> >i'm talking about something called structural gender oppression.
>
>No, you're talking about an individual. And effectively fixing to nail an
>individual to the wall with a blunt lump of *social* theory. Which
>wouldn't impress careful readers, but might inappropriately affect
>people's estimations of said individual.
rubbish. have you not read habermas on feminist consciousness raising as an exemplar of his theoretical perspetive?
if someone calls me racist, sexist, ablist, homophobic, heterosexist what does it hurt other than my leftist pride? if the person who points it out hasn't done so, i'll ask for evidence as to how i am. and i probably will debate it. eventually, i will be persuaded or not. contrary to some on this list, i've been--plenty of times--shown how my comment was racist or sexist or whatever. i've sure learned plenty from marta when she's spoken up. carrol. yoshie. angela. ken. art. kmart, a fellah on this list who i end up readin on another list. mina. i've felt the sting of recognition even when the comments weren't directed at me. still, i've listened to their arguments about why a practice is a form of oppression and i've been persuaded by the argument. but this process doesn't destroy my sense of self, my identity. in fact, it makes my self so much better! i grow. i learn. i get outside of my privilege. think: spivak: unlearning one's privilege as one's loss. i don't take it so personally that i feel besmirched and shamed by it. nor should you. that's because i know we all create and recreate these oppressions every day. we can't see it without one another's help.
it should shame no one to deal with these issues. why should it? you lose nothing other than a dream of deliverance from being bound by the same ideological structures as everyone else.
kelley