History of Feminism

It is most certainly not for the faint of heart. It is not easy to look closely at ourselves and confront our bigotries, and they are many, both conscious and not. Truly listening to someone tell you that you hold bigotry inside you is both painful and enlightening. But here's the way I look at it: as tough as it is to admit my prejudices, it is one hell of a lot harder for the person on the receiving end. I can't stomach the thought that my ignorance of myself would bring others harm. It's one thing to screw up on occasion, and another to shut yourself off from criticism or advice entirely, which is what many privileged progressives do.

There is a huge amount of resistance among the white liberal community to the fact that we are and always will be complicit to some extent in the oppression of PoC. Though I suppose it's to be expected, it's disheartening. I see the same thing when it comes to women's rights and liberal men. Above all, we need to listen and empathize. This is, I think, why there was such a large backlash against people who called out (and rightfully so) Patricia Arquette for her comments backstage. We refused to listen, and instead of attempting to understand our own reaction, we diminished and trivialized the issues presented.

Thanks for the article.