Yoko's Asterisk 🏳️‍⚧The eight most wonderful words you can say on the internet:
" I don't know enough to have an opinion."
Since many people are responding to me from various instances:
I'm obviously not saying you should be neutral/apathetic on transphobia, climate change, or other hot button topics. I'm not a climate scientist, but I listen to climate scientists and let them shape my views.
But because I'm not a climate scientist, if there was a technical question about the mechanics of climate change, I would defer to the experts.
And to use a different example, I don't follow sports. So I don't have any opinions about sports. I also don't have any opinions about 99 percent of celebrities.
Nobody is harmed by me not exposing my ignorance on those topics.
And when it comes to marginalized/stigmatized communities, I listen to the members of those communities and avail myself of whatever resources they offer. I try to boost/support them however I can.
I don't lecture a member of a marginalized group about their own experience, especially if it's a marginalization I don't share.
My general rule of thumb is that marginalized people know more than I do about the challenges they are facing, and I should support them without drowning them out.
Tilly Bridges@charliejane I talked about this very thing in my recent essay on intersectionality, which is not only for cis allies but for us (it was partly spurred by all the racism I’ve found in the white trans woman community) https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTACnUKUY7oBzYTbGi87pOEV4Q5R48_eQ3FH0adQChovMP_J_4YeF9v1z0Q7s4gHVkMbMEwsQkRdysq/pub
System IV, Building K@tillybridges @charliejane And now I have the very useful “intersectionality” framework to proceed with, or more accurately: see things through. I did not have this yesterday, and now I do. Look what you did.
When I say I’m a cishet “ally-in-training” in my profile, welp, this is pretty much the content I’m looking for along the way. Endless gratitude.
@charliejane @goodthinking I’m so glad it was helpful! I’ve written over a hundred of these essays, all archived and free, and one of the main sections is entirely about allyship! if you want to check them out you can find them here 💜 http://tillystranstuesdays.com
Sophie@tillybridges @charliejane intersectionality is a useful (rather long!) word. I’d like to see also a burgeoning of the word “solidarity”. Intersectionality speaks to our differences, (yes, recognize and celebrate!) whereas #solidarity emphasizes our common struggle against social #oppression and economic #exploitation. In linking up our struggles we amplify our strength and turn our focus on the power structures that seek to divide and rule and thwart our unity.
Tammy Garrison, MLIS@charliejane I’m always deeply surprised that people from nonmarginalized groups feel audacious enough to tell marginalized people how they should feel and what their lived life is like. But they’re the same people who explain the expert’s job to them. I shouldn’t be surprised by now.
Agent Joséphine Bakerjust be like Sokrates
Carl (He/Him)@charliejane I have a bad habit of lecturing people. (Former teacher.) I do not, however, lecture people about their own experience, whether they're marginalized or not. There seem to be limits to my foolishness.
Eva Chanda@nitpicking @charliejane I admit I'm a bit of a knowitall (as an editor, I'm probably insufferable on spelling & grammar!), but only about factual things, not lived experiences (other than my own).
William Leisner@charliejane Yeah, it was pretty obvious to me at least.
Nathan Williams (he/him)@charliejane We need to learn better ways of talking in public about what makes someone an expert and how to figure that out when we don’t know enough for ourselves.
AccordionBruce@charliejane
Daring to admit you’re not an expert is brave sometimes and polite almost always
But you’re obviously not implying people are supposed to shut up when it’s important 🙄
Nobody has to fully understand the mechanics of an atrocity to oppose it
I can’t take apart and reassemble many kinds of gun, but if someone is shooting up kids in the classroom, I’ll help push the cops out of the way and break the door down