In this context, it merits being added that the "Dalit" identity of Raya Sarkar got challenged, in the course of the debate triggered by the protests by some older and eminent feminists against her method of "naming and shaming".
She, in turn, dropped the "Dalit" tag and claimed that she's a "queer". The point of salince here's whether the "identity" of a proponent, among so many, as "Dalit" or "Adivasi" or "Muslim" or "queer" or whatever - indicating one being from a marginalised and oppressed "community", can make any difference to the merit of the arguments being put forward on an issue having no direct link with such "identity". That one needs to ponder over. Reproduced below are Raya's interjaction in the subject debate on the web portal Kafila (< https://kafila.online/2017/10/28/from-feminazi-to-savarna-rape-apologist-in-24-hours/#more-37570>), from her comrade Inji Pennu and another two immediately following. I/IV. Raya Hi, I am Raya, I’m queer, I would like to identify as a Buddhist and not harassed to ‘out’ my caste. FYI Sarkar is a very common last name in DBA communities. I do not want to ‘out’ my family to their casteist diaspora. I made the list to make students wary of sexual harassers by taking first hand account from victims. I did not create the list to discredit anyone’s feminist credentials but to point out the systemic failures in academia to address sexual harassment. However, this past week has been eye-opening for me. From rape threats to messages asking me to ‘kill myself’ from I’m guessing- sock accounts, to various forms of sexual harassment apologia. I never thought this list would go viral as I do not have a massive following. It was for my friends to be wary of predators. I have a collection of testimonies, emails, screencaps, recordings etc and above all I chose to believe the victims who risked their anonymity being exposed to express their jarring and traumatic experiences. Similar lists are being created all over the world- recently the right wing Tory party created one to make people wary of the sexual predators within their own party. Shitty men in media was created. Kevin Spacey exposed, Weinstein exposed. Yet, in south asia survivors are not to be believed. Neither am I some BJP member nor am I a reputed feminist of stature or a public figure. I am a feminist, and hopefully a principled one. I am a student, and I am a believer in survivors. And I will not out any survivor against their consent. I would have deeply appreciated if seasoned feminists would come from a place of empathy and not hostility, genuinely asking me or survivors in general what measures we can all collectively take, and must take to end this system of violence, hiding, fear, anonymity. Sad that instead people see this as a ‘turf’ war and my free speech is being gagged with threats of suits of defamation a colonial outdated law that needs to go. I am glad that many victims have come forward since then, myself included [ I provided evidence, screenshots] Thank you for traumatising me, thank you for traumatising the other victims, thank you for making students feel less safe. I will remember this. And don’t worry everyone’s feminist credentials are intact, after all y’all run the show. Best Raya 31/10/2017 AT 4:50 AM II/IV. Inji Pennu In solidarity Raya. I wish these Kafila feminists with their social science degrees had 1 perc of the humility you have in your response. Instead they sound like chewing everyone’s head off in an argument. With all the theories what they just don’t get is that you took courage to stand with the victims, with no power of privilege. 01/11/2017 AT 2:02 AM III/IV. Meow Very interesting response. //I am Raya, I’m queer, I would like to identify as a Buddhist and not harassed to ‘out’ my caste.// If anyone outed your caste its you yourself. Remember that post that you made (now deleted) about how as a “Dalit” woman you are taking on the “savarna feminist/establishment” etc.? Now its strange that you are asking others not to “out” your caste. //I am glad that many victims have come forward since then, myself included [ I provided evidence, screenshots] // The screenshots that you provided of your conversation of yourself and Mr Tellis actually shows no harassment of any kind. It shows your willing participation in Mr Tellis’s matchmaking. The screenshots of that entire conversation has now been released in FB and anyone can read it. This raises question as to what you considered as evidence in putting people in that list. (Not revealing my name since I dont want to find myself in any Lists since I am unsure of your listing ability or criteria) 01/11/2017 AT 9:08 PM IV. Harnidh Kaur Hello Raya, nice to see you come out of the woodwork. As our self-proclaimed Messiah, would you be so kind as to look into the case of one professor in the Dept of Civics and Politics, University of Mumbai, accused of sexual harassment? Please find out more about the case and get back to us at the earliest, will you? You do care about young students who face sexual harassment in universities, don’t you? You wouldn’t want any voice unheard, any victim silenced, would you? You do believe sexual predators in high places should be “outed” so that future students can take heed, don’t you? Especially, as in the case of this professor, where due process failed the victim! Would you believe it! This