HELLO to Anne Jordan Dashiell and to Jayne s Docherty:
Your debate encourages me to respond to you two in particular. I am pleased
that Jayne has been able to accommodate both the practice and the academic
and this is something I'm sure that most latent academics (like you and I)
aspire to achieve, having had years of grassroots activism. Thanks for the
affirmation, Jayne. I agree with most of your concerns about the language that
is used on the network, and yet we don't want rules, do we? Somehow, I work
towards wanting us all to take some kind of self responsibility that will
enable us (as individuals, as Anne would like) to be able to express ourselves
in any language that does not remind us of mom's generation. I also do
believe that "peace is not the absence of conflict," but I also know that I
don't want any backlash (from white males, hetrosexuals, or any dominant group)
that prevents them understanding either MY plight or my understanding of
oppression. It is not my fear, but I am so aware that rightists like Rush is
just gathering students in particular by the dozens each day. I want to be
able to win those people over to "a new understanding of our society and
culture" and to be able to contribute to a new interaction and communication
"that is different from mom." Is that too difficult for Anne to accept too?
Academically, I FULLY understand Anne's point of view, but having taken that
route, I am not so sure that I can afford to take that approach anymore, and
so am drawn towards Jayne's approach. My personal experience suggests that
I can be very challenging and confrontive at a place like Smith, but belive me,
at a place like Purdue, I will be ignored after the first sentence and no
body will come close. The students here can be very comfortable without ANY
challenge to their lives. As one senior faculty member said to me once,
"parents send their kids here so that they don't change...and you are changing
their views and attitudes too much...." A good piece of advice I thought, but
I feel sure that Anne would perhaps disagree. Perhaps Anne would accept that
it is easier to be confrontive and challenging WHEN I KNOW I HAVE THE OTHER
PERSON HOLDING ON TO ME FOR DEAR LIFE. From my experiences in Jerusalem and
London, I too found that when someone believes my intention or has been hooked
by something I've said or done, then I know I can be influential in changing
their views or in provoking them to extend their thinking into a new realm of
understanding and perspective. So, Anne, if I am to accept your conention
that we have still not learned to cope with other people's anger, then perhaps
I can re-challenge your challenge. When will you know when you have crossed
the line and become merely offensive, and not challenging? How will we know
that we not not taking advantage of "our rights" and misuse our new-found
power and vent our anger all over the place? John F Smith (whoever he is!)
has written a "Bill of Resposibilities" that matches the Bill of Rights. Let
me cite his introduction:
"It would be hard to imagine our society without the protection of basic
freedoms afforded by the Bill of Rights. But [as Amitai Etzioni has argued]
a mature society must pay attention to the responsibilities that go along with
the rights it recognizes. It is time, then, to adopt, at least in our minds
and hearts [EDITORIAL: here, I like this, "in our minds and hearts], a set of
responsibilities to go along with the Bill of Rights. Your own list of
responsibilities may differ from mine [EDITORIAL: again, I like his openness
to a different set of responsibilities from his], but I believe we can agree
that every right has a matching responsibility and that only if we live up to
our responsibilities as well as our rights, can we truely deserve the title of
citizen. Here are ten candidates: ...."
I also understand that some academics challenge the assumption of
responsibilities that come from the right. I too am suspicious of that when
these responsibilities come from someone who doesn't understand the oppression
of other groups, and then there is a whole another discussion that goes on
between "individual rights and group rights." I do know, however, from my
personal experience here in the United States (at all levels), that there is
a misconception of "my rights" and the way that children grow up learning
"their rights" WITHOUT ever learning the "rights of others." As a famous Chief
Justice (Oliver Wendell Holmes said, "Your rights end at the tip of my nose."
How can you, Anne, ensure that your rights do not infringe the rights of Jayne?
I want to thank you both for airing your views, and for both of you for taking
the responsibility of stating clearly what each feels about the statements
made by the other. Knowing how dominant groups have always enjoyed labelling
"THEY" ("them", "the other"), I, in turn empower myself by being "THEY-
centered" or "them-centered" or to consider "the other" as an anthropologist
might. I find this empowering for me, and less threatening for the other!
Just a simple offerring on my part in dealing with crises, problems, conflicts,
and not being centered on me as a manager, teacher, director, counselor, and
how the "problem" affects me. Thanks Jayne and Anne.
CHEERS and NAMASTE [The G-D (or Light) in me salutes the G-D (or Light) in you]
B Frederique S
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>From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tue Oct 25 14:41:37 MDT 1994
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Date: Tue, 25 Oct 1994 13:34:09 -0700 (PDT)
From: David Schlosberg <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Action and diversity
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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I've been sitting back watching the discussion on diversity, and I still
don't think that anyone has gotten to the crux of Dorceta Taylor's
question. If I read her correctly, the question had to do with just
what type of *action* ecofeminism called for, and how to deal with the
reality of the diversity of experiences due to race, class, and gender
in these actions. I'll ask three simple questions.
First, let's hear some examples of ecofeminist action from folks on the
list. What have you done, socially/politically within an ecofeminist
framework? Past examples (written up in various ecofem literature)
include the Women's Pentagon Action, Nevada Test Site actions, and Anti-
incinerator organizing in LA. Let's hear some other examples. I'm sure
even academics (like myself) have some action stories.
Second, just how much *diversity* was there in these actions? Who
participated, and how did you all get along? If an action was diverse,
just how did people communicate and work across differences? How did
the nice slogan "Unity in Diversity" work off of the printed page and in
actual practice?
Third, are there stories from folks who have experience working in
networks or alliances on ecofeminist issues? As I see it, working with
networks and alliances is one way of having unity without uniformity.
One of my favorite ecofeminist pieces is Lee Quinby's "Ecofeminism and
the Politics of Resistance," in the Diamond/Orenstein Reweaving the
World collection. With Foucault, she argues the value of a plurality of
resistance. That's how I view networks and alliances. I'd like to see
some stories, reflections, feedback, on networks or alliances working
with diversity.
Let's see some stories of real diversity in action; maybe even come up
with some ideas for new ones.
David Schlosberg
Department of Political Science
University of Oregon
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Subject: Re: diversity, I guess
Date: Tue Oct 25 16:33:44 1994
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Sara, I stand corrected that you said you felt oppressed at a
spiritual gathering of women, I'm sorry but I mixed together
yours and, I think, Faith's posts. Nonetheless I'm still
mystified why - yours included - there was a spate of posts (as I
said by anecdote or *analogy*) which referred straight
exclusion/oppression by queers. Taken alone, I was certainly not
bothered by your post, I was commenting on what I perceived to be
an undercurrent of perhaps anti-queer sentiment. Paige
