Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Reflecting on Audre Lorde and the issue of difference
To conclude today’s class, I’d like you to reflect on Audre Lorde’s essay “Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference.” For some of you, the ideas of this article might be very new and might even feel uncomfortable to think or talk about. For others, your lived experience might match Lorde’s in significant ways. Regardless of how familiar or foreign her words might feel, I’d like you to reflect on one of her concluding comments, where she writes, “It is not our differences which separate women, but our reluctance to recognize those differences and to deal effectively with the distortions which have resulted from the ignoring and misnaming of those differences” (122). Given our discussion today, what does this passage mean to you? How do you make sense of it? What will you take away from today’s discussion that you think is significant when it comes to understanding difference and oppression?
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To me, this passage means that although the differences that separate women are very slim and hard to recognize, the fact that we have not taken the steps to close the gap caused by certain societal distortions immediately makes the gap grow more and more each day. By choosing to ignore and misname the differences, which only create a larger problem in regards to the oppression of women, we are simply trying to act that it is not the massive problem that it has morphed into. In some ways this reminds me of telling a white lie. Yes, at the time it seems like the right thing, and yes, it covers up a greater problem, but it's only a matter of time before this little white lie has a snowball affect, and only gets larger and larger as time goes on. In the end, the little white lie becomes less worth it because by that time, it has grown into such a gigantic story of absolute falsehood, it can’t be undone. When it comes to difference and oppression it is important to confront it; take the bull by the horns! By letting more and more time go on where it is ignored or called something else, oppression only becomes stronger and it will be harder to get out of it after a while.
ReplyDeleteI feel this quote is very relevant with my life. I was raised in an all white "cookie cutter" community. There was a certain imaginary mold that we were all expected to fill. So growing up and moving to college, I have started to meet more and more people who don’t fit in that “mold.” When I meet these people I always hear the voices of the people I grew up around telling me that they are “weird” or different. I have taught myself to ignore these voices. I know that everyone is special in his or her own way, and these differences are what make them special. After all, how boring would life be if we were all the same? I feel like people need to learn to embrace differences and realize that they can be amazing. I think that we all just need to take the time to step into other people’s shoes and see how your actions may be “different” to others. Just because something is outside of your box does not mean that it isn’t acceptable, and I feel that we all need to try and understand this.
ReplyDeleteI would change the word "women" to "people" in Lorde's quotation because although she is speaking on feminism I believe this is inclusive of men as well. But to me this passage gives a sense of connectivity between various issues and how none of them can truly be addressed without acknowledging the others. This quote shows how oppression is largely universal while demonstrating how uncomfortable topics should not be avoided for fear of said discomfort. Rather, that the source of any discomfort needs to be identified and examined.
ReplyDeleteI will take away from today's class the idea that oppression is a universal problem not a singular instance and must be treated in such a way. I believe the contents of the article help shine light on the root of inequalities and the need for feminism in the broadest use of the term. I also want to note that the connective feelings of oppression, once identified, should be used to unite instead of separate people.
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ReplyDeleteThis passage to me means that we need to be aware of differences in women and all people and not just let them sit, ignored, under the surface. Yet we also need to be accepting of the fact that there is no way to completely be aware or understanding of the differences being faced. These differences may cause some women to feel ashamed and therefore they may not want to discuss or reveal them or sometimes the differences may not have the language to be talked over. Today I will take from the discussion that there is not one real ‘normal’ way of being. Even though most of the women in the room were saying things I agreed with or had experienced in my life as well, they also have different views and ideals. There is no one way to classify our differences, resulting in many ways of understanding them.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in a privileged family with little oppression. My community at home was homogeneous and these issues were never publicly acknowledged, so it was easy for me to relate to Lorde’s essay. I have been sheltered from oppression since I was born. Lorde is right in saying ignorance is one of the main causes of oppression. Without admitting there is a problem, there is no hope of addressing it. When people recognize differences, it is easier to have empathy for that person and try to connect with him or her on some level.
ReplyDeleteIn class today, we re-enforced my belief that the roles of parents play a vital role in personal ideologies. I am glad that my parents instilled a sense of compassion and acceptance in other people’s differences, because even though I had not experienced much diversity at home, it was not a huge transition coming to college. I can say that many who did not grow up in an accepting family like mine still do not understand or care to break stereotypes or core American ideology that has been instilled in them for generations.
