My New Boyfriend
...not really. And with my luck, he's probably gay.
But I like his podcast!
"Institutions and people that benefit from an unjust status quo are going to act in ways that perpetuate that status quo. ...It happens every day, a hundred different ways, right in front of us in broad daylight."
I've been reading about various kinds of privilege - class, money, colour, etc. My American friends have opened my eyes to a lot of things I wasn't aware of (yes, heron_pose, I'm looking at you) and that line above (from this podcast) stunned me. And I - I benefit from an unjust status quo. Getting out of my car today (and every day), I am constantly approached by little kids who beg from me, and sometimes I give to them and sometimes I don't, and I know there are professionals who kidnap children, babies and toddlers, and sometimes mutilate them and sometimes not, and put them to work begging. And people so poor I can't even begin to describe it. And I benefit from this unjust status quo - I mean, yeah, I pay taxes, but those get stolen by the government, and everyone does (pay taxes, I mean) so that doesn't count - and I just barely get by financially, because I have expensive tastes and will insist on thinking I'm a jet-setter and go visit my pal on the West Coast over New Year and then spend the next two years paying off the debt from that. (And don't even get me started on my responsibilities to the rest of the world - I'm not even giving enough of my time and energy to start a feminist blog, like this one (the link is on a great piece about the realities of virulent trolls.) I mean, yeah, I help a couple of pals until they can get back on their financial feet, but the only reason I *can* is because I benefit from an unjust system. I don't even know anymore. It's too deep-rooted - poverty, I mean - and too far-reaching and every time I buy something expensive (hello, smoked salmon and caviare) I'm contributing to this imbalance, and yet am too weak-willed to stop it, and I'm too selfish to give to charitable organizations--gaahhhh.
Possibly more to come on entitled-ness and privilege and so on, which I'm learning about these days, soon...
In other news, my antidepressants are due tomorrow so we shall see what we shall see...
But I like his podcast!
"Institutions and people that benefit from an unjust status quo are going to act in ways that perpetuate that status quo. ...It happens every day, a hundred different ways, right in front of us in broad daylight."
I've been reading about various kinds of privilege - class, money, colour, etc. My American friends have opened my eyes to a lot of things I wasn't aware of (yes, heron_pose, I'm looking at you) and that line above (from this podcast) stunned me. And I - I benefit from an unjust status quo. Getting out of my car today (and every day), I am constantly approached by little kids who beg from me, and sometimes I give to them and sometimes I don't, and I know there are professionals who kidnap children, babies and toddlers, and sometimes mutilate them and sometimes not, and put them to work begging. And people so poor I can't even begin to describe it. And I benefit from this unjust status quo - I mean, yeah, I pay taxes, but those get stolen by the government, and everyone does (pay taxes, I mean) so that doesn't count - and I just barely get by financially, because I have expensive tastes and will insist on thinking I'm a jet-setter and go visit my pal on the West Coast over New Year and then spend the next two years paying off the debt from that. (And don't even get me started on my responsibilities to the rest of the world - I'm not even giving enough of my time and energy to start a feminist blog, like this one (the link is on a great piece about the realities of virulent trolls.) I mean, yeah, I help a couple of pals until they can get back on their financial feet, but the only reason I *can* is because I benefit from an unjust system. I don't even know anymore. It's too deep-rooted - poverty, I mean - and too far-reaching and every time I buy something expensive (hello, smoked salmon and caviare) I'm contributing to this imbalance, and yet am too weak-willed to stop it, and I'm too selfish to give to charitable organizations--gaahhhh.
Possibly more to come on entitled-ness and privilege and so on, which I'm learning about these days, soon...
In other news, my antidepressants are due tomorrow so we shall see what we shall see...