From: ciaran@county.lmt.mn.org (Ciaran Benson)
Subject: Re: Who cares
Reply-To: ciaran@county.lmt.mn.org (Ciaran Benson)
Organization: LaserMaster Technologies, Minneapolis, MN
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 92 19:36:46 GMT

Todd Hoff writes:
 
> Here's a list of things I didn't do, don't support, yet still get blamed for 
> because of my race and gender:

  Well, Todd, you certainly haven't done any of those things to me, and I
try to not assume that someone's going to do those things to me until I've had
a chance to "feel them out".

  They do, still, go on and just because you haven't done it doesn't mean that
its unreasonable or unhealthy to HATE PATRIARCHY IN GENERAL because of
the problems that our society's trying to overcome.

  Not being a member of the patriarchy doesn't give any of us an out.

  I used to get beat up alot because I wasn't "white enough".  Just about the time
I'd decided I hated whites in general, I started getting beat up because I  wasn't
"red enough".  Hmmm ... so now which group to hate?

  Well, obviously (for me), the people who were beating me up, and (in specific),
the attitudes which supported their reasons for beating me up.

  I hate the infrastructure of prejudices which support the belief that skin color
is really important and sould decide what you can or can't be.  I'm angry at the
people who personally embrace that infrastructure.  I'm frustrated with people
who refuse to counter the infrastructure.  I'm astonished and hurt that there are
also people who refuse to acknowledge the existance of the  infrastructure of
prejudice and its effect on all of our lives.

  Maybe "infrastructure of prejudices" is a bad descriptor -- hopefully everyone gets
my point.

  So I'm walking down the street and I see a pop can on the side of the road.
I didn't throw it there.  I don't throw cans on the sides of roads.  I rarely
buy pop.

  But I still see that the can is there and that it has to be dealt with and that even
though I was not directly a part of the problem I AM directly a part of the solution.

  I can take it when someone flames me on the net for not taking the time to 
*really learn* American Indian traditions (even though I'm part Chippewa and
grew up next door to Reserve, Wi) because they are making a valid point.  Too
often people just grab something and make it theirs without understanding the
context of it, the tradition of it, the relationship it has to your entire existance.  Just
because they are ralling against an entire group of people to which I belong (and, in
this case, accusing me specifically), I can look beyond my personal defense and see
the truth in what they are saying.

  Being sensitive to the existance of a problem is essential to being able to
resolve the problem.  Part of that sensitivity is listening to people when they describe
their perception of the problem and questioning your own behaviour in the light
of that person's experience.

  Heal the Earth one step at a time.  Start with the can of pop on the side of the
road and move on to the sexist joke your co-worker told.  Call up a TV station and
let them know that, even though it might be funny sometimes, the sexual
harrasment of "Markie Post" by "Dan Fielding" on "Night Court" re-runs just
perpetuates and supports that kind of behaviour.

  And maybe try listening with compassion sometimes when people have had so
much of it that they just need to scream.  Even if it's at you.

   Blessed be,  Ciaran Benson.