I had a professor in a college class called Death and Dying who gave a
lecture on preconceptions one day and said something that really made me
stop and think. She said "A preconception to us is like water to a fish". I
might not be saying it right but I hope I am. She meant that we have these
preconceptions of people, these stereotypes, prejudices, etc., and
sometimes they seem as natural and normal to us as water seems to be normal
to a fish. I am not trying to justify or excuse any person who would say
something like "slanty eyed food", but it at least gives me a perspective
of how to deal with people like that.
----------
> From: Jessica Leann Urban <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: STUDIES IN WOMEN AND ENVIRONMENT <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Subject: Re: The woman/girl thing
> Date: Thursday, April 15, 1999 1:11 PM
>
>
> Hi!
>
> RE: "Yesterday, the same man who called his female
> colleagues "girls" said no, he didn't like Thai food,
> in fact he doesn't like any "slanty eyed food." Wow.
> I was too stunned to say anything. But I'd love
> anyone's input on how to address that sort of racism."
>
> Have you read the book "Words that Wound"? The authors' names escape me
> at the moment -- it's an edited book from the perspective of Critical
Race
> Theory and a must read. It talks about the kind of comments used by the
> man you noted above and thier implications and ways to combat racism more
> broadly, including assaultive/hate speech.
>
> Jessica
>
>
>
>
> On Thu, 15 Apr 1999, Heather McKenzie wrote:
>
> >
> > I recently read an "article" in some silly "women's
> > magazine" (maybe Self?) about women proudly reclaiming
> > the word "girl," which I thought was a bunch of hooey
> > propagated by the "token torturers" (Mary Daly's
> > phrase) in influential places. Reclaiming the word
> > girl may have it's place - like people have said,
> > maybe to give oneself a sense of youth, or perhaps it
> > has different connotations in African American
> > culture, for example. But in white, mainstream
> > america, calling women "girls" puts them in a position
> > of disempowerment, where they are made of sugar and
> > spice and everything nice. I think you have to
> > respect the labels people apply to themselves, and
> > really try not to label them or put them in boxes
> > yourself. I think that is a tenet of ecofeminism.
> >
> > The whole workplace thing is another can of worms. I
> > changed the battery in my car yesterday and was late
> > for work because of it, and boy were the men in shock.
> > How did I get it out, they asked. It is so heavy.
> > Give me a break! I also have men telling other men
> > not to use "that kind of language" in my presence,
> > setting me up as delicate. And inferior. Not
> > acceptable.
> >
> > Yesterday, the same man who called his female
> > colleagues "girls" said no, he didn't like Thai food,
> > in fact he doesn't like any "slanty eyed food." Wow.
> > I was too stunned to say anything. But I'd love
> > anyone's input on how to address that sort of racism.
> >
> > Heather
> > ===
> > "The book of history has many missing pages
> > murmured the madonna of the middle ages."
> > -Michele Shocked
> > _________________________________________________________
> > Do You Yahoo!?
> > Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
> >
> >
