Privilege

I've been thinking a lot lately about privilege, white privilege in particular. This mostly has to do with the class I'm taking and how many white folks are working out their issues on my class time and tuition rate.    -___-


The thing I've been thinking about the most is the fact that I experience situations so differently than white folks.  They can skip through life feeling safe and happy, whereas I'm on high alert, waiting for sudden movements that will signal a threat to my safety.


I actually thought it was a thing that only my classmates were unfamiliar with.  Then I began talking with the (very few) white friends I have, and I realised that all white folk have something to learn about their white privilege.  


And then we started on cis privilege, and it was all done.... I can't. Maybe three hours a week, at the most.  Low-commitment only.  


And just for the record, I can't EVEN with cis white men. Just walk away form me, because I don't have the energy for you. I mistrust you on principle of this horribly twisted society, all of which has been made for you. Try again once you have an understanding of systems of oppression.

This Is Not a Poem

Words and phrases.  Lies and Truths.
Presenting the blossom of emotion, but
it withers in my hand,
The taste of ashes in my mouth.
Cruel words spoken by angry mouths
Slicing more deeply than the sharpest blade.
Long forgotten memories falling from my eyes like heavy stones.

Scars cover the surface
The Hurt pushing from the inside, out
To leave me misshapen
DIStorteD and WarPeD.

Jill

I've been thinking about Jill a lot lately.  Well, she's been trying to visit with me very frequently in the past month or so. But I've so busy helping to plan this Conference and not-studying and not-eating, and spazzing out over school work and trying not to enact bodily harm of my obnoxious roommate (-__-) that we haven't had much time to visit.  Then again she does drop in at the most inopportune times: during work, on the bus ride to class, in class, when I'm trying to have an emotionally in-depth conversation with MA.

We really need to coordinate our schedules so that we can actually visit with each other, rather than me shooing her away.  I have a feeling she won't stand for being ignored much longer.  She has quite the tempe when she doesn't get the attention she deserves.... -___-

Radicalising Language

Inspired by and dedicated to an awesome genderqueer organiser I met during my weekend at CSUN. I hope that one day your identity, as a genderqueer person, will be given the respect it (and you) deserve.

Last weekend's trip to the Queer People of Colour Conference at California State University, Northridge, was... illuminating.  One of the most bemusing things was how many people referred to "they/them" pronouns as 'plural pronouns'.  ....

I'm going to try not to rant.

When I hear folx complain about how 'they/them' and other gender neutral pronouns are 'grammatically incorrect' I want to pause the scene and use it as a teachable moment.  I'll use this space to practise what I'll say when I hear this again.

"Grammatically incorrect".  Ok.  Let's take a step back and realise what language we're speaking when we talk about this.  English. More specifically modern, white, middle-class, American English  A coloniser language.  It's oppressive (read: racist, classist, xenophobic, etc.), by it's very nature.  And when we correct and police each other's use of language (as marginalised and oppressed peoples), we are reinforcing the Oppressor's power.  Language is here to meet the needs of its users, not the other way around.  Language is a breathing, organic thing; it's constantly evolving and should be flexible in its usage. Some examples include mixing of languages (Spanglish, creoles, pidgins) and colloquialisms.   William Shakespeare invented over 1,000 words throughout the course of his career. How many will you use today?

In English, we aren't fortunate enough to automatically have gender neutral pronouns for people.  I've heard Mandarin Chinese and Greek, among others, have gender neutral articles. This means we have to borrow and/or invent our own.  This is what language is about; recognising a need and creating a solution.  When it comes to solving the problem of gender neutral pronouns, I've heard they, them, ze, V, hir, unicorn, J, and numerous others. All are appropriate, especially since there is no go-to alternative.  And even if there was (ha!), folx should still be able to define themselves in this rigid English-language framework.  The same can be said for any language, though my expertise (I use this word loosely) is in American English.

We need to question our assumptions and ideas about language.  English as we know it is not the end all and be all of identifying things, creating ideas and imagining our Future.  There are so many concepts that simply cannot be explained in this coloniser's tongue.  Just think of how our ancestors were able to dream, to feel, and to imagine in their indigenous languages....

Let's make our languages do the same for us.


**This is a work in progress, and may be updated periodically.....