Double XX Vs. Jezebel - White Feminists Beefing Online With One Token Woman Of Color Voice Tossed In To Act Like We're Actually Included In The Debate
I love it when white women fight over feminism. It doesn't really matter what subject they arguing about, the end result is nearly always the same. Feminism and feminist issues ALWAYS revolve about what white women think and do, to hell with the perspectives and realities of any other women in the world.
It's for this reason that I quit reading the majority of feminist blogs, for as much as they raised great issues and wonderful discussion, I was ALWAYS getting pissed off at the lack of openness and the continuing tone-deafness in regards to race. Not to mention, the absolute flat-out refusal of white women to ever accept that sometimes in the discussion of feminist issues, their behinds would sometimes be regulated to the margins of a debate, not the center.
Linda Hirshman was wrong as hell with her generational bashing and finger-pointing, but the ladies over at Jezebel didn't do much better with their snarky one-note replies. They all missed the damn point - that women, no matter their age, race, or sexual orientation, still have major issues when it comes to dealing with the aftermath of sexual assault.
And the other point, that at least white women get to discuss, debate, and argue, about how they deal with this issue, the majority of women of color are still grappling with the right to be called a victim of sexual assault in the first damn place. Desiree Washington, anyone? Her convicted rapist, Mike Tyson is still denying raping her and enjoying SYMPATHY from a new documentary on his life. Where in the hell is Linda Hirshman and the ladies of Jezebel on that issue?
And that brings me to sista-journalist, Latoya Peterson's lone woman of color voice in this discussion. I'm not knocking her opinion, but I don't get jumping to the defense of the ladies at Jezebel. They put their stories out there, I'm quite sure they would be fine defending their own words. White women have plenty of defenders even when their behavior should dictate otherwise. Could you imagine the same support for Miss California, if she was Black or Latino? Somebody else would have being rocking that crown....last week!
I don't think you should be telling any woman how to deal with sexual assault, it's a really personal issue, but when it comes to dealing with the aftermath of sexual assault paired with getting justice, finding acceptance and gaining support, women of color are still getting the short end of the stick. I would love to know if Ms. Peterson believes that two black women could actually get away with appearing on a public talk show, intoxicated and playfully recounting how they were sexually assaulted in their youth like the two young women from Jezebel did. I don't think so and that bothers the hell out of me.
That's why all women need to included in such discussions instead of having a pointless online beef that doesn't resolve anything or help anyone.
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