Second attempt today writing. Here. We. Go!
My friend Trey pointed out earlier this
week that my initials spell S.J.W. This is incidental because I also happened
to rain on everyone’s parade growing up. I was at the epicenter of the phrase’s
inception back in 2014, when I was at Sequart Organization. (At least it was
brought to my attention / I noticed it, and others making a scene about it.)
SJW stands for “social justice warrior,” a pejorative word that typically hyperbolizes
a liberal minded person that takes a stand on a number of social issues, to the
effect of making others very aware
of systemic disenfranchisement of minorities and the LGTBQ community. My
careful wording of this implies that, while I cringe at the small proportion of
the general population that such a label applies to, I do not enjoy the term,
its use, and practice. It’s very misleading. It supposes that someone who wants
to be a part of something but is denied entry to that subculture / practice and
voices their very reasonable concern for not gaining entry has sinister motives
for doing so.
As a
white male I have yet to assess my privilege. (Many online surveys I have taken
suggest it to be “Moderate to High”.) I have been told that it is “very good.” But
the issue I have with SJWs is the impact they have on a very moderate
population of women and minorities that are trying to be accepted into the fold
of popular entertainment. In order to pave the way for change, an open dialogue
has to be made with the opposing side. Empathy, to understand the impact that disenfranchisement
has on the Other, is key. This is what was revealed in Kenneth and Mamie Clark’s
doll experiments during
the Civil Rights case, Brown Vs Board of
Education. The arguments I’ve seen thus far are artificially divisive where
each side regurgitates the company line like a 14 year old using their parent’s
arguments for why abortion is right / wrong. I recall one article
a colleague of mine wrote where he attempted to engage in dialogue with an
Anita Sarkeesian harasser, to no avail. Note: there is no intelligent repartee between
Marc and his specimen, just an oddly robotic dialogue.
The controversy
(still ongoing, last time I checked) generally positions one in the camp of
Sarkeesian’s following, because who wants to side with misogynistic near-rapists?
This is frustrating because there could be something intelligent to say on
behalf of the often paranoid doomsayers. There is a real problem today with the
creation of safe-spaces at universities, the unchecked postmodern deconstruction
of institutions, and the growing sentiment of nihilism, which, in turn,
produces similar soldiers that one could term “SJWs.” I was once told by Julian
Darius that for every Ku Klux Klan parade held, there is a line of Jewish and
Black lawyers willing to defend the KKK’s right to assembly and freedom of
speech. To censure a hate group is still censure. America is great because people
get to have an opinion, even if it is really fucking stupid, still many college
professors have been incorrectly coined racists and bigots because of their
failed attempts to explain this caveat to their students. Freedom of speech
extends to all, including the multinational corporations that own the tights
that Superman wears. People have every right to stop buying comics, organize
protests, and initiate and dialogue between the other side. They do not have
the right to harass and emotionally harm another person because they believe
something different. It’s a two way street people!
My milquetoast
rallying cry to moderation could be extended to many dialogues, including our
own recent presidential race. I don’t think for a moment that Trump has anything
to offer America, or her people. He is Satan. (Owning most if not all of the
biblical titles.) It’s possible that we could have avoided Trump by having these
conversations on consensus, say, thirty years ago, but here we are. Now we have
to make the best of 2017, which I have money on being an amped up iteration of
the Apostle John’s Vision of Revelation.
I’ve
made it a goal to hear someone out this year and next, regardless of their position
on life. This is my resolution for the new year. I hope it can be yours too.
XOX
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