I enjoy challenging sexism, and I don't mind doing it alone. In fact, I frequently prefer challenging bigotry alone. All too often, people who have similar views on the subject of equality spend more time trying to correct each other than they spend confronting people who don't share the same general family of views. Like when people feel like their particular equality issue is not represented sufficiently in someone else's article, as an example not meant as apropos of anything in particular.
I guess I find such discussions worth having, in some sense, but I'd prefer that people try a little harder to say: "Yes, and also..." instead of "Sure, but more importantly..." Better yet, they could just appreciate those parts of the other person's argument that they find worthwhile, and then write their own darn article about the subject from their own perspective.
No one has the responsibility to try to understand your point of view, and even if they make the choice to try, you may still disagree. You may find people whom you don't want to work with, but for crying out loud, don't take the easy way out by nitpicking at someone who cares enough to want to listen instead of demanding the attention of people who want to insist that prejudice doesn't exist anymore, or doesn't have a serious impact on the productivity of our society.
19 Nov 2013, 10:37 pm