-Alexandra Bland
Often when individuals unite for a common cause, such as Feminism, their herd-like mentality drives away the unique perspectives that each participant has to bring to the table. We forget that although there is a strong commonality, each person has uniqueness, their own story to tell. And it may not even be one story, but a culmination of events and experiences that have molded the individual. By ignoring these differences we cause harm to the cause, or so I believe Lordes is telling us so. When we dismiss oppression or differences, we dismiss part of the bigger picture and it is more detrimental then one may initially think. The topic of Feminism if just one branches in the tree of oppression present in society. And yes we can try to cut down one branch at a time, but when don’t the causes band together and take down the trunk. The fight against racism, sexism, and any sort of oppressive force based on our differences, stem from the lack of acceptance of differences and respect of the individual. We should embrace the individual tales of each person and by doing so embrace and celebrate the uniqueness of the individual.
ReplyDeleteI believe that when it comes to women’s oppression it is difficult for many more privileged women to talk about the differences because of ignorance and for fear of speaking out of place or offending someone. Everyone’s mind works so differently and people get set off by different things and a lot of the time I think people try to avoid conflict instead of discussing it in a non-argumentative manner. Although by not discussing it, we are silencing those who have important things to say about the issue and we are denying the rest of us valuable information that helps us empathize and understand each other more. It really is pointless to argue about who is more or less oppressed when we could simply be teaching each other what we don't already know. I like in the end of the article when she says, “For the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.” Together, women form the house and the information we find out from various backgrounds is the tool and, in the end, tools will only strengthen the house.
ReplyDeleteI think it's significant to conceptualize difference as a collective identity rather than to separate individual characteristics. It seems that the more efforts we make to mark difference and find socially acceptable ways to discuss these differences, the farther we get from a deeper understanding of what they mean in our lives. I also think that the idea of socially accepted or unaccepted differences is problematic because it leads to creating hierarchies of difference which in turn allow differences to inhibit abilities and identities. It's a double-edged sword--we have yet to find a "good" or effective or productive way of talking about difference, but if the other option is to ignore differences, then problems persist and we fade farther away from understanding. The most important idea I took away from today's discussion was that we view differences in terms of the individual rather than to attempt to ascribe differences as general characteristics of an entire social group.
ReplyDeleteAudre Lorde was the first piece that I read, and she made me feel guilty about not having such oppressions and she has. Yet, at the same time feminism at least through my narrow education of the topic, seems to have the same race discriminations as daily life. All the same, I find her sentiments on feminism to be truthful, and her harshness is the exact tone that needs to be used in stirring up the tensions within this movement. Feminists have to question who will be able to mobilize when we all look at ourselves and see the differences? No one. Even though I have not dealt with the same oppressions, we still have our own battles to fight.
ReplyDeleteWhere does this movement go if we oppress those who are with in it? This type of thinking must stop, because we still have common goals through all the muck of our past. Lorde states that the minorities are usually the ones left to bridge the gap, and I find this statement true. Some people seek diversity because it is innate, while other seek it, to explain why they feel subjugated. Our new call to feminism should be to eliminate this barrier of difference. Us men and women (yes men have to be involved too) can be united through femininity, if we look beyond the mirror of our self-indulged conscious self, and drop that image. Talking today in class I realized that our childhoods are not the same, but somehow we still feel a connection. This is because we would like to share our past, and learn about others differences. This is the first step in setting our disparity aside, and not just ignoring the obvious.
Shannon
To me this quote means that the things that make us unique among each other- our race, class, orientation, beliefs, education level, etc.- aren't what keep us from relating. I think we are to quick to make judgments when we first meet people and we are unable to get past that snap judgment and therefore unable to recognize and embrace others. We're to busy creating misconceptions about the other person to rationalize why we are at odds. I see it as a judgmental issue and that people need to learn to see the big picture and see each other as fellow human beings.
ReplyDeleteFrom today's discussion, I take the idea that you will never know everything. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Information and concepts are constantly changing and as long as you make an honest effort, you won't be discouraged. But you also can't fear being corrected. You correct your concepts and move forward from there. Then you can gain a better understanding about how others view their own differences and oppression. It's always important also to keep an open mind and to try to put yourself in their shoes so that you can gain a better understanding. Accept people for who they are because it is these differences and oppressors that have made them who they are.
This quote reminds me of how I familiarize with those that are different. Yes they’re many things that separate us as individuals, but that’s the best part. When I meet someone who might different to what I’m used to, it makes me increasingly intrigued. I love finding out about that person. What there story is, and as we’ve been discussing in class, how they identify with the world. When people say they've never met a person like me, whether it's good or bad, makes me glad there's not someone exactly like me. So I embrace difference in a good way! Judgments will always be passed but as long as we get past that and try and understand why someone is the way they are, our world will be a better place.
