Thread:User talk:WaitingforGodot/Radfem/reply (11)

All right, let me try to organize my thoughts. I've seen privilege in play everywhere and know firsthand what it's like to be on the receiving end. My hesitancy comes not from questioning its existence but questioning the way a lot of radical feminists have applied it. A common "radfem escape hatch" is "of course I'm right, you don't get it because of your [internalized] privilege," and then they insist that it's impossible to overcome privilege to be more enlightened. In effect, this becomes the ultimate argument: it's impossible for anyone to disagree with them, because there is an insurmountable mental obstacle in anyone who does so in good faith.

To be clear, this argument is correct in many cases, probably the vast majority of them. However, it does little for the movement, especially because women ourselves exercise privilege based on race, assigned gender, etc. For years white women withheld feminism from black women and Chinese and assorted immigrants. For years cis women (have) withheld feminism from trans women. when you see the majority assume they know how to analyze the lives of the minority that's privileged I agree completely, and I'm not entirely sure where my criticism is coming from now. My head has been especially jumbled of late. I'm sorry for wasting your time. :(