From: klotz@lclark.edu (Gretchen Klotz)
Subject: Oppression is Oppression is Oppression...
Summary: A little plain talk for y'all
Organization: Lewis & Clark College, Portland OR
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1992 15:47:29 GMT

Greetings -

I'm not going to try to summarize and categorize all the articles (204!)
that I've read tonight in the sexism thread.  I am going to jump in - sort
of.  I'd like to share some quotes from a wonderful (IMHO) booklet called
_Cultural_Etiquette_ by Amoja Three Rivers (copyright 1990, 1991).  While
the book focusses specifically on racism and anti-Semitism, I think that
the general perspectives can be applied to sexism, homophobia, ableism,
etc.  Make the leap by adding or substituting the appropriate vocabulary. 
I've selected excerpts that I think are particularly relevant to the
sexism thread, and ones which might interest this newsgroup in general. 
This posting is primarily for *all* those who have been participating so
far, no matter what your perspective.  It is long.  If you feel compelled
to followup, I ask 2 things: first, chill out - wait 24 hours (reading all
these articles in one sitting has made me weary of burn marks); and
second, EDIT IT!  Don't include the whole article to make a few points. 
People who have read it carefully will remember it in general, and others
will have pressed n already. 

This posting and the booklet itself are not intended as an attack on
anyone.  I hope it will be received as a bracing breath of fresh air (even
though the theme may be familiar) by everyone.  If you feel guilty while
you are reading, keep going.  Amoja Three Rivers has some things to say
about guilt.  I also don't want to give the impression that I have racism
or sexism (or any of the other isms) all figured out; I don't.  I'm every
bit as human as each of you reading this post, which means I will be
grappling with all these issues for the rest of my life, some from the
side of the oppressor, most from the side of the oppressed.  It's tiring
even when I'm invested by virtue of membership in various oppressed groups.

Some of the things Amoja Three Rivers says may make you feel
uncomfortable.  Discomfort is a sign that something is wrong, in this case
probably internally.  Make it through to the end and see what she has to
say about this discomfort.  I have included the Introduction, Taking
Action, and the Epilogue in their entirety. 

If you like her no-nonsense tone, I urge you to buy a copy for yourself. 
There is much I have left out in this article.  The booklet costs $5 + $1
shipping for one copy.  Email me if you want pricing info on multiple
copies, or write Amoja directly: Market Wimmin, Box 28, Indian Valley, VA
24105. 

So sit back, take a deep breath, and open your heart.  Blessed Be.

- Gretchen

Everything that follows is excerpted verbatim from the booklet without
permission.  Page numbers are indicated in parens at the end of each
quote.  Typos are my own.  I've occasionally created context within
[brackets].  Paragraphs that are kept together follow sequentially in the
book.  All "..." are implied between separated paragraphs.  I'm not going to
bother with quotation marks, since this is my last original sentence!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I. Introduction
---------------
	Racism and the racial stereotypes it spawns are so subtly
interwoven into the fabric of Western society that very often, even those
with the best of intentions will display bad cultural manners.  This does
not necessarily mean one is a bad person.  Sometimes people just don't
know any better.  This guide is to help people avoid some of the obvious
pitfalls of unwitting racism and anti-Semitism.  This does not try to talk
anyone out of being racist or anti-Semitic.  Rather it seeks to help those
with good and righteous intentions to refine behavior and attitudes bred
in cultural ignorance. 
	Cultural Etiquette is intended for people of all "races",
nationalities and creeds, not necessarily just "white" people, because no
one living in Western society is exempt from the influences of racism,
racial stereotypes, race and cultural prejudices and anti-Semitism.  I
include anti-Semitisms in the discussion of racism because it is simply
another manifestation of cultural and racial bigotry.
	There are many millions of people of color and Jewish people in
the world and this guide cannot possibly hope to represent the opinions of
each and every one.  Its advice and recommendations have come from
observations and from the life experience of the author, who has been a
woman of color all her life and expects to remain so, and from interviews
with a small but representative group of women of color and Jewish women,
all of who are experts on their own oppression.  (1)


