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I know that Black Lives Matter is getting the most press among the ethnic groups fighting for equal rights these days, and that the history of oppression of black people is horrific and different from the oppression of other POC in the US...
but there are other groups of people who experience racism in the US, including violence, internment, discrimination, microaggressions, and even internalized racism when people use the same tactics against each other as are used against them.
This is not an either/or issue. This is a yes-and issue. As each international incident flies past the headlines, the groups associated with that incident see a spike in both violent and casual racism, and our current US administration only encourages it each time. But then when another "incident" happens, that group's oppression gets forgotten as we focus on the next group du jour, while the blatant and subtle and internalized tactics of bigotry continue unchecked because we're not looking at that group anymore.
Intersectionality is complex and difficult. In our race to be The Most Woke Progressive, when defending one group, we can't afford to ignore how our defense affects the other groups. While each group has its own unique background and sometimes differing needs, that doesn't give us the right to ignore the toes of one group while standing up for another.
but there are other groups of people who experience racism in the US, including violence, internment, discrimination, microaggressions, and even internalized racism when people use the same tactics against each other as are used against them.
This is not an either/or issue. This is a yes-and issue. As each international incident flies past the headlines, the groups associated with that incident see a spike in both violent and casual racism, and our current US administration only encourages it each time. But then when another "incident" happens, that group's oppression gets forgotten as we focus on the next group du jour, while the blatant and subtle and internalized tactics of bigotry continue unchecked because we're not looking at that group anymore.
Intersectionality is complex and difficult. In our race to be The Most Woke Progressive, when defending one group, we can't afford to ignore how our defense affects the other groups. While each group has its own unique background and sometimes differing needs, that doesn't give us the right to ignore the toes of one group while standing up for another.
