[lbo-talk] Check your privilege: Rise of the Post-New Left political vocabulary

JOANNA A. 123hop at comcast.net
Tue Feb 4 18:27:11 PST 2014


Michael Smith writes:

Chauvinism refers to beliefs and attitudes and habits -- not always conscious -- which one can actually do something about. One can change one's beliefs and behavior, at least up to a point. But what is one to do about one's 'privilege' -- apart from donning sackcloth and ashes whenever the subject comes up? ----------

The only case of privilege checking I heard of that made sense was related to some feminist march whose slogan was something like "Sluts and proud of it!"

Somebody pointed out that the black women marching would feel uncomfortable with that because it's one thing for white tony women to be proud of "sluttishness" and quite another for women who are assumed to be sluts to assume the same attitude.

That made sense to me.

I don't now if that fits under the privilege category because the political idiom is foreign to me. But, I'm just putting it out there.

Joanna



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