I don't believe in the ability of affluent white women to lead a feminist movement in such a way that:
1) is intersectional
2) truly understands & addresses the reality & scope of white patriarchy & rape culture
3) centers the experiences of poor women & women of color
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Am I saying there's no room for affluent white women? No. I'm saying that the failure to recognize how WW hold a privileged position within white patriarchy, benefit from & perpetuate it in many ways is a constant point of disconnect b/w white feminism & intersectionality 2/
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While Tarana Burke & Alicia Garza have been pushing for MeToo to focus on the conditions of domestic workers, poor women and women of color, white feminists like Margaret Atwood continually focus on the movement's potential negative impact on (mostly white) men 3/
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The criticisms being lodged against MeToo (started by a BW) are based on a distorted understanding of what the movement is to begin with. Tarana Burke's movement has never been about publicly shaming male celebrities. Others insist on framing it that way 4/
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And in so doing, they, in typical white feministing fashion, completely ignore the leadership of BW in favor of centering themselves & their perspective--a perspective woefully ill-equipped to grasp the racialized gender & class dynamics of rape culture 5/
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The stubborn refusal to acknowledge that white women benefit from the racialization of gender, that a true feminist movement must dismantle both patriarchy & racism at once, is a refusal to acknowledge the reality of structural sexism 6/
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This is not a new issue, of course. When white middle class women were defining liberation as breaking away from being housewives & entering the workplace, most BW were having to work to support their families. Many by cleaning WW's houses & caring for their children 7/
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Many of these BW experienced sexual violence within the households where they worked (a dynamic going back generations to slavery) & received little help or support from their WW employers 8/
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So, in closing, if you have concerns about the direction MeToo is going, I suggest listening to folks like Alicia Garza & Tarana Burke & taking cues from them about what the focus should be & not affluent white women penning editorials 9/9
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