Why can’t people get intersectionality?

As I work more in the field of social justice, I’m finding it increasingly frustrating that people can’t seem to see past their own one dimensional issues. When talking about women’s issues, we cannot ignore that black women too have their story. When talking about LGBT issues, we cannot forget that the economy and class have much more to do with access to power. So while white gay men may be more accepted in society (especially in the media), there are still monumental stigmas against homosexuality in the black and latino communities.

Racism Review presents a great article on Katie Couric who, despite her social standing, fails to make the connection among oppressions. Amazingly, she even has the audacity to say that sexism is much more prevalent and worse that racism.

Let’s not pull too much history in here to refute that comment, but I believe, as does Racism Review, that it is all too easy to ignore the interconnectedness of the issues presented here. Both sexism and racism are horrible, yes, but we must go beyond naming them as such. We must bridge the issues. They are related. Instead of going toe to toe over which oppression has a greater history, or which is more prevalent in the US, let’s take a look at the social constructions that constitute their very existence.

Make the connections, people!

EDIT:  Feministing.com has some more to add to this tidbit of news.  Looks like our friends at Faux News are trying to compete in the “oppression olympics”…

~ by alacrity1123 on July 24, 2008.