(Untitled)

[scaleness]

"My feminism will be intersectional or it will be bullshit". I wholeheartedly agree with that statement. But what does it mean to be intersectional? Of course I can't give the definitive answer; intersectionality isn't a static thing, but one name for a process, an ongoing work to address multiple axes of oppression. But I can say something about

Comments

[_wastrel]

I don't want it at the expense of someone else. And that includes the rapist and the basher.

I... don't think that you and I are going to be able to talk about this issue in particular. :/ I was looking forward to catching up, but... is it unfair for me to try to get across that I'm going to need an indeterminate amount of time away for now?

[_wastrel]

I'm genuinely not trying to be rude... This post isn't without its merits, I can tell that you put a lot of thought into writing it and it's true that there are no easy solutions. It's just that this is a very difficult subject for me for personal reasons which make it a triggering issue. I'm not trying to be hurtful, I just kind of need a time-out to gain a buffer of distance and perspective, does that make sense? :/

[scaleness]

Yes, it does. Thank you for pointing this out to me, and for clarifying how you felt; I'm not offended by it. There's a time and place for argument and for us, this isn't it.

After your post about vegetarianism upset me I took some time and thought about the place from which it was written, and while I still disagreed with a lot of things it was useful to carefully think that through. So I understand why you might need at least as much distance from me while the issue is raw. I'm not happy that I triggered you, and if you want to haul off at me, you can; otherwise, it wouldn't hurt to table this and work on it some other time.

[_wastrel]

Still in putting this off mode, whatever you might think of me for it... Regardless of what happens, I do appreciate the understanding you've shown so far, just so you know.

[silveradept]

I'm having some trouble figuring out how to begin a response, mostly because I'm not sure whether we're working in a world where some people are inclined to do violence, grab power, and otherwise be selfish, and that only the fear of something bigger keeps them in check, where religion and other large social institutions will continue to trade in fear of an Other to advance their own interests, and public information campaigns are not helpful, but the experience of knowing someone in a marginalized group is. The monopoly of force becomes integral in at least some of those situations.

[scaleness]

and public information campaigns are not helpful, but the experience of knowing someone in a marginalized group is.That may be the case. But not every marginalized group will be in a single person's monkeysphere

[silveradept]

Fair points. I agree that working on why crime becomes attractive is a good place to focus effort and that prison as it is now is not effective at the goal of stopping crime.

I think that many of the success stories of public information work when they talk about the negative consequences of doing an action, like smoking or unprotected sex or drink driving. For positive consequences, like marriage equality, it seems like the effective way of changing minds has been to have someone in your monkeysphere who is affected by the unjust, bringing greater urgency to make things just.