Experiencing Isms
I all the time hear people say, "Racism does not exist. Everyone has equal rights. It's illegal not to have equal rights." On the other hand, I hear others proclaim how they have been discriminated against because of their race. How can both responses be justified?
In short, they can't.
I am a white, American female. I cannot relate to the experiences of someone who is not white. Therefore, I cannot say that their experiences have not happened.
I can look at our Constitutional rights and, in my own ignorance, proclaim that everyone has the same rights. This is a fact. The problem is, facts on paper lie. Facts on paper may be the goal. They are a worthy goal. They may look good. But they do not reflect real life.
When I worked in retail, when it came time to re-set the modules (which items were to be displayed on which shelves), it was always a combination being comical and frustrating. Everyone - from the managers who set up these new modules to the people who, like me, stocked the shelves would laugh at the new guidelines. Most of the time, there was too much product for the shelves and those who had experience in that department would have to tweak the rules on paper to make it fit real life. That is because those who wrote the fact had never set the modules. They had never stocked the shelves. They may have had good intentions, but they did not have the experience of putting the product on the shelves.
Recently, I attempted to explain how classism has affected me, personally. When I attempted to explain this, the automatic reaction I received from someone with more privilege than I have was, "Are you trying to tell me you feel you have been discriminated against?"
In short, yes. I have.
As I wrote yesterday, the mindset of discrimination is prevalent in our society. Unless one has experienced it, that individual will not understand. People who have not experienced the oppression of classism will not understand it. Just as I cannot fully comprehend racism. I can understand it in theory. However, I cannot understand it deeply. I cannot feel the effects of racism the way someone who has lived it can.
I explain it this way: If you have never tasted sugar, and I attempt to explain to you how a piece of candy tastes, you will be tempted to think I am making it up. Nothing can taste like that. You may be tempted to tell me I am crazy. Nothing could taste like what I am describing.
The same is true of isms. Racism, classism, sexism, ageism - these all exist. They are very real to the people who experience them every day. It is not up to those who have never tasted their bitterness to say that they do not.
In short, they can't.
I am a white, American female. I cannot relate to the experiences of someone who is not white. Therefore, I cannot say that their experiences have not happened.
I can look at our Constitutional rights and, in my own ignorance, proclaim that everyone has the same rights. This is a fact. The problem is, facts on paper lie. Facts on paper may be the goal. They are a worthy goal. They may look good. But they do not reflect real life.
When I worked in retail, when it came time to re-set the modules (which items were to be displayed on which shelves), it was always a combination being comical and frustrating. Everyone - from the managers who set up these new modules to the people who, like me, stocked the shelves would laugh at the new guidelines. Most of the time, there was too much product for the shelves and those who had experience in that department would have to tweak the rules on paper to make it fit real life. That is because those who wrote the fact had never set the modules. They had never stocked the shelves. They may have had good intentions, but they did not have the experience of putting the product on the shelves.
Recently, I attempted to explain how classism has affected me, personally. When I attempted to explain this, the automatic reaction I received from someone with more privilege than I have was, "Are you trying to tell me you feel you have been discriminated against?"
In short, yes. I have.
As I wrote yesterday, the mindset of discrimination is prevalent in our society. Unless one has experienced it, that individual will not understand. People who have not experienced the oppression of classism will not understand it. Just as I cannot fully comprehend racism. I can understand it in theory. However, I cannot understand it deeply. I cannot feel the effects of racism the way someone who has lived it can.
I explain it this way: If you have never tasted sugar, and I attempt to explain to you how a piece of candy tastes, you will be tempted to think I am making it up. Nothing can taste like that. You may be tempted to tell me I am crazy. Nothing could taste like what I am describing.
The same is true of isms. Racism, classism, sexism, ageism - these all exist. They are very real to the people who experience them every day. It is not up to those who have never tasted their bitterness to say that they do not.
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