National Day to eliminate Racism

For those that don't know (I didn't until earlier this week), March 21st, 2013 is the designated date for the elimination of racism.

For people who are regular and active participants in the activism / social justice arena, thinking about racism and white privilege is something that comes up a lot; mostly from people of colour who far too often have to call out their privileged white "allies" who in turn often deny and get defensive when told they have said something insensitive to POC when it comes to. When it comes to unpacking what Peggy McIntosh calls "The Invisible Backpack" of  white privilege (or any other privilege for that matter) if you're a member of the privileged group, this isn't easy at first. For the most part, this is due to denial, misunderstanding and misinterpretation about what's being said. I'll readily admit that admit that I'm one of these white folks who had to do a lot of learning and listening
before I felt comfortable with it. It was the same for all my other privilege cards - male, heterosexual, and cisgender - as well.

But maybe for those of you who don't regularly do such things, maybe today might be a good day for you to try take in a few things about racism. Here's a few tips

1. When someone (especially a person of colour) tells you something you said or did was racist, listen to them. Don't get defensive, deny or get angry. I know this can sometimes be easier said than done. Particularly if you're not used to being confronted. But this is crucial if you want to narrow gaps or build bridges. And don't forget that a sincere apology can go a long way.  I emphasize the word 'sincere' because someone often thinks that intent is all that matters and that if they didn't mean to offend them, then they don't have to apologize. What matters is the effect. Intentions are irrelevant. The same as if you accidentally step on someone's toe. You didn't mean to do it, but that doesn't negate the fact that you still caused that person pain and were responsible for it.

2. This scenario will probably be familiar to many of you; particularly whites. Let's say someone accuses you of being racist and your typical knee jerk reaction is to say "I'm not racist...I have ________ friends!" and you wonder why this doesn't impress them, here's why: statements like these show a lack of understanding how racism works. Racism is a set of ideas about what kind of people POC are. These ideas often operate on a subconscious level

3. When you hear someone else say something racist or offensive and insensitive, call them on it. Let them no, in no ambiguous terms, that you don't agree or appreciate what they just said.

4. Recognize that racism comes in different forms

5. Racism is NOT a feature of human nature. In fact, the whole idea of systemic oppression and inferiority based on a person's skin colour, is a relatively new development in terms of overall human history

A PSA on the use of 'retarded'

I know that as of yet, I haven't really introduced myself. Or talked about the nature of my own disabilities. So with this entry, I'm going to try kill two birds with one stone; I'm going to write about the latter while at the same time venting about something related that I've always had a huge bug up my ass about.

If you've been keeping up to date with issues that keep arising in the small but rapidly growing disability issues blogs, then you may have noticed some seem to come up more frequently than others. One is the use of ableist language and the role it plays in perpetuating the oppression of PWD. Certain terms are 'off limit's. And one among these is the word 'retarded'. Why? Because using it as in insult stigmatizes people with this condition and only reinforces a system of privilege and oppression.

But there's another reason I personally dislike the word retarded as pejorative. And that's the fact that many people using it in such a way really haven't the first fucking clue as to what it actually means.

Mental retardation -- according to wikipedia -- is defined as "a generalized disorder, characterized by significantly impaired cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviors with onset before the age of 18. It has historically been defined as an Intelligence Quotient score under 70." The entry also notes that although at one time the definition "focused almost entirely on cognition, [it] now includes both a component relating to mental functioning and one relating to individuals' functional skills in their environment." So while the definition has broadened a bit as a result of better clinical understanding, it's still a very specific and limited definition. But that hasn't stopped a lot of willfully ignorant fucksticks from throwing the term around casually not only to use it as an insult, but somehow they've also got this notion that it's an appropriate term to assign to someone with ANY kind of disability. Not only have I seen it done to others, I know this all too well from my own personal experience.

I have more than one disability. At the age of three, I was diagnosed as having bengin congenital myopathy (or benign congenital hypotonia). In a nutshell it's a rare condition characterized primarily by weakness of muscles or lack of Type 2 muscle fibers. It's unlike muscular dystrophy in that it doesn't get progressively worse over time, and actually in many cases improves with the onset of puberty (as it did in my case). But it's a permanent and lifelong condition. I also have attention deficit disorder without hyperactivity. And I have also struggled with depression. The cumulative effect of having these conditions is that each one excaberates the other, thus impairing my overall functioning in a way more severely than just one of these conditions would in isolation. This meant I had a myriad of symptoms that manifested themselves. On was my eyelids, which often had a tired, droopy appearance.

"Are you retarded?" was a question I got asked very frequently, usually from my peers, and not in the pejorative sense, but asked as serious inquiry, albeit with undertones of othering, reminding me that there was something visibly different about me. These were invariably the same ones who would subject me to harassment and discrimination.

But it wasn't just me. As a teen, I also knew two other kids with visible disabilities. One had a mild form of cerebal palsy, the other one had a condition I can't remember the name of, but part of his symptomology was protruding eyeballs and some speech difficulties. In the eyes of many other kids, were "retarded". Their indiscriminate use of the word was a lot like their indiscriminate use of the racial slur 'Paki', to describe any person of colour from south Asia or the middle east. And it's not just kids or people who are simply uneducated. I've heard all manner of people using the term in this way.

Sometimes I don't know which is worse...using a legitimate word like retarded in an ableist, derogatory way or using it in earnest without really knowing what the fuck it means in the first place. Either way, to those of you reading whom this applies, I would like to ask a favour...

Stop. Doing. That. Shit - Seriously.