OK, thanks for the check.

I’m actually not nearly as interested in having a “free flowing conversation” as I am in having a conversation with many viewpoints. And the truth is, spaces where people blab freely without checking their privilege are often hostile to lots of people.

Furthermore, the point of checking ourselves is not to censor our beliefs. It’s more like double-checking than censorship. If you check yourself and you think you’re fine, then go ahead and say what you want to say.

When I’m blogging, I don’t think “oh, man, everyone will think I’m so cool for posting this” but people do tell me they like my blog and enjoy reading it, and I get some benefit from that. Plus it strengthens (I think?) my relationships with friends and family, and enriches my mind, and all this other stuff.

So I have my own “ends” which are different from whoever I’m quoting.

I was reading a book recently where there was a story about a man working at an anti-porn organization, and when another man wanted to volunteer, the first man basically said “If you’re here to be some sort of savior and have everyone know how great you are, we don’t want you. If you’re here because you want to help do the work that the women in this organization have laid out, you can stay.” Something like that.

I’m just trying to be honest when I say I don’t think I’m fully in that second camp yet. Part of me wants other people to know I’m an enlightened male. I think it’s gotten a lot better over the last year or so. Not that long ago when I would meet someone new, I would hope (ironically) for an opportunity to let them know that I was a feminist. That’s part of what I’m trying to check here.

“so he thinks it’s okay to exploit the words of white males because he is one?” That’s totally ridiculous, and I’m pretty sure that’s not actually what you mean.

Actually, that sort of IS what I meant. But when you put it that way it’s obviously a silly way to think. Maybe I should apply the same consideration to everyone I quote.

It’s one thing to check your privilege when offering a job to someone, or when making an assumption about how a person or a situation is for another without due regard to your own perspective.

It’s quite another thing to check your privilege when you are discussing ideas. Indeed, it sets a bad precedent. If we are all required to check our privileges before voicing an opinion – who does that hurt more, those who benefit from the status quo? Or those who don’t? Moreover, the kind of free flowing conversation you might want to have about “isms” is repressed by privilege checking.

Take your hypothetical racist redneck. There may be valid reasons behind her racism – at least from her perspective. If you cannot appeal to a person’s own perspective, you will not be able to convince her of anything! If she has to check her privilege when explaining her racism, you might never learn that the african american mayor of her small town made things hard on white people there.

And while I appreciate that privilege checking might help a person state things so as to appeal to another – the ACT of privilege checking in and of itself is so condescending, and such a forceful act of [wait for it] privilege – that it’s hard to imagine how anyone can understand a “privilege free” perspective.

So while I admire your self reflection, and, as usual enjoy the somewhat unusual perspective you are coming from, I think in this regard you would do well to go a little easier on yourself.

Nope, looks pretty tucked in from here.

A lot of the anger in attribution comes from people of color not being credited with the things we say and do – only to see those thoughts/ideas parroted by a white person and watch *them* receive accolades for *your* work.

Everyone quotes. I quote, dnA quotes, we quote each other. The key is attribution.

And think about it this way – you might be getting some status from writing, but you also introduce people to my work who may not have been aware of it before. That’s a service in itself, as I have found a lot of my favorite writers and bloggers through attribution. Just make sure you’re within the bounds of copyright (which I think you handle pretty well) and you’re good.

As to you quoting people, go for it. It shows you’ve done your research and you’re not pulling your whole entry out of your butt. All I’m saying is if you’re going to give special consideration to two groups of people you should acknowledge EVERY person you quote or reference. The way you write this, I think to myself, “so he thinks it’s okay to exploit the words of white males because he is one?” That’s totally ridiculous, and I’m pretty sure that’s not actually what you mean.

Just be aware that in your acknowledgement of other genders and races that you are also ignoring your own gender and race.