Nicole wrote:
If you bothered to read what I wrote, I said that I believed my
"witnesses" about such things, and they - not joe dees - were the people
I looked to, as guides.
I decide what witnesses count for me. I think you lack an understanding
that I am coherent enough a person to decide my witnesses and evaluate
them. You seem to negate any idea that I could not only do that, but
also bring in my own knowledge and experiences. Let me just say clearly
that I am able to make decisions, choose whom I believe and whom I do
not, decide what "wisdom" I will take and what I judge to be fake. I can
say what I don't like about what someone has said, and what I like about
what someone has said.
If you cannot understand why I would think that way, then fine. However,
there are many who would understand - perhaps it is just cultural.
Susan, I do not (and never did) expect you or joe dees to have the same
respect for my "witnesses" as I do, nor do I have any concern that you
do. I also do not expect you to understand a host of other perspectives
that I have - and again, I do not need you at all to validate them in
anyway.
I am not naive enough to think that I will change the mental paradigms
that anyone has been raised with, certainly not people on this list. I
believe that some on this list, including you Susan, have the mental
paradigm that negate the experiences of others, perhaps most often black
people, or people of color, and reject the idea that you cannot feel
everything and know everything of experiences of those people.
(not that your family would necessarily be able to raise him with this
sense of consciousness and connection)
One day, your grandson may (if he is so blessed) be able to turn to you
and be irritated that grandma thinks she knows how it feels to be a
black person and discriminated against.
However, your paradigm just won't allow you to see it. If I
had to be around you, interact with you, I would find it infuriatingly
untolerable. Fortunately, you don't exist for me any more than I exist
for you.
I would like to voice my disgust for the personal attacks Nicole has
waged on Susan. We are hear to discuss/debate/disagree on topics,
principles, etc., not to attack each other personally. Susan's post was
not mean and did not justify such a mean response. Nicole, venting your
hatred on this list is not the way to highten awareness and/or solve any
environmental, racial, or feminist problem.
Hayley
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