“Though systematic change takes many decades, there are pressing questions for me and I imagine for some others like me if we raise our daily consciousness on the perquisites of being light-skinned. What will we do with such knowledge? As we know from watching men, it is an open question whether we will choose to use unearned advantage to weaken invisible privilege systems and whether we will use any of our arbitrarily awarded power to try to reconstruct power systems on a broader base.”
“Only rarely will a man go beyond acknowledging that women are disadvantaged to acknowledging that men have unearned advantage, or that unearned privilege has not been good for men’s development, or that privilege systems might ever be challenged and changed.”
“Those men who do grant that male privilege takes institutionalized and embedded forms are still likely to deny that male hegemony has opened doors for them personally.”
“They may say they will work to improve women’s status, in the socity or in the university, but they can’t or won’t support the idea of lessening men’s.”
“Through Women’s Studies work I have met very few men who are truly distressed about systemic, unearned male advantage and conferred dominance.”
“I was taught to think that racism could end if white individuals changed their attitudes; many men think sexism can be ended by individual changes in daily behavior toward women. But a man’s sex provides advantage for him whether or not he approves of the way in which dominance has been conferred on his group.”
Peggy McIntosh, White Privilege and Male Privilege
It's not enough to recognize it. One needs to actively do something about it. So unless you are doing this, you are part of the problem and part of the structure.
If you were going to write a book, what would you write about?
I would write about how viewing religions as divine languages can be helpful for people without developed spiritual frameworks. It would be an attempt to show people that it is okay to speak multiple religious languages while maintaining their unique perspective of not having a native religious language.
Why do we use our beliefs to excuse bad behavior instead of as inspiration to do better?
Not all people make this choice. For those that do, I believe it has a lot to do with fear of what is within their own being. Rather than look inward and take responsibility for what they have done, many instead look for an external scapegoat to avoid responsibility for their actions. While there are certain environmental and external factors that contribute to scapegoating, it is ultimately one's own decision in succumbing to bad behavior and then deflecting responsibility externally. The belief system is inconsequential because it is just a guise to cover up responsibility.
What do your Vox tags say about you? (Add tags to the end of your Vox blog address, and have a look.)
Submitted by Jack Yan.
- I like to answer the QOTD and the gone but not forgotten Vox Hunt.
- Religion is important to me, especially Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam.
- I like book reviews.
- I write a fair number of posts that I tag personal.
What is the best purchase you've ever made?
I would say all of the education I have purchased (and still paying for) so far in my life would qualify as the best purchase I have ever made. Not only does this include my current enrollment, but this also includes four years of undergraduate study and three false starts at other institutions.
If you woke up one morning and realized you were all-powerful, what is the first thing you would do?
Submitted by loveless.
Every morning that I wake up, I realize that I am all-powerful.
This power is not the ability to do anything I can imagine, like commanding my
physical body fly to the moon and it actually happening. Rather, this power is
knowledge—of the surrounding world and of my being. This knowledge power can be
applied in many different ways. •
In any given
situation, I have a number of choices and viewpoints to consider and I am free
to make whatever choice I desire. •
I can choose to not
have regret about the past and worry about the future. I am free to live here
and now, where life can be fully enjoyed. •
I can be in balance
in terms of the emotional and logical continuum. Emotions do not run my life,
and I am not paralyzed by logic. •
Negative situations
can be turned into positive learning experiences when I change how I think and
see them. The power gained from knowledge helps make me a free being. No
longer am helpless in situations (often created in part by me). I know what to
choose and if I do not know, I can find out. For me, this power is cultivated in meditation, prayer,
and study. These three help me see and become awake in the present reality.
I'm having a hard time with this whole Patrick Swayze thing. I forgot he was a singer.
What is your dream job? Do you think you’ll ever have it?
Sponsored by Monster.
I know I am on the right path (holistic medicine) when I open my textbooks and see all of the writers and thinkers I read on a regular basis.
What was your biggest fear about becoming an adult?
This pile of books is the result of changing my mind and following a different course of action. Last year at this time, I was entering seminary to study church history. I thought this was the proper course of action and yet once I was into the program, nothing was clicking. What happened was that I failed to allow myself time to let the right path unveil itself. Instead, I forced the issue and tried to make something work that was not going to work (square peg into a round hole syndrome). My philosophy, theology, and spirituality simply did not mesh with obtaining a Master's Degree in a strictly Christian environment.
So rather than continue to force the issue, I abruptly abandoned my seminary education. I did not know what I was going to do or where I was going. However, I gave myself permission and freed myself from my own self-built problem.
Now I am on the cusp of beginning again. I am starting a program that is truly the right fit and am working with the flow rather than against it. I have finally found my vocation.
Recent Comments
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arulba said:
I totally forgot he was a singer, too! My dad died of pancreatic cancer. It's rough stuff! read more
on Gone But Not Forgotten -
Crush-Monkey said:
[this is good]This is one of my all time favorite movies!!!Great line from that movie too, luckily not true for all !... read more
on QotD: The Scary Thing about Being a Grown-Up... -
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I do think using our beliefs as excuses is a very common failing that it helps to be aware of. read more
on Question