Comments for The Multicultural Politic

Comment on Police Racism – Specimen one: Sergeant Dan Reid – Edgware, Metropolitan Police by shirley

shirley — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:41:26 +0000

I cannot think of a less racist person than Dan Reid, he will go above and beyond the call of duty for anyone regardless of what colour, religion, race etc, they are and anyone who found this racist does not know the true meaning of the word, so please whoever you are make an apology, he goes out of his way to help Romanians.

Comment on Event: When the Boys Return – London – Thursday 16th May by Event: When the Boys Return - London - Thursday...

Event: When the Boys Return - London - Thursday... — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:29:56 +0000

[...] By @IntheDocHouse Thursday 16th May | Rich Mix Cinema | 8.00pm | £7 (£5 conc) DocHouse Presents: When the Boys Return – With Q&A with Director via Skype Dir. Tone Anderson Norway – 2012 – 58min… [...]

Comment on “Transgender” a challenge to feminist politics?? Fighting Misogyny in Feminism by Lisa

Lisa — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:52:07 +0000

Completely agree w/Cel here. We all get shit for not doing what women are meant to do (given that all the things women are meant to do are mutually exclusive). But not all of us get shit for and struggle to navigate institutions based on the fact that we exist in a social reality of “being trans*” (which, as a social reality, has no one “pure” definition). This includes (as noted by Emi Koyama) the need to manage the possibility of this discrimination, so can be a factor even when we’re not actively being “treated as trans*”. Whether you have to deal with all that is a distinction which matters.

Really to treat the word “cis” as if the only thing it means is “you are perfectly happy with your gendered position in society” is almost to criticise a strawman. It is used like this, but it’s also used in ways which allow the possibility of gender as a social construct. Cis critics’ fixation on just one use (as the “cis debate” has) imo occupies that weird space between deliberate misunderstanding and accidental misunderstanding that Joanna Russ describes in “How To Supress Women’s Writing” as “this great fuzzy area of human ingenuity… what Jean Paul Sartre calls *bad faith*”.

Comment on Video: Anything You Want to Say to a White Guy? by Justin

Justin — Mon, 13 May 2013 09:37:52 +0000

Why would you say that?

Comment on Video: Anything You Want to Say to a White Guy? by Chris

Chris — Sun, 12 May 2013 19:19:19 +0000

Race is nothing. Class is everything.

Comment on Bangladesh, Freedom of Speech and the Socialist Workers’ Party’s Contempt for Democracy by Mark

Mark — Sun, 12 May 2013 02:49:37 +0000

I thought your argument was good, but I did feel the photos were a bit too graphic… I know you gave a trigger warning, but… I think your argument stands alone, without the photos.

Comment on On Headscarfs and Hijabs by Jackson

Jackson — Tue, 07 May 2013 18:04:36 +0000

I don’t know why people are only against hijab or head scarfs instead of the short skirt and tight t-shirsts. I think ,women wearing head scarfs looks more cool and cute rather then the tight stuffs. Whoever makes this racialism he doesn’t know this isn’t a cool or conservative dress but also protects hair from sun and also saves hair style money.

Comment on How White Supremacy Works by Zena E

Zena E — Sun, 05 May 2013 10:44:23 +0000

A dismissive ‘privileged’ reaction, not based in any consideration of the ‘otherness’ experience at all. Playing to scripted type. At least Tom took time to contexualise his response.

Comment on “Transgender” a challenge to feminist politics?? Fighting Misogyny in Feminism by r1aow

r1aow — Sat, 04 May 2013 18:13:41 +0000

Hi,

Was interested to learn here about the origin of the term “intersectionality”, having been in a meeting recently in which it was dismissed as “jargon” and “academic language”. Have saved this for future reference.

Comment on How White Supremacy Works by Zena E

Zena E — Sat, 04 May 2013 13:15:22 +0000

It is interesting Tom that of all the points in this article you choose to latch on to, its this one. From a humanist perspective, as highlighted by Justin, it is reasonable for there to be some suspiscion and semi-expectation to be passed over for a job application based on race. The author should be allowed “wriggle room” to have this concern based on experience.
The main point of this story is actually the response of her friend. It could have been any example, but she chose this one to highlight how a unnerving it is when someone who you think holds similar philosophies does not in actuality when they feel threatened by race blame.

Also it would be advisable to think about “white supremecy” having a foundation in ‘white privilege’ ie that this privilege and narrative is supreme over others. It is helpful to think of supremacy in this broad sense.