Conversations on social media about privilege and oppression often have comments along the lines of “it’s not the minority individual’s job to educate others as to how they are being oppressive or blind to their privilege.” And this always strikes me as problematic or as, generally, less than ideal. On the one hand, of course. Continue reading “Minorities, Responsibilities, and Educating Others “
Tag Archives: privilege
Film and Television – Things On My Mind Series, #8
I use the Things On My Mind series to share collections of working, not necessarily related, ideas that don’t (yet, anyway) warrant their own article or have another home. Law and Order: Special Victims Unit receives its fair share of criticism, much of it warranted; however, here I want to mainly recognize some of LawContinue reading “Film and Television – Things On My Mind Series, #8”
“Implications” and the Rhetorical Framing of Critiques – Hidden Power of Words Series, #30
Suggestions that something is classist, racist, or sexist, for example, are often met with dismissively hostile words. People say, “you’re thinking too hard,” “you’re looking to cause trouble,” “you can find [fill in the blank] anywhere if you look hard enough,” “you can’t appreciate anything,” and/or “you’re ignoring the purpose.” I strive to improve howContinue reading ““Implications” and the Rhetorical Framing of Critiques – Hidden Power of Words Series, #30″
Ableism and Wheel of Fortune
Tonight, I watched Wheel of Fortune to do something different and to relax a bit after a busy week. And I got to thinking. My students and I have been talking about privilege and its various manifestations. This evening I got to wondering what they would do if a contestant required a wheelchair or a stool or had some kindContinue reading “Ableism and Wheel of Fortune”
Privilege, Erasure, Cognitive Dissonance
Privilege. Erasure. Cognitive Dissonance. These are just some of the big ideas bouncing around my Frontal Lobe this week. I have three thoughts in particular that I want to share in this article. 1. An under-recognized form of privilege is having a name that can immediately be pronounced correctly, not just by other people but byContinue reading “Privilege, Erasure, Cognitive Dissonance”
Experience, Voice, Authority
Who has the necessary authority to speak about a given topic or identity? What do we miss when trying to learn about Otherness (see “Can the Subaltern Speak?”)? Given thousands of years of history, history dominated by an elite often consisting of normative White men and now History dominated by “professionals,” such questions will always beContinue reading “Experience, Voice, Authority”
Preparing for Surgery (again) and Toxic Masculinity in the Waiting Room
On Monday, I’ll be having surgery #6 at M.D. Anderson. This is the second surgery this year! Luckily, it’s a small one again–this time to remove two tumors on my left hand. Recovery should be pretty quick, overall, but I’ll be unable to use my left hand for about two months, all-in-all. During the preopContinue reading “Preparing for Surgery (again) and Toxic Masculinity in the Waiting Room”
Being Disabled And Unconditionally Rejected in Higher Education
At some institutions of higher education, faculty who are not perfectly able-bodied are effectively barred from even stepping on campus. Such practices—on top of the already-difficult job market and added to the ubiquity of microaggressions directed toward us crip people—automatically move some of society’s most educated people into the stack of unconditionally rejected applicants. Continue reading “Being Disabled And Unconditionally Rejected in Higher Education”