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S. Frances Bolton Department of Philosophy, CPR 107 phone: 813.974.2447 University of South Florida fax: 813.974.5914 4202 East Fowler Avenue fbolton at chuma.cas.usf.edu Tampa, FL 33605 ********************************************************************** "Those are my principles, and if you don't like them, I have others." -Groucho Marx
On Wed, 18 Nov 1998, Charles Brown wrote:
>
> Charles: Au contraire , ma soeur, to me
> the number one liberation struggle for
> today is women's liberation. When I go
> on the talk radio, I go on as a Black
> feminist mainly. Most of my work today
> is as a Black feminist. My main
OK, let me get this straight. If I am not of native american ancestery, I cannot understand the importance or validity of indigenous struggle, and cannot question the work of those engaged in that struggle.
Yet, at the same time, you, unless your name and persona are highly misleading, are a straight man. You pointed out that this is a racist white society. it is also a patriarchal, misogynist society, and you, Charles, like it or not, are part of the oppressor class. Yet somehow, simply because you've read and are a personal acquaintance of Angela Davis (fallacy: appeal to authority) that gives you the right to call yourself a Black feminist. I've read Ward Churchill and Annette Jaimes, is that enough for me to call myself Native American? Oh, I thought not. To take on the identities of others is a male game. Oh, please. This claim of Black feminism is the moost highly absurd thing I've read since...well, since the post in which you accused me of being an arrogant racist. Is it not arrogant for you to presume to understand women's oppression? And I found it unspeakably patronizing for you to refer to Snitgrrl as "Ma soeur." Check the beam in your own eye, before looking at the splinter in the eyes of others.
Hypocrisy, thy name is Charles Brown.
frances