Quote:
Originally Posted by Adder
Your identity - as a cis, straight white man - prevents others from living their lives the way they want to live them. Your presence, and the advantages you enjoy, causes others around you to have to adjust their behavior. Whether that's a person of color who knows they need to treat you with deference or a woman who does not know whether you will do her harm or a gay couple who does not know whether their existence will cause anger and violence from you. Because your (our) station in life means that we can and do act without fear of consequences others face, our existents prevents other from "liv[ing] as [they] feel like living."
And that's not even getting into structural advantages and disadvantages.
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This is cask strength crazy.
Let's unpack this:
Your identity - as a cis, straight white man - prevents others from living their lives the way they want to live them.
I am an individual. I am not the entirety of white males. And I am not responsible for the behavior of anybody but myself. I do not care what anybody does, at all. Above all other virtues, I adhere most to live and let live. Judge no one for anything, lest ye be judged. And I fucking hate being judged, so I follow this rule absolutely.
Your presence, and the advantages you enjoy, causes others around you to have to adjust their behavior.
Yes, I've noticed all minorities part the room open for me when I enter. They all stand down. And the ladies all bow their heads.
Whether that's a person of color who knows they need to treat you with deference or a woman who does not know whether you will do her harm or a gay couple who does not know whether their existence will cause anger and violence from you.
Anyone silly enough to fear me because I'm a white male is wrongfully stereotyping me. I'm me. I'm not my skin color or sex. I'm not defined as part of a group. I'm nothing more than exactly the man sitting here, typing this. A person who is actually polite to a fault and respectful and tolerant of everyone he sees. If you fear me (this causes significant chuckling), that's on you, not me.
Anyone thinking that is as wrongheaded as a person fearing black kids walking behind him on the street simply because they are black. That person has the problem.
Because your (our) station in life means that we can and do act without fear of consequences others face, our existents prevents other from "liv[ing] as [they] feel like living."
That's half true. I don't worry about being pulled over as a black person is compelled to worry. That's a structural prejudice. But I derive no benefit from that. What is occurring there is a black person is being preyed upon by law enforcement. That has nothing to do with me, and everything to do with law enforcement acting in a predatory fashion. You're seeing a zero sum game, where I get advantage at cost to minorities. That is not the case.