III. What is Ethnocentrism, and What Should I Take for It?
----------------------------------------------------------
	All people are people.  It is ethnocentric to use a generic term
such as "people" to refer only to white people and then racially label
everyone else.  This creates and reinforces the assumption that whites are
the norm, the real people, and that all others are aberrations, and
somehow a bit less than truly human.  It is seeing white people as the
center and everyone else as variations on the theme.  (4)

	While it is true that most citizens of the U.S.A. are white, at
least 4/5 of the world's population consists of people of color. 
Therefore, it is statistically incorrect as well as ethnocentric to refer
to us as minorities.  The term "minority" is used to reinforce the idea of
people of color as "other."  (4)

Religion
	Monotheism is not more "advanced" than polytheism.  It is simply
another kind of spirituality, and both ahve equal validity.  The notion of
"one true god, one true faith" is often used to invalidate the ancient and
complex religious traditions of millions of people.
	"Fetish" is a term that means object of spiritual veneration, but
in Western society, it is mainly applied to the religious items of people
of color in an effort to diminish their depth and importance.  One never
hears a crucifix referred to as a fetish, even though it basically serves
the same purpose as an Acuaba or even the ancient Asherah.
	A cult is a particular system of religious worship.  If the
religious practices of the Yorubas constitute a cult, then so do those of
the Methodists, Catholics, and Episcopalians, etc.
	The very concept of missionaries presupposes a right vs. wrong
scenario: right being Christian, and wrong being any other traditional
spirituality.  It's perfectly fine to embrace whatever religious faith
that inspires you but it is the height of ethnocentric arrogance to assume
that your religion is superior to anyone else's and to try to force it
upon them.  (5-6)


IV. For Your Information
------------------------
	Judaism is no more patriarchal than any other patriarchal
religion.  (7)

	Koreans are not taking over.  Neither are Jews.  Neither are the
Japanese.  Neither are West Indians.  These are myths put out and
maintained by the ones who really have.  It is a conscious and
time-honored tactic for the white, straight gentile males at the top to
create situations in which the rest of us are encouraged to blame each
other for our respective oppressions.  Don't fall for it.  (7)

	Native Americans and Native American cultures are alive and
thriving, thank you.  In fact, you are on our land.  (8)

	No person of color can be a racist as long as white people
maintain power.  This is because racism is "power over."  A person of
color may have race prejudice, but until most of Congress, state,
provincial and local governments, the Pentagon, the FBI, CIA, all major
industries, the Stock Exchange, Fortune 500 members, the educational
system, health care system, the International Monetary Fund, the armed
forces and the police force are all operated and controlled by people of
color and their cultural values, we do not have the kind of power that it
takes to be racist toward anyone.
	Similarly "reverse racism" within the context of present society,
is a contradiction in terms.  (8-9)

	Middle Eastern women are not necessarily any more oppressed than
any other women living under a patriarchy.  (9)

	The media images we see of poor, miserable, starving, disease-
ridden "third world" people of color are distorted and misleading. 
Nowhere among the tearful appeals for aid do they discuss the conditions
that created and continue to create such hopeless poverty.  In point of
fact, these countries, even after they threw off the stranglehold of
colonialism, have been subjected to a constant barrage of resource
plundering, political meddling and brutal economic manipulation by
European and American interests.  Most non-Western countries could
function quite adequately and feed themselves quite well if they were
permitted political and economic self-determination.  (9-10)

	People do not have a hard time because of their race or cultural
background.  No one is attacked, abused, oppressed, pogromed upon or
enslaved because of their race, creed or cultural background.  People are
attacked, abused, oppressed, pogromed upon or enslaved because of racism
and anti-Semitism!  There is a subtle but important difference in the
focus here.  The first implies some inherent fault or shortcoming within
the oppressed person or group.  The second redirects the responsibility
back to the real source of the problem.  (10)

