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Amy Kurzweil Thanks, Mark. I agree with you, and I believe what you are describing is institutionalized racism.
Amy Kurzweil Thanks for sharing your personal experience, Emen.
Amy Kurzweil I hope you understand that I am not calling Ms. Mort racist. Other people are, and I am mocking that claim in order to make a more serious one: Our world is racist. It is difficult to disprove this claim, and those of us operating in this racist world need to make decisions, artistic and otherwise, to address it. While I am not claiming that Ms. Mort's choice is wrong (like I said, I haven't seen the film) I believe whole-heartedly that artistic choices can be questioned, judged, and valued. In fact, I believe they must. Art often functions to fosters precisely these kinds of debates.
Amy Kurzweil Mark, the sarcasm in my "white people...racist things" comment should have come through. I was attempting to mock precisely what you find distasteful, that white people accrue flack when they try to celebrate black stories or partake in racial debates. As a white person who does those things, I have encountered both judgement and support for doing so. I believe it is essential for all races to be a part of these stories and these questions about how to tell these stories. Artistically, there are good ways to tell stories, and there are better ways. The story of race in this country needs to told well. I'm sorry you are tired of "the whole race argument." I am also tired of institutionalized racism, prejudice, and injustice.
Amy Kurzweil Great article. We should expect writers to do their research.
Amy Kurzweil Kai, I wrote this article to hear strong voices on all sides<br>of the spectrum so I really appreciate you voicing your<br>views. I'm particularly interested in this hegemony you<br>reference that seems to usurp ownership of women's bodies to<br>a higher power - religion, marriage, to name a few<br>institutions. While I am not ready to condemn those<br>institutions definitively, I certainly recognize their<br>problematic legacy of disempowering women, and I even<br>recognize that my bias against porn star feminists probably<br>stems from a certain amount of unavoidable indoctrination.<br>Inevitably, we struggle against the structures that inform<br>of our own perceptions when we talk about any ideology. It<br>is what makes these debates so problematic, and so<br>fascinating.
Amy Kurzweil I was hoping someone would comment on that sentence. I'll admit to being a little facetious, and I don't mean to imply that the man's stereotypical role is less difficult or painful to fill completely. It's just different. But we can't pretend that men are as interested in discussing career-family balance as women. Why is that?
Amy Kurzweil Thanks for the props, Susan. And the link!
Amy Kurzweil Great piece! In creative writing, collaboration at the drawing board almost never happens. The newest, freshest stories come when you are free from the confines of other's eyes, from social protocol, from conscious thought, even! When stories pass through multiple pens, the individual voice is lost. Without this specificity, cliche runs rampant. How interesting and true that our fear of solitude dilutes our ideas. I would say that creativity often requires a voyage inward - a scary journey indeed!
Amy Kurzweil It doesn't seem like Gwenyth was really using the word - but its all worth discussing. As a white girl who has, on occasion, been "given a pass" by protectors of the word to use the word, I don't feel comfortable using it. I feel like the N word has become a marker of urban access, a word that marks one's belonging to street culture. Using it myself would be ironic, and thus insensitive to what it it really means to BE an N word in this country.
Amy Kurzweil Katie is receiving flack for taking an individual and emotional appeal to this issue, when that is precisely what her critical commentators are doing. Race is a "sensitive" issue in this country because it is something that makes us feel. What we feel is related to our identities and our experiences with race and with the (often tiresome) conversations about race and inequity. Its worth talking about how we can frame the debate so as to avoid these unproductive feelings. Some are responding to Katie as if she made a choice to feel guilty. What you feel is not always a choice. That being said, hopefully guilt can be turned into gratitude and gratitude into action. The liberal education that can inspire "white guilt" is meant, I think, as a call to action, as long as one can see it that way.
Amy Kurzweil Great article. I think it's really too bad that the hetero world (or whatever authority has given us our ideas about how things should be) has projected binary gender roles onto gay relationships. The beauty of queerness is an escape from fixed roles and identities. I think the straight world has benefited from this sentiment. Also, I think it's worth saying that if the hetero world were more inclusive of queerness, there would be less gay on gay judgement. It's often the case that minority groups internalize hatred from the majority. From a comment below: "If minorities want to be respected by others, they need to first respect each other" - I would argue that minorities should not need to do anything "first" in order to be respected.
Amy Kurzweil "Support" of Israel, as with all political issues when we strip them of their rhetoric, is really not a black or white matter. Blind approval of whatever the Israel Government wants to do, or build, is not a productive way to ensure Israel's safety, at least from my particular Jewish American perspective. When my good friend goes on a bender, for example, I don't buy them the next round. Obama's attitude toward Israel is more nuanced and ultimately more supportive of their welfare. It seems like Republican support of Israel is more of a defensive talking point to temper Christian hegemony, like "I support diversity - Look -- I have a Jewish penpal!" Personally, Obama's stance on diplomacy and his measured actions in the Middle East have made me feel safer as a Jew and an American.
Amy Kurzweil Great article, Mattie. It's important that we recognize women who refuse to ignore lingering gender inequalities. I'm curious though, why do you think Kristin Wiig is reluctant to use the term 'Feminist' when describing her stance as 'Pro-woman' in the video posted above? Is she smartly edging away from this label or is she fearful of it for some unwarranted reason? Does she consider the term outdated? Do others feel that way?
Amy Kurzweil Thanks for the suggestion Jordan! It seems like a unique blend of cartoon, comic and traditional narrative storytelling techniques, and the images look beautiful. I'll definitely check it out.
Amy Kurzweil Public figures may be prone to scandal precisely because they are in the public eye. They can't address marital problems for fear of judgment. Ironic.
