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[sandundershoes]

Sometimes I forget that within my own social circle there are people with little to no belief in social justice, because I tend to surround myself with liberals--and by that, I don't mean the Canadian political party or the way Ronald Dworkin means it. When I remember that these people are like that, it is so disappointing. It feels like a betrayal

Comments

[anonymous]

So this is going to be like a four part comment because of LJ's character limits. Here goes

[anonymous]

It's also that, when you say things like "It's like the city is saying 'fuck you,'" you just sound so angry and I can't relate. I go on the defensive and say things like, "Well at least para-transit exists!" because I want to "be fair" to everyone, even oppressive institutions like the city of Montreal's transport services. This is something about myself I didn't really understand in an articulable way until after our conversation that night -- I honestly do have an urge to "be fair" to some groups who definitely don't need me to go to bat for them because they're well-integrated parts of systematic societal oppression. I want to be fair to everyone, I don't ever want to write anyone's efforts off, which is why it is so important for me to say, "Wait, hang on a second, it's not like we do nothing for the differently-abled, it's just that we don't do enough. Yes, more needs to be done, yes it's not good enough, but it's something and it's only fair to note thatThis is where I was coming from that night. But definitely, I misunderstood

[anonymous]

Anyway, getting back to Bartky, she talks glancingly about "a duller self-protecting sensibility without which it would be difficult to function in a society like our own." As I'm sure you know all too well, it's easier not to care, it's easier to tell yourself you're just being pragmatic, you're being realistic. It's easier not to have to be angry all the time.

But of course, what's easy isn't...true, isn't real. Now I understand what you meant when you said you couldn't understand how it was possible to be an empathetic, accepting person without being outraged on the behalf of differently-abled people. I didn't want to feel outraged, because it's so, so hard; it's true, if I were a differently-abled person, it would bug the fucking hell out of me that we don't have accessible transit. As an "abled" person, it still does, but it doesn't have to and that makes it worse. The idea that I can just ignore the suffering of other human beings makes it even worse, makes it even more imperative that I not do so. And yet that, in turn, scares

[anonymous]

But, and I guess this is a third quote, surprisingly liberating, as Bartky says in her last few lines. I was so afraid to come to this point, this point of accepting that I really do need to examine nearly everything about the way I relate to the world, and accepting that I'm going to have to change, and accepting that for a while or maybe forever I'm never really going to have a decisive moral stance on anything...but damn, do I feel a lot better of myself to finally accept this as necessary than running away from it in fear of how hard it's going to be. It's hard, but at least I begin to feel good about myself for stepping up to the plate

[anonymous]

Oh, I think the last also was that I wanted to pick up on this: ""Pragmatism" is one of the reasons marginalized people remain marginalized--because the people who have the power are "being pragmatic" and doing what benefits the majority. Doing what the majority has prioritized, which clearly is what benefits them with little regard to what might benefit other people who do not have their privilege."

...Damn. It is clear and yet I'd never really realized, never really thought about, how being pragmatic tends to mean doing fuck all for minorities because they can be steamrolled. Damn. I'm sorry. I don't know exactly to who or for what, but I am sorry that I never saw that until you said it in exactly that way.

[anonymous]

And, not that I really feel like I need to keep explaining myself after all this, except that I guess I do since I'm making this comment, what I meant when I said, "I'm not there yet, but that doesn't mean I'll never get there," I was referring to what I already described about trying to avoid critical self-examination. I was, I am, aware of my own complacency; it's thus really only a matter of time before I start to deal with and get rid of that complacency, because once you realize you are complacent you can't stay that way because complacency sucks. That's...what I meant. But I understand why you said what you said in response, in damn well doesn't seem like I ever do anything to get rid of that complacency...because I don't. I've been avoiding it