predator used his Dalit card to accuse the student of caste atrocity because she reported the sexual harassment he committed against her! Unless of course it is too much trouble to bother with regional universities. Unless of course, it matters only when the accused is upper caste. Unless of course, it was never about sexual harassment in the first place, but only about caste. In which case, my apologies! For I believed you, Raya. I believed you when you said you believe all victims. When you screamed on your facebook page – “I BELIEVE YOU, I BELIEVE YOU, I BELIEVE YOU”. I wouldn’t want to believe you would EVER support a sexual harasser. For there is no easy recourse to “Brahminical Patriarchy” in the confounding case of this professor – a Dalit predator in a position of power, abusing a Savarna victim. Tell us then, Raya, where do you stand? Best, Harnidh PS: I would have outed the name of the professor, but I’m afraid I don’t quite have you messianic status. 08/11/2017 AT 1:15 PM END The last one raises an interesting issue - what happens when two oppressed identities clash? One is to take a stand on the basis of which identity is more oppressed or the merits of the case on the table? In case of the latter, whether it'd be a general principle, applicable in all cases? Sukla On Mon, 15 Oct 2018 at 19:37, Sukla Sen <[email protected]> wrote: > > Two themes, in the write-up reproduced below, are tightly intertwined - > (i) the saga of the wrtiter's own personal experience of humiliations, and > worse, by her Savarna peers, with a hint of sexual harassment, thrown in > in passing, and (ii) why and how Raya Sarkar, a Dalit, has been divested > of the honour, her rightful due, of being designated as the pioneer > the #MeToo wave/movement in India by the crafty Savarna feminists. > Both the strands have been framed agaist the general backdrop > of humiliations, and worse, of Dalits in India by the Savarnas of all hues, > the liberals and the likes specifically included. > That's, in a way, the third and, arguably, the central strand. > > Not much point in trying to get into the writer's personal story, for it's > too personal, with much of the details not accessible to others, even if we > assume that it follows and validates a general pattern of discrimnations > and oppressions. > > The following paragraph, arguably capturing the very essence of the rather > longish piece, is, for that reason, critical: > > <<I want to know: What does this country tell Dalit women when > casteists get away with leading its liberal feminist discourse? What > does the country tell us when we receive discriminations no matter > what, but are not allowed to mention it unless we present some > ridiculous piece of paper called a “caste certificate”, in a country > where over half the population doesn’t have birth certificates or > voter ID cards, and the bureaucracy that delivers these papers is a > huge mess of corruption and red tape? What does the country tell us > when Savarna women and ***the Savarna media erase the movement one of > us created—single-handedly, bearing great personal risk to themselves, > and not only for Dalit women—to build another movement of their own*** > [emphasis added]? Does it tell us that the country cares about our > narratives or our safety?>> > > Before going into the issue proper, it may be mentioned that the > author, Mimi Mondal - or Monidipa Mondal, is an alumni of the Jadavpur > University in Calcutta/Kolkata, now based in New York. > She, evidently, writes in English. > Therefore, her readership need not be exclusively, in fact, even > primarily, Indian. > Just in passing. > But, it's relevant in the context of her grievances. > > In any case, now let's come back to Raya Sarkar. > > Before, casting a closer look at Sarkar, we must clarify to ourselves > what's the #MeToo movement? > The Wiki provides: > <<The Me Too movement (or #MeToo movement), with many local and > international alternatives, is a movement against sexual harassment > and sexual assault.[1][2] #MeToo spread virally in October 2017 as a > hashtag used on social media in an attempt to demonstrate the > widespread prevalence of sexual assault and harassment, especially in > the workplace.[3] It followed soon after the sexual misconduct > allegations against Harvey Weinstein.[4][5] Tarana Burke, an American > social activist and community organizer, began using the phrase "Me > Too" as early as 2006, and the phrase was later popularized by > American actress Alyssa Milano, on Twitter in 2017. Milano encouraged > victims of sexual harassment to tweet about it and "give people a > sense of the magnitude of the problem".[6][7] This was met with > success that included but was not limited to high-profile posts from > several American celebrities, including Gwyneth Paltrow,[8] Ashley > Judd,[9] Jennifer Lawrence,[10] and Uma Thurman.