	It is repugnant to people of color for whites to romanticize our
oppression and exploitation, such as in the case of
	--Asian women's so-called passivity
	--the domestic exploitation of people of color within white homes
	--"vanishing" Native American cultures
	--anybody's poverty
	--anybody's pain (11)


VI. Just Don't Do This, Okay?
-----------------------------
	Do not use a Jewish person or person of color to hear your
confession of past racist transgressions.  If you have offended a
particular person, then apologize to that person.  But don't (please
don't) just pick some person of color or Jewish person at random, or who
is unrelated to the incident, to confess to and beg forgiveness from. 
Find a priest or a therapist.
	Also don't assume that Jews and people of color necessarily want
to hear about how prejudiced your Uncle Fred is, no matter how terrible
you think he is.  It is often painful for us to listen to this type of
thing.  And why do you want us to join you in putting down your disgusting
Uncle?  Educate him yourself if he is not beyond help.  Describing his
bigotry to us does no one any good.  (15)

	If you are white and/or gentile, do not assume that the next
Jewish person or person of color you see will feel like discussing this
guide with you.  Sometimes we get tired of teaching this subject.  (16)


VII. Seeing Red
---------------
	Many non-Indians profess love and respect for our "nobleness". 
But almost worse than the insults is the insensitivity of those who care
more about their fantasies of who they want Native Americans to be than
they care about the real needs and wishes of living, breathing Native
Americans.  (20)

	[Referring to the fraudulent, forceful dislocation of all Native
Americans] Who is working to right these moral wrongs?  Who is returning
these stolen properties to their rightful "owners"?  (20)


VIII. Contemplations
--------------------
	Do you have friends or acquaintances who are really terrific
except they're really racist?  If you quietly accept that part of them,
you are giving their racism tacit approval.  (21)

	As an exercise, pretend you are from another planet and you want
examples of typical human beings for your photo album.  Having never heard
of racism, you'd probably pick someone who represents the majority of
people on this planet--an Asian woman.  (21)

	People of color and Jewish people have been so all their lives. 
Further, if we have been raised in a place where white gentiles
predominate, then we have been subjected to racism/anti-Semitisms all of
our lives.  We are therefore experts on our own lives and conditions.  If
you do not understand or believe or agree with what someone is saying about
their own oppression, do not automatically assume that they are wrong or
paranoid or over-sensitive.  Racism and anti-Semitism can be blatant and
crude, but it can also be so cunning or insidious that it is often hard to
pin down.  It can be as subtle as body language, a look or a vibe. 
Oppressed people survive by learning to trust their instincts.  The
well-meaning, (relatively) non-oppressed should follow our lead.  (22)

	It is not "racism in reverse" or "segregation" for Jews or people
of color to come together in affinity groups for mutual support. 
Sometimes we need some time and space apart from the dominant group just
to relax and be ourselves.  It's like family time.  Most of the U.S.A. is
white and gentile with white, gentile rules and values prevailing. 
Sometimes we need to be in control of our own space, time and values, to
shape our own reality on our own turf.  Sometimes we need to be alone to
commiserate with each other about racism and anti-Semitism, and to
formulate plans and strategies for dealing with it.  Sometimes we need
time and space to explore who we are, free from outsider definitions,
influences and ethnocentric imagery.  Sometimes we just need an
environment that is totally free from even the possibility of racism and
anti-Semitism.  So when you see: "Asian Women Only", "Jewish Caucus",
"Womyn of Color Tent", "Middle Eastern Discussion Group", "Native American
Conference", "Open to Latinas", please know that we are not being against
anybody by being for ourselves.
	If people coming together for group support makes you feel
excluded, perhaps there's something missing in your own life or cultural
connections.  (22-23)

