Sunday 20 March 2011

The ballgame

(Well it has been a wee while. Sorry about that. Offline stuff has kept me busy.)

I came across Microaggressions, and now cannot recall where (so hat tips generally). It's a Tublr with a Hollaback-ish feel to it, and the tagline is "Power, privilege, and oppression in everyday life". Anyone can submit a microaggression story.

Example 1:

"Men can’t be raped. If you’re a man you consent by default."

Made me feel isolated.

Example 2:
"Oh, you mean you’re Chinese, right?"

Almost every time someone asks me “What are you?” and I respond “Taiwanese American,” they feel the need to correct my response. Yes, I’m aware of the controversy. But I also know who I am better than you do, so at least give me the right to decide what I am for myself.


Example 3:
“They said she dressed older than her age, wearing makeup and fashions more appropriate to a woman in her 20s. She would hang out with teenage boys at a playground, some said.”

New York Times about the gang-rape of an 11-year-old girl.

Challenging these "small" things is the ballgame. This is how violence and oppression happen on a day to day level. And campaigns like Microaggression and Hollaback provide an amazing way of talking back to those people, and of drawing attention to them as the the ballgame. Go forth, and read.

--IP

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