September 2011
94 posts
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Canada for Spartans by Stephen Henighan
“Discover Canada’s militarism and its propagandistic presentation of history are intertwined. The only two waves of political refugees identified by the guide are Hungarians who “escaped Soviet tyranny” in 1956 and Vietnamese who “fled from Communism” after 1975. My partner, like other aspiring citizens, is acquainted with some of the tens of thousands of Canadians whose families fled...
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Fat acceptance: a basic primer
“To stand pointedly and unapologetically outside a narrow beauty politic constitutes a radical act…
When you open up to the possibility that you can live your life right now instead of waiting for an arbitrary number on the scale, or on the tag in your pants, it blows your world apart. When you adopt a stance of body autonomy and accept the notion that not only is health not ...
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Why the world needs fat acceptance by Lesley...
I love this essay, here are some of my favourite excerpts or you can link to the whole thing
“When I first discovered the idea of fat acceptance, one of the most powerful aspects was the reclamation of sovereignty over my body, and the radical notion that hating myself for failing to be thin was not compulsory, but optional. The alternative was acceptance. Certainly, acceptance is not...
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Anti-racism, race traitors, and whiteness from...
Four ways to get past the paralysis of guilt and do good anti-racist work:
“White guilt is not a useful emotion. It makes us focus on shame and embarrassment, and it makes us feel yucky, and it doesn’t usually prompt us to anti-racist work. So we sit there, and we either feel guilty, or we conquer that guilt by 1) insisting that the racism isn’t occurring, or 2) shifting the...
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The Point Is Not To Interpret Whiteness But To To...
Excerpts from an old but still relevant powerful talk on whiteness by Noel Ignatiev, history professor
“Just as the capitalist system is not a capitalist plot, so racial oppression is not the work of “racists.” It is maintained by the principal institutions of society, including the schools (which define “excellence”), the labor market (which...
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There’s White and Then There’s Whiteness
Rather long but useful blogpost about whiteness and privilege in response to an earlier piece written by irresistible revolution (see: http://irresistable-revolution.blogspot.com/2011/07/whiteness-buddhism-and-safe-spaces.html) commenting about Cultural appropriation and Buddhism in North American Buddhism , Madhushala also provides some great resources and the following reflective questions for...
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A great resource for anti-racist teaching
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Truth is what man silences through the very practice of language
Michel de Certeau, The writing of history (1975)
Photo taken by Ruth DeSouza Auckland Wintergardens, 2010
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Why whites are blind to their racism Wed 2 Jul...
“The long answer is this:
America was founded on two crimes: taking the land of the red man and bringing the black man in chains to work it. To feel right and good about that whites had to be racist. They had to think of themselves as far better and more human than others.
So not only was the country built on racism, so were the hearts and minds of white people.
Back then racism was...
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colour-blind racism
In my PhD I’ve been interested in how negative values of particular groups can be held in tandem with liberal principles of equality, tolerance, fairness and justice by nurses thereby contributing to racial inequality in what is sometimes termed ‘new racism.’ I like Abagond’s more direct explanation of colour-blind or aversive racism. In other countries I am sure you can insert a...
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How to talk to white people about racism
A rather great blog by Abagond and this piece links with a whole lot of other ones about racism. I also liked another piece: Derailing for Dummies-making discrimination easier:
The website tells you how to use each of these derailing arguments:
If You Won’t Educate Me How Can I Learn
If You Cared About These Matters You’d Be Willing To Educate Me
You’re Being Hostile.
But That Happens...
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Neoliberalism and home care
A great read of the gendered impacts of neoliberalism
“Women’s Work and Invisibility
“Women’s labour is often the most exploited,” according to Sharmeen Khan, an organizer and spokesperson for the Toronto Community Mobilization Network that put together much of the infrastructure that groups used for protesting the G20 summit in June. Pressure that gives women fewer options other than...
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Life gives the story
Beautiful story about empowering women with needle and thread, preserving heritage creating treasures and regaining self-respect. Thanks for the link Leon Tan.
Photo copyright Anil Advani and Kantha Productions LLC
Jews in a Whisper
A thoughtful piece about Jewish diaspora identity politics
“The lesson is clear: Jews, with their history, cannot become the systematic oppressors of another people. They must be vociferous in their insistence that continued colonization of Palestinians in the West Bank will increase Israel’s isolation and ultimately its vulnerability.
That — not fanning Islamophobia — is the task...
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Deeply Embarrassed White People Talk Awkwardly...
“Our racial thinking needs a truly twenty-first-century upgrade,” Benjamin writes. “Identity politics is letting America down, on the one hand. Race and structural racism still matter, on the other.”
“Rather than thoughtfully discussing race,” he writes, “Americans love to reduce racial politics to feelings and etiquette. It’s the personal and...
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