LaVar Hosting Jeopardy July 26-30 Stan Account 👁

OK. So. You can have a situation between two people or two groups, both marginalized in some ways, where one person or group is RELATIVELY more privileged than the other.

Despite the fact of this relatively greater privilege, there may be aspects or modes of oppression that this relatively-more-privileged person or group experiences that the relatively-less-privileged person or group does not.

Talking about those aspects of oppression is very very very very very very very very hard, and usually engenders misgivings and negative feelings on all sides.

For example: there are things that suck about being in a heavily-white-assimilated social environment as a black person.

However, that white assimilation usually comes along with a great degree of additional MATERIAL benefit/stability/protection etc.

so would I go up to a bunch of people who, say, are in a neighborhood that's under police lockdown and start whining about how race functions as an invisible disability when you are assimilated into a group of unconscious racist white folks? Prolly not.

OTOH, if we NEVER talk about those subtle problems: a) our oppressors will think we don't mind them (we do), and b) we will keep accidentally hurting each other even where we intend to lift each other up.

and frankly the lines are even MORE muddy where there's not such a stark difference in who benefits/who suffers. Or for things we don't necessarily have a language for but that matter a lot, e.g., a rich cishet white kid who comes from an emotionally abusive home.