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Amy Kurzweil Thanks, Mark. I agree with you, and I believe what you are describing is institutionalized racism.
Amy Kurzweil Thanks for sharing your personal experience, Emen.
Amy Kurzweil I hope you understand that I am not calling Ms. Mort racist. Other people are, and I am mocking that claim in order to make a more serious one: Our world is racist. It is difficult to disprove this claim, and those of us operating in this racist world need to make decisions, artistic and otherwise, to address it. While I am not claiming that Ms. Mort's choice is wrong (like I said, I haven't seen the film) I believe whole-heartedly that artistic choices can be questioned, judged, and valued. In fact, I believe they must. Art often functions to fosters precisely these kinds of debates.
Amy Kurzweil Mark, the sarcasm in my "white people...racist things" comment should have come through. I was attempting to mock precisely what you find distasteful, that white people accrue flack when they try to celebrate black stories or partake in racial debates. As a white person who does those things, I have encountered both judgement and support for doing so. I believe it is essential for all races to be a part of these stories and these questions about how to tell these stories. Artistically, there are good ways to tell stories, and there are better ways. The story of race in this country needs to told well. I'm sorry you are tired of "the whole race argument." I am also tired of institutionalized racism, prejudice, and injustice.
Amy Kurzweil Great article. We should expect writers to do their research.
Amy Kurzweil Kai, I wrote this article to hear strong voices on all sides<br>of the spectrum so I really appreciate you voicing your<br>views. I'm particularly interested in this hegemony you<br>reference that seems to usurp ownership of women's bodies to<br>a higher power - religion, marriage, to name a few<br>institutions. While I am not ready to condemn those<br>institutions definitively, I certainly recognize their<br>problematic legacy of disempowering women, and I even<br>recognize that my bias against porn star feminists probably<br>stems from a certain amount of unavoidable indoctrination.<br>Inevitably, we struggle against the structures that inform<br>of our own perceptions when we talk about any ideology. It<br>is what makes these debates so problematic, and so<br>fascinating.
Amy Kurzweil I was hoping someone would comment on that sentence. I'll admit to being a little facetious, and I don't mean to imply that the man's stereotypical role is less difficult or painful to fill completely. It's just different. But we can't pretend that men are as interested in discussing career-family balance as women. Why is that?
Amy Kurzweil Thanks for the props, Susan. And the link!
Amy Kurzweil Great piece! In creative writing, collaboration at the drawing board almost never happens. The newest, freshest stories come when you are free from the confines of other's eyes, from social protocol, from conscious thought, even! When stories pass through multiple pens, the individual voice is lost. Without this specificity, cliche runs rampant. How interesting and true that our fear of solitude dilutes our ideas. I would say that creativity often requires a voyage inward - a scary journey indeed!
Amy Kurzweil It doesn't seem like Gwenyth was really using the word - but its all worth discussing. As a white girl who has, on occasion, been "given a pass" by protectors of the word to use the word, I don't feel comfortable using it. I feel like the N word has become a marker of urban access, a word that marks one's belonging to street culture. Using it myself would be ironic, and thus insensitive to what it it really means to BE an N word in this country.
Amy Kurzweil Katie is receiving flack for taking an individual and emotional appeal to this issue, when that is precisely what her critical commentators are doing. Race is a "sensitive" issue in this country because it is something that makes us feel. What we feel is related to our identities and our experiences with race and with the (often tiresome) conversations about race and inequity. Its worth talking about how we can frame the debate so as to avoid these unproductive feelings. Some are responding to Katie as if she made a choice to feel guilty. What you feel is not always a choice. That being said, hopefully guilt can be turned into gratitude and gratitude into action. The liberal education that can inspire "white guilt" is meant, I think, as a call to action, as long as one can see it that way.
Amy Kurzweil Great article. I think it's really too bad that the hetero world (or whatever authority has given us our ideas about how things should be) has projected binary gender roles onto gay relationships. The beauty of queerness is an escape from fixed roles and identities. I think the straight world has benefited from this sentiment. Also, I think it's worth saying that if the hetero world were more inclusive of queerness, there would be less gay on gay judgement. It's often the case that minority groups internalize hatred from the majority. From a comment below: "If minorities want to be respected by others, they need to first respect each other" - I would argue that minorities should not need to do anything "first" in order to be respected.
Amy Kurzweil "Support" of Israel, as with all political issues when we strip them of their rhetoric, is really not a black or white matter. Blind approval of whatever the Israel Government wants to do, or build, is not a productive way to ensure Israel's safety, at least from my particular Jewish American perspective. When my good friend goes on a bender, for example, I don't buy them the next round. Obama's attitude toward Israel is more nuanced and ultimately more supportive of their welfare. It seems like Republican support of Israel is more of a defensive talking point to temper Christian hegemony, like "I support diversity - Look -- I have a Jewish penpal!" Personally, Obama's stance on diplomacy and his measured actions in the Middle East have made me feel safer as a Jew and an American.
Amy Kurzweil Great article, Mattie. It's important that we recognize women who refuse to ignore lingering gender inequalities. I'm curious though, why do you think Kristin Wiig is reluctant to use the term 'Feminist' when describing her stance as 'Pro-woman' in the video posted above? Is she smartly edging away from this label or is she fearful of it for some unwarranted reason? Does she consider the term outdated? Do others feel that way?
Amy Kurzweil Thanks for the suggestion Jordan! It seems like a unique blend of cartoon, comic and traditional narrative storytelling techniques, and the images look beautiful. I'll definitely check it out.
Amy Kurzweil Public figures may be prone to scandal precisely because they are in the public eye. They can't address marital problems for fear of judgment. Ironic.