Blog Post #2 Using Feminism to Mask Racisim

 

Am I guilty of using feminism as a cop-out for being racist?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/annaustin/24731134021/in/photostream/ 

    The concept of feminism acting as a mask for racism, although not a new idea, was reintroduced to me within the readings and lessons this week. 
    After reading the first chapter of "Media Disparity: A Gender Battleground" by Tracy Everbach, I realized how twisted feminism and gender disparity were and still are. Everbach's analysis of "Women's (mis) Representation in Media" highlighted the importance of the feminist movement and reinforced why I consider myself a feminist.
    However, I then read ahead of the class readings and stumbled upon the "Trust Me I'm Not A Racist" chapter of the textbook. This chapter, with its discussion of Amy Schumer's blatant displays of racism excused by her supposed feminist moral compass, forced me to reflect on my tendencies. 
    Although I am ashamed to admit my evidential lack of self-awareness, I believe this class was curated to facilitate personal breakthroughs in morality. I do not consider myself an intentionally racist person. Before studying the materials listed above, I believed that just identifying as a "feminist and social activist" was perfectly acceptable and even somewhat honorable. However, I am now aware that I, like Amy Schumer in her parody of Formation by Beyonce (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMwuXe5Ihq4), am guilty of silencing the voices of racial minorities. For example, during the Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of George Floyd's passing, I posted images and videos on social media complaining that my mother would not let me go to the rallies rather than reinforcing the voices that mattered. I was so blinded by the minor inconvenience my mother had created by not allowing me to attend that I lost sight of the message and reason behind the movement. 
    I feel that white people, such as myself, must begin to actively rewire how we think. We must train ourselves to be less self-involved and become motivated to use the privilege we are given to help make positive change. 





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