ReplyDeleteMost people would hope that by ignoring what is, “different,” it would go away and not affect them. Audre Lorde calls one to do just the opposite in her passage; recognize it, and deal with it. One can know what is different but it is not until one accepts the difference and claims knowledge of it that one can act upon it to eliminate the wall of separation and ignorance. Many can choose to remain in the shadows to avoid discomfort, fear and uncertainty; however, overcoming these barriers opens a world which unlocks the potential to effectively eradicate differences that only stunt development. Until people do this, nothing much can take place. I will still understand only as much as I allow myself to understand and there is no growth where there is no movement. It is important to recognize that difference is the road to better understanding and expansion of knowledge. If it doesn’t fit the norm, it does not necessarily mean it is any less worthy than what does fall under the norm. The worst thing that can happen to differences is having them become so silent that it is unthinkable to speak of without causing alarm. Oppression is inevitable so long as individuals find differences intimidating and condemnable all because of a misconception or misunderstanding and refusal thereof to acknowledge differences regardless of one’s personal standpoint.
ReplyDeleteRecognizing difference requires a significant amount of empathy, patience and openness. As we discussed in class, feminist movements have often overlooked a number of interlocking oppressions. Fairly privileged women who look merely to resolve the oppression of others only looking through one lens will inevitably meet some extent of failure. For feminism itself to be a successful movement women of all ages, races, socioeconomic statues and backgrounds should be acknowledged.
ReplyDeleteEvery woman faces different oppressions and being ignorant of any one oppression will still leave unequal power in the hands of women. In order to defy these differences and oppressions, women (and anyone who feels oppressed) needs to first and foremost be open to the lives and experiences of other people. These experiences are shaping the current oppressions, and future oppressions will be based on our ability to enact change now. By being willing to listen and absorb the experiences of others, we can acknowledge differences and accept being uncomfortable in experiences we know nothing of in order to create a marketplace of experiences and learning in order to shape oppressions in an efficient manner.
In my understanding I believe that she was trying to explain the fact that we don't take enough time to realize other people and their difference. That we are a society of people who only concentrate on "me" and focus on others only when it benefits us. As women one would assume that we should be closer that we should know one another and that we should stick together but rather we have forgotten the definition of all of that. Also to me it meant don't have a one eyed view. Privileged woman only see things from their perspective and the poor from their's no one takes the time to walk in the other persons shoe and realize what its really like. Everyone is different. Every woman faces her own difficulty but what is shocking is that if we all came together we would realize that these difficulties or challenges are more common among us than we think. To be honest I was actually very shocked in yesterdays lecture because I did not assume that our society was so far into only caring for ones self to realize that there are others around. We need to not undermine other peoples differences but rather face them and deal with them. Ignoring the fact that someone is different from us will not resolve anything but rather over time become a bigger issue.
ReplyDeleteI think that people ignore differences because they see them as a threat. Anything that challenges the way people may see the world is not going to be pleasant for them. So they would like to keep things the way that they are. It's easy for white women to only focus on the oppression of white women or for any race to mainly consider their own problem to be the worst one. Not only is this relevant from a feminist perspective, but it is in the world, in general. We must recognize the differences that we have in order to become united. Learning about these differences can also help us to understand our own situation better. It is the alienation of people that is the problem, not the things that make us different. We must recognize that everyone comes from a different background, but we are also all human beings. Thus, we all have the right to be accepted for who we are and where we come from and to be treated with respect instead of being ignored.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up, my mother set an example of what a woman can be in a household in despite the social roles pushed on them. However, although I saw my mother as a strong- willed, independent woman, she expressed hypocritical comments. I grew up in a Muslim family. I explained to my mother my opposition with the way Mosque’s are organized. The core issue being with the fact that women and men are separated in Mosques during prayer time. I briefly explained to her that nowhere in the Qur’an did it mention that such restrictions were required. Her response to me was, “Well honey, that’s how things run.” In other words, a woman who I looked up to told me to suck it up.
ReplyDeleteThis particular incidence reminds me a lot of what Lorde’s talked about in her article. It’s different when one wants equality for all than equality for one particular gender, race, ethnicity, etc. The issues of oppression are not personal problems but societal problems. Everyone should be recognized and taken in consideration when making these decisions. Although my mother did not attend the Mosque regularly, she should still feel obligated to stand up with the women who disagree with the organization of the mosque. It may not affect her directly, nevertheless, it does indirectly and it will in the long run.