	Now it is perfectly natural for human beings to share and blend
cultures, but let us face a hard reality: 20th century white society is
culturally addicted to exploitation.  Cultivate an awareness of your own
personal motivations.  Do not simply take and consume.  If you are white
and you find yourself drawn to Native American spirituality, Middle
Eastern religion, African drumming, Asian philosophies, or Latin rhythms,
make an effort to maintain some kind of balance.  Don't just learn the fun
and exciting things about us and then go home to your safe, isolated,
white, privileged life.  Learn about the history of the people whose
culture you're dabbling in.  Learn how our history relates to your own,
how your privilege connects and contributes to our oppression and
exploitation.  And most importantly, make it a fair exchange--give
something back.  (24)

	Sometimes white people who are drawn to other people's cultures
are hungry for a way of life with more depth and meaning than what we find
in 20th century Western society.  Don't forget that every white person
alive today is also descended from tribal peoples.  If you are white,
don't neglect your own ancient traditions.  They are as valid as anybody
else's, and the ways of your own ancestors need to be honored, remembered
and carried on into the future.  (24)

	Racism requires attention and energy on the part of the oppressor
to keep it in place, therefore oppressors are frequently too busy applying
racism to attend to matters affecting their own spiritual and cultural
well-being and survival.
	The successful marketing of racism and other isms is greatly
facilitated by early programming for extremely sloppy thinking that passes
under the guise of "education."
	Anyone who functions in what is referred to as the "civilized"
world is a carrier of the disease of racism.  (25)


IX. Taking Action
-----------------
	So now that you have acquired all these manners, what do you do
with them?
	Develop a private pride in the depth of one's intellect.
		--by non-institutional self-education
		--by making a regular practice of learning about things
		  that don't seem to have direct bearing on your day-to-
		  day life.
	Develop purity of heart.  If you can't clearly and openly express
	what you're thinking, question the validity of what you're thinking. 
	Collect and experiment with all available tools and techniques for
	gaining insight.
	Practice the ones that are the most challenging, for they carry the
	greatest and deepest rewards.
	Seek tools and techniques for gaining insight that are not readily
	available.  Practice the ones that are the most challenging for
	the greatest benefits.
	Examine what you regard as your own culture as if you were a
	complete stranger to it.  If this proves difficult, find a few
	people who do not share your values.  Ask them to describe your
	culture to you.  Keep quiet and pay attention.  Privately imagine
	yourself to be someone who considers herself different from you.
	Spend a day seeing the world as they do. 
	Assume that other people know more about their own lives and
	cultures than you do.
	(From Blanche Jackson's Anti-Racism: The 7-Step Program)
Be an active ally to all oppressed people.  Take the initiative in
intercepting oppression.
Do not let anyone be racist or anti-Semitic or racially prejudiced in your
face.
Have the courage and commitment to lovingly confront even your friends and
your employers when they are offensive.
Write letters to the editor.
Support farmworkers by boycotting produce from offending companies.
Do outreach.
Stand up for what you know is right.
Seek out or start anti-racism groups in your community.
Read books by and about people of color and Jewish people.
Treasure your own heart and good intentions.
Don't expect anti-racism work to always be easy.
Don't be afraid of pain and discomfort.
And don't be afraid to grow.  (26-27)


X. Epilogue
-----------
	Does reading this guide make you uncomfortable?  Angry?  Confused?
 Are you taking it personally?  Well, not to fret.  Racism has created a
big horrible mess, and racial healing can sometimes be painful.  Just
remember that Jews and people of color do not want or need anybody's
guilt.  We just want people to accept responsibility when it is
appropriate, and actively work for change.
	Above all, keep this in your mind and in your heart: We are all
children of the Great Spirit.  As spiritual and physical beings we are the
manifestations of the Goddess's effort to know Herself.  We are separate
and different, yet we come from the same mother, spiritually and
biologically, and share the same wonderful life source.  Our ultimate
challenge and our ultimate goal is to love and nurture one another and all
things in creation.  Peace and love to all the children of the Earth.  (28)
-- 
Gretchen Klotz					       Computing Services 
klotz@lclark.edu				    Lewis & Clark College