Comments on: White Women and Self-Obsession

By: Fop

Fop — Sun, 04 May 2008 19:37:16 +0000

You should really read Looking White People in the Eye by Sherene Razack, if you haven’t already. might add another layer of complexity to your thoughts. Or not. You might, conceivably, think it’s utter nonsense, Either way, it is worth reading.

By: allecto

allecto — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 02:14:08 +0000

Hi Eich and welcome to my blog. Thanks heaps for your support. As a multiracial woman I know that often these divisions of colour seem pretty overwhelming. I often feel as though I have no right to comment on issues of race, even when they directly affect me. I have been called racist in the past by women of colour when I speak on issue of race. But I think that it would be even worse for me to refuse to speak of racism, out of fear of being attacked.

By: Eich

Eich — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 23:59:04 +0000

As a woman of color, I agree.

By: allecto

allecto — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 07:10:29 +0000

Hi again, Lara. I have strong faith in sisterhood. I was angry when I wrote this. What I meant was that this is not what sisterhood should be about. I will continue to work with sisters from all walks of life, I just needed to vent. I also think that woman-hating is so strong in our cultures that these kinds of splits and denying of women’s realities are going to continue to occur. I think that when they do occur we need to call women out on the issue and hopefully as we learn more and grow, we will have less of these issues. But I think the key is that we can not blame individual women, we have to blame the system that makes women hate each other and mistrust each other. But as for myself, I’m not going to stop believing in sisterhood. No other form of ’solidarity’ has given me as much as sisterhood has.

By: Lara

Lara — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 05:46:03 +0000

Just for the sake of discussion, what’s the alternative to sisterhood?

By: Maggie Hays

Maggie Hays — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 01:34:04 +0000

Yeah, I understand your anger, Allecto. I also agree this is well-written.

However, like Debs, I don’t feel very qualified to comment much on it.

I don’t know much what to say apart from the facts that (1) I know that, living in a white supremacist society, women of color have so much more to say about oppression and their own perspectives on race, and (2) I’m not at all interested in a sisterhood which involves itself in denying the lived realities of other women either (especially considering the fact that some women are doubly oppressed).

By: womensspace

womensspace — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 20:57:57 +0000

xxxooo

By: allecto

allecto — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:25:14 +0000

Thanks for the support sisters. As you can probably tell this situation has made me pretty angry.

It seemed so detached and almost like a game to them.

This is how it feels to me too.

Their guilt is meant to exhonerate them for doing nothing.

I totally agree.

By: Dissenter

Dissenter — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 22:29:22 +0000

Yes, that guilt as an excuse for inaction is an old trick. I’ve met so many white female academics and writers (as you know) who go and give their papers in exclusive white, academic settings and go on and on for twenty minutes about their ‘guilt’ and their ‘priviledge’ and write self-indulgent novels about some obscure incident that happened years and years ago where they or their family did wrong by Indigenous people, and how bad they feel about it now, and you’re just like, so what? How on earth does all this self-indulgent guilt actually help Indigenous people? Of course it doesn’t, nor is it meant to. Their guilt is meant to exhonerate them for doing nothing.

By: rmott62

rmott62 — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 21:56:17 +0000

That is so brilliant – you are such a star!
I think those women use “guilt” as a weapon, whilst hiding behind “I am doing my best”. When they speak of guilt of being white, they are speaking over women who have lived experiences. After all, although they may deny this they feel entitle to speak for others.
I anm sickened at “feminists” who attack Heart, or try to explain to her why she is wrong and they are right.
It seemed so detached and almost like a game to them.
I know, from speaking with “feminists” about my experiences how they want women to be in neat boxes. When you do not fit their view of a “victim” or a “cause”, they will either tell why you are unimportant, wrong-headed or just “educate” you better.
Many women’s lived experiences don’t fit in their academic views, and may be messy or do not act the “victim” These women get confused. Then the “guilt button” is switch on.
It so easy to silenced women, by shouting over them. Guilt is self-indulgent and a bit of a luxury.
It also paralyses movement, for all that matters is arguing the toss, rather doing something practical.