Quote:
Originally Posted by powderjunkie
I guess I just don't get the inclination to critique (or dare I say nit-pick) allies at all. It seems to be common to most social justice issues - and while it definitely feels like a bit of a trivial thing to grumble about from the "just trying to be a good cis-white-guy" bleachers - I think it really serves to suppress constructive conversation.
It can certainly be obnoxious to hear newly 'enlightened' old white guys proselytize with what seems like an undercurrent of gratitude seeking...but I think it's just part of the journey.
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A very far left wing person I know was very aware of this tendency and called it "Granholier than Thou".
She pointed out that many far left people, who are often stereotyped as granola eating, neo-Hippies, do like to set up all sorts of purity tests and take a weird joy in calling out others who don't pass these tests rather than appreciating that the person they're excluding (irony!) is actually (trying to be) supportive of their position but may not always know all the codewords and acceptable actions.
I'm reminded of a cultural sensitivity workshop I attended decades ago and having it stressed that we all *must* use the word Indigenous instead of other outdated terms like "Native" or "Indian" or some of the worse ones.
I happened to end up giving a ride back to my office to an Indigenous Elder who was on our board of directors at the time and as we talked about the workshop, she said "You know, I don't mind the word 'Indian". It's what I grew up with, it's what I know, it's what I'm used to. I'm really more concerned about people's actions than their words."
That made a lot of sense and stayed with me - there is no single way to be supportive and the most important thing is to try your best.