[11]>> > (Ref.: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me_Too_movement>.) > > The defining feature of the #MeToo is, however, that not only the > sexual predators - men in positions of power, were outed, but the > accusers also stuck their necks out and came out of the shell of > anonymity. > That provided the movement the real teeth. > It was no longer anonymous complaints. > Real people, with real names and faces, making complaints against real > people. > > Now, Raya Sarkar. > (Btw, if I recall it correctly, she's also an alumni of the Jadavpur > University. > Her FB page does not provide any info on her past. > It only shows that she had been a student of the UC Davis School of > Law, California. > Now lives in Oakland, California. > She's a lawyer.) > Almost a year back, Sarkar, not "single-handedly", but,with the active > assistance of another actvist Inji Pennu, originating from Kochi and > living in San Diego, California, had a launched an online list - in > fact, two, of alleged sexual predators in academic institutions. > ***The point to be noted is that the accusers remained anonymous.*** > (Of course, the names of accusers were with Sarkar.) > > Relevant in this context.: > <<Published on Facebook on October 24, the list was compiled by law > student Raya Sarkar who claimed to have gathered the names directly > from students with the intention of warning other young women about > sexual harassers. Later, another blogger Inji Pennu created a Google > spreadsheet, inviting others to add names with some more details such > as a description of the complaint and the number of complainants. The > alleged crimes listed against the professors ranged from verbal abuse > to molestation and rape.>> > (See: <https://scroll.in/article > /856589/universities-respond-to-raya-sarkars-list-of-alleged-sexual-predators-mostly-silence-some-denials > >.) > > At least a few should be able to recall that the manner in which the > accusations were aired invited strong objections from some (older and > established) feminists in India. (Ref.: > <https://scroll.in/article > /855321/list-naming-and-shaming-alleged-sexual-harassers-in-indian-universities-sparks- > a-debate> > and <https://www.newslaundry.com > /2017/10/27/raya-sarkars-facebook-vigilantism-name-shame>.) > > Be that as it may, the two best known names were Dipesh Chakrabarty > and Partha Chatterjee. > The list(s) created a good deal of stir. > Just not in the social media, but also in the mainstream media, e.g.: > <https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-41862615>, > < > http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2017/oct/25/sexual-harassment-by-professors-33-colleges-named-in-raya-sarkars-facebook-post-1682965.html > >, > <https > ://www.indiatoday.in/mail-today/story/metoo-name-and-shame-professors-sexual-offenders-fb-list-raya-sarkar-1071233-2017-10-29 > >. > <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iIQZinQ-EY>. > > Be that as it may, Partha Chatterjee, publicly issued a detailed > rebuttal of the allegations against him (ref.: > <https > ://thewire.in/education/partha-chatterjees-statement-name-shame-campaign > >). > He also threatened to take due legal actions. > > << (Sarkar) wrote on her wal in response to Partha Chatterjee's public > statement carried by The Wire: > <<Dear Partha Chatterjee, I wasnt updating the spreadsheet Inji was. > ***I deleted the lspreadheet*** [emphasis added] since then because it > is an unsecure way to report as google docs can be hacked easily. Inji > does not need to explain, maybe they weren't following the threads > closely, I don't know. I wasn't paying attention to the spreadsheet as > I have mid terms to study for and this has been very overwhelming for > me. I haven't kept track for which I apologise. However if this is the > only response, instead of taking accountability then nevermind. ***The > [FB] list will stay for students to be wary*** [emphasis added]>> > (Then the page was accessible to "all". ) > (Ref.: <https://groups.google.com > /forum/#!searchin/greenyouth/Sukla$20Sen$2C$20Guess$2C$20Raya$20Sarkar$20entered$20on$20her$20FB$20wall$20that$20the$20google$20doc$20had$20been$20taken$20down.%7Csort:date/greenyouth/3MHWlIw24qw/sNya0DxwAwAJ > >.) > > ***However, in the process, both the lists got folded up, i.e. deleted.*** > In about 12 or 13 days of launching the first list. > > Sarkar's FB account was made inaccessible to non-Friends. > Now, she has an account under the name 'Raya Steier', which is, > however, accessible. > > ***The defining difference is that, this time, the accusers came out > in the open, pulling aside the veil of anonymity.*** > And despite legal actions by the accused, e.g. M J Akbar and Alok > Nath, the accusers have stood their ground. > That's what made this, second wave - if one chooses to term it so, a > real #Me Too. > Not a false start, as had been the case earlier. > > Sukla > > > https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/a-dalit-womans-thoughts-on-metooindia-5402538/ > > A Dalit woman’s thoughts on #MeTooIndia > We Dalits, and especially Dalit women, are not accustomed to receiving > that kind of belief from Savarna social systems, or even our own Savarna > friends. > > Written by Mimi Mondal | > > Updated: October 15, 2018 3:44:55 pm > > A Dalit woman’s thoughts on #MeTooIndia > > For generations in India, Dalits have been actively stopped from speaking. > It’s a marvellous nexus—the actively casteist population doesn’t even > consider us human enough, and the population that pretends to be anti-caste > forcefully silences us. > The Stonewall Riots for LGBTQ rights were started in 1960 by two trans > women of colour, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. > > “Me Too” was a campaign against sexual harassment started in 2007 by a > Black woman activist, Tarana Burke. > > The