Archive for June, 2008

Dear Bar Review Lecture Guy

Monday, June 16th, 2008

Dear Bar Review Lecture Guy,

It would be much appreciated in the future if, when you tell the story of the will you successfully contested, you refrain from referring to the the young woman that an elderly man married as a ‘young thing.’ It makes it pretty clear that you don’t see her as a human, but as an object.

Furthermore, the fact that when she had a ‘legitimate occupation,’ - legitimate in your opinion - she was a stripper has nothing whatsoever to do with the eventual outcome of the case. There is absolutely no reason for you to mention this except to emphasize that you think she is a dirty, dirty member of the sex caste and is not entitled to any money from her husband - and you know nothing about that relationship except that he was old and she was young. Somehow, in your mind, he’s the victim, despite the fact that she has probably been groped and assaulted by men, and then was cheated out of the things promised to her in her husband’s will.

Please refrain from commenting beyond what I need to know to pass the fucking test.

Thanks!

More on Privilege

Sunday, June 1st, 2008

I’ve been sifting through the Angry Black Woman’s archives, and I love her series on ‘Things You Need to Understand.’  It’s a collection of general principles about privilege in general and racism in particular.  These general principles apply to any form of privilege.

1 - Racism

Racism = Prejudice + Power

By definition, Blacks and other minorities cannot be racist because they do not have insitutional, systemic power.

3 - Racism isn’t over - until the folks who experience it say so.

4 - White Privilege

White Privilege exists whether you know it, acknowledge it, or understand it.

Enough said, but she goes on to patiently explain and give examples. (Which is not her job as a woman of color, either).

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