]

A standard textbook example of intersectionality theory is "the view that women experience oppression in varying configurations and in varying degrees of intensity".[5]:204 A secondary textbook definition approaches intersection theory a bit more broadly as "the interplay of race, class, and gender, often resulting in multiple dimensions of disadvantage".[6] Cultural patterns of oppression are not only interrelated, but are bound together and influenced by the intersectional systems of society. Examples of this include race, gender, sexuality, class, ability, andethnicity.[7]

Intersectionality is an important paradigm for sociology and cultural studies, but difficulties arise due to the many complexities involved in making "multidimensional conceptualizations"[8] that explain the way in which socially constructed categories of differentiation interact to create a social hierarchy. For example, intersectionality holds that knowing a woman lives in a sexist society is insufficient information to describe her experience; instead, it is also necessary to know her race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, class, etc., as well as society's attitude toward each of these in order to fully understand her position within society.

The theory of intersectionality also suggests that discrete forms and expressions of oppression are shaped by one another. Thus, in order to fully understand theracialization of oppressed groups, one must investigate the ways in which racializing structures, social processes, and social representations (or ideas purporting to represent groups and group members in society) are shaped by gender, class, sexuality, etc.[9] While the theory began as an exploration of the oppression of women within society, today sociologists strive to apply it to all people and to many different intersections of group membership.

[atomic-ghoul]

Reblog if you find if problematic that 99% of the lgbtq community is run by cis white men.