We are very complex and diverse human beings. Indeed different but I feel we focus on differences and not nearly as much on similarities among all of us. It’s easy to point out the obvious - eye color, hair color, body type, etc – but it takes effort trying to understand each individual and accept them for just that. I believe if we can put ourselves in someone else shoes, then, we will be one step towards understanding and acceptance. Maybe take the individualistic and incorporate more of a collectivist mind set. After all – we’re all in this together.
I feel like oppression is such a difficult topic to talk about and address because people who are privileged or just didn't have it as bad as she did cant understand or relate very well. It is difficult to discuss because no two people have the same experiences, hardships, and struggles which create their identity and each person deals with it in their own way. Other women who aren't dealing with this oppression need to be aware of it and how these differences can help women as a group move up and fight against the oppression together by recognizing that everyone is different and that assuming things about others like they wont understand, wont help solve anything.
ReplyDeleteI feel that it is important to recognize and learn from our differences, though it can be negative to define ourselves based on differences. I can define myself based on so many different characteristics (trans, queer, Aspie, hippie, nerd, otaku, student, etc) yet while all those identities are part of who I am, the whole is more than the sum of the parts.
ReplyDeleteHere's Tessa's comment:
ReplyDeleteOften times humans feel that if they ignore something for long enough it will go away. With some things, I suppose that can happen, but oppression will only become worse with ignorance. Differences between humans are everywhere but we do not earn rights as humans to designate certain groups of people as inferior or superior based upon power we think we deserve. We are all very different from one another, which is a beauty of humans in that we have many ways to show these differences and recognize them in each other. Recognizing them does not indicate oppression, and yet somehow the human race has found a way to establish hierarchical order for these differences. When differences are seen through a socially created lens of negativity, neither side of the oppression can see the perspective of the other. This creates a choice for everyone who does not occupy certain differences to join forces with people who are different from ourselves or to reject them and join the suppre ssors and the superiors. By ignoring oppressed groups of people we are constantly creating a more segregated society. We create rifts among people who are similar to us by recognizing even the slightest differences in negative ways. Women allow oppression amongst each because of variables that are different between them. An African American woman and a white woman are not going to feel the same oppression, just as a woman in her twenties is not going to feel the same oppression as a woman in her eighties. But women as an entire socially gendered part of the population have to recognize and accept the differences in each other before socially dominant men will ever recognize them positively and ultimately accept them. The feminist culture is a movement towards the rights of women to stand up together and defend ourselves from patriarchal systems and oppression through male dominance.
I find Audre Lorde’s piece indicative of the urgent need for women and men alike, to collectively acknowledge the difference in others if they truly want to fight for an end to oppression. It is natural for each and every person to focus on their individual struggles, but in order to attack a complex issue, one must understand that there is much more complexity in everyone’s different struggles. There needs to be fundamental base of understanding that includes not only the oppression of women, but one that is inclusive to other factors of oppression as well. Even if they do not pertain to us individually, we cannot set the issues aside. It’s true, ignorance is bliss; and similarly, ignorance means to be defeated when one is fighting for social issue. From the class discussion, and from everyday interactions, I can see that it is healthy to be brought out of our comfort zone to see, hear, and empathize with others. We need to constantly engage ourselves in that which makes us uncomfortable, so that we may have a more complete understanding of what the issue at hand is. When we shy away from the things we don’t understand, we reinforce the oppression set upon us through fear.
ReplyDeleteEveryone is different in many different ways: backgrounds/beliefs/identity/ideology to name very few. Walking around in life this quickly becomes evident. I know that I try to be very open to everyone and I know that I like getting to hear stories about people that no one else gets to hear. I love becoming friends with someone who has very little in common with myself because then I can feel like I can gain access to the parts of the world I would otherwise never see. I may never fit into the worlds people tell me about but I think in many ways it allows me to have fewer biases and learn about as well as take people in as individuals and not as the first-impression stereotypes that naturally often come to mind.
ReplyDeleteThe hard thing I know I used to struggle with was simply feeling sorry for the person if I am more privileged than them in some way. It was a problem because it can discredit who they are and the fact that they are still, and in some ways, more amazing as people. This is not in any way intended to discredit the power of sympathy/empathy but instead to bring the limitations and the acknowledgement that in order to feel this automatic sympathy there has to be a hierarchy of stereotypes driving the thought and emotion. It takes a lot to embrace someone for everything they are and are not.
