links for 2008-09-17

• Shall We Talk About Privilege
  "Understanding and owning privilege does not mean that you must live a life of shame or guilt, it does however mean that you owe a debt that must be repaid. For each advantage that you are given, you must at some point attempt to mitigate some of your unearned privilege. This will never absolve you of said privilege but over time, if enough people equally dedicate themselves to mitigation it will lessen privilege through the changing of ideas of what it means to exist as a specific body."
  (tags: privilege feminism racism heterosexism sexism antiracism ableism cissexism oppression antioppression homophobia defensiveness guilt)
• The Failures of Anti-Racism « Pregnant Drug-Dealing Prostitutes
  "When these White people claim to be anti-racist, I find that their efforts of anti-racism are only acceptable to themselves and of course, only other White people. Now, if you’re trying not to be racist but are finding that only people of your racial group approve of your efforts; I’d say it’s high-time to re-evaluate your approach. Right?

  No, not these White people."

  (tags: white privilege racism antiracism)
• How to be an “ally” « Uppity Brown Woman
  4. Use the phrase, “but the [marginalized] people I know don’t find anything wrong with it…” because no one associated with you could ever be off-base with anything.

  5. Give your input on everything so that the oppressed group will reap the benefits of your enlightenment.

  (tags: ally privilege oppression anti-oppression)