I found Lorde's piece to be very important to get to the root of how women's rights fit into the overall issues of oppression to various groups in the world. Although I do not think my life as been incredibly oppressive I do often wonder how my life would have been different if I were in a more "privileged" group of people. Regardless, I am glad that I was able to have some disadvantages against me so I could relate to the issues addressed in this article somewhat. The article also allowed me to examine the biases that I do possess and why I have them and how someone else could perceive the same biases toward me. Overall, this was a very engagingly provocative article I am happy to have read.
ReplyDeleteI take this as being in opposition to "Colorblind" mentality that America has begun to adopt. That because people of color are "better off" than before (which is not true, and inequality has been on the rise since rights to protect people from discrimination have been subverted through new avenues and loopholes.) Our complacency and reluctance to delve into critical and difficult discussions is harmful. They allow for inequality to persist in more subtle and creative ways like with redlining and zoning in the case of discriminating against black people in the housing market. Avoiding to discuss race and privilege dynamics allows for the disparities to continue as well as denies marganalized groups their identity. In our culture it is hard discussing there issues outside of safe spaces and feel comfortable. Lorde talks about how oppressed groups are expected to initiate these conversations, which is something that I have experienced a lot other classes and it has gotten burdensome. When dropping the Pioneer Leadership Program here at DU my Professor begged me not to because I was challenging the class by bringing up issues of privilege. Although he was fairly educated on basic privilege issues, he depended on me to initiate those conversations instead of initiating them himself. As a woman of color with a lower middle class background, I have had to navigate my own privileges and oppressions on my own and Its frustrating when I have to be the case study in some classes while other students do not even soak up anything from what I provide.
ReplyDeleteI take this quote to mean, when bluntly put, that the misnaming of difference is super important and teasing out the truth can often be an uncomfortable process. This process can be made especially difficult when people don't investigate what is true to them personally, before internalizing or claiming what larger forces say is true about their race/class/gender. What I take away from the discussion is the importance of discomfort, that it is often easier to ignore issues than to confront them (and how badly the resulting discussions could go). When you acknowledge an issue you might have to confront some serious ignorance on your own part or on the part of whomever you are talking to. You may think that you have put an issue to rest (I am not racist, sexist, etc.) only to have to confront it again and again when confronted by someone else perspectives on your behavior or ideas.
ReplyDeleteMisrecognition. I know, I should drop Judith Butler, but, I'm in love. So that misrecognition among women (and more broadly all humanity) is the problem. It isn't the eternal Other, but rather the act of othering without a recognition or realization of the misrecognition. It is this act, whether purposely present or subversively via social training that allows for distance and separation. Lourde alludes to the fact that this separation is in face more importantly the problem to overcome.
ReplyDeleteWhat will I take away from discussion? I need to learn how to re-frame my caveat that "You won't know everything, ever and you'll make mistakes and harm people." I need to make this seemingly more empowering in a Western context, because to me it is comforting; however, that was clearly not a shared sentiment among my peers. And in that instance in class, when I said that we won't ever be close to perfect and we won't ever figure it out as individuals or as a collective I think that I became oppressive to my peers. So yikes.
From the discussion, I understand each classmate have different experience about sex and gender. Some classmates have a both roles of boy and girl in family and in my case I have a pressure to be “girl” by my family. Discussion in class was hard for me, but it was a good opportunity to hear different experience in class. From this quote, I understood that it is not a big problem to have difference, but it is much more important to recognize them. It is natural that each person has different, but it is bad not to recognize difference and misunderstand difference from stereotype. By reading this article, I thought stereotype have a strong influence to our way of thinking. In discussion, I could see different background in gender, so it is important not to deny the difference and accept them.
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ReplyDeleteIn Audre Lorde's piece, I thought it was very important how she adresses the fact that we must understand there are different standings and oppressions, and that there need not be a hierarchy to it. She covers how it does not need to be a competition of who has it worst, but seeing past statuses to work together.
ReplyDeleteAs a white female, I understand my privleges and that being feminist for me is a different lifestyle than being an African American feminist. I know I may not ever fully comprehend it as someone from a different walk of life may grasp it, but I think Lorde brings up an important point that it's not something to shove in the corner, but discuss it and maybe make ourselves uncomfortable for the sake of acceptance and change.