media expose of sexual harassment in workplaces India was started by a > Dalit woman, Raya Sarkar, in 2017. Yet the #Metoo movement has apparently > only arrived in India last month. > > Do you see the similarities yet? > > I could talk about endless things, but I will start from a personal > experience. I am a writer of science fiction and fantasy, a genre of > literature that’s not very popular in India outside its small, specific > communities. I have been writing for years, but I was thrown into wider > public attention only earlier this year, when I became the first Indian to > be nominated for the prestigious Hugo Award. > > Being the first person from the country to achieve something is an immense > honour, I immediately faced backlash from a section of the science fiction > community in India: “Why her? Why did it have to be this Dalit woman?” This > did not make mainstream news, because the internal workings of the science > fiction community doesn’t often make mainstream news in India. But I am > still hearing slander from my social and professional networks back home: > “We do not like her; she doesn’t represent us; she cheated her way into > this achievement; she’s an attention seeker…” Slander from people I don’t > personally know, people who have never worked or even interacted with me. > > None of these words is unfamiliar to me. Today, I want to know: Why are > Savarna Indians so reluctant to be represented by a Dalit woman, even > someone who is a stranger, someone whose work is not specifically for or > about Dalits? Nobody says Leander Paes is a Christian or Kalpana Chawla is > a Haryanvi—they don’t represent me. Raya Sarkar’s list wasn’t only for > Dalit women, yet Savarna India needed a new, unrelated #Metoo movement to > feel comfortable talking about large-scale sexual harassment. What message > does that send to us Dalit women? > > The message it sends us is the message that our mothers and grandmothers > have whispered to us for generations. It’s the message that the rest of > India has not only refused to listen, but also actively silenced. > > For generations in India, Dalits have been actively stopped from speaking. > It’s a marvellous nexus—the actively casteist population doesn’t even > consider us human enough, and the population that pretends to be anti-caste > forcefully silences us. Every time we try to make a point about our > different experiences, liberal Savarnas shut us up with scoldings of “We > don’t believe in caste! There is no different experience! You are just > trying to get attention!” Every time we try to raise our voices within a > movement, we are told we’re trying to be “divisive” and that “This is not > the right time.” > > This is what our mothers and grandmothers have taught us: It is never the > right time in India to care about our oppressions. There are movements and > protests that benefit Savarnas, and whatever little we can glean from them > we will receive, but we are not allowed to mention what we didn’t get. We > are never welcome to start anything, because we don’t represent you, we are > just the silent numbers you can either oppress, ignore or “uplift” for your > causes. > > How come we have always had these different experiences, and liberal > Savarnas are still being shaken out of wide-eyed innocence each time they > hear about it? Let me tell you about the myth of the “privileged Dalit”. > > The one person Savarnas traditionally cannot stand is the Dalit who can > speak. That person is therefore no longer a “real Dalit.” So all the Dalits > who are well-educated, articulate, have enough social safety—the only ones > of us who have the power and skills to raise their voice and criticise the > Savarna hegemony—are effectively delegitimised from speaking for our > community. Raya or Meena or Christina or Thenmozhi or Sujatha or I are not > the “right” kind of Dalit for liberal Savarna tastes. The “right” kind of > Dalit is the body that was pulled down from the tree or fished out of the > sewer, because that one is no longer squeaking. > > I want to know: What does this country tell Dalit women when casteists get > away with leading its liberal feminist discourse? What does the country > tell us when we receive discriminations no matter what, but are not allowed > to mention it unless we present some ridiculous piece of paper called a > “caste certificate”, in a country where over half the population doesn’t > have birth certificates or voter ID cards, and the bureaucracy that > delivers these papers is a huge mess of corruption and red tape? What does > the country tell us when Savarna women and the Savarna media erase the > movement one of us created—single-handedly, bearing great personal risk to > themselves, and not only for Dalit women—to build another movement of their > own? Does it tell us that the country cares about our narratives or our > safety? > > The most important feature of the #Metoo movement is that it is built on > trust. A woman who has much less power than her abuser and often no > documentation that would hold up in a court comes out to the public with > her narrative, trusting that people would believe her experience. That when > it comes to her-word-against-his situations, people would believe the > woman’s word. If people don’t extend that belief the entire process > backfires on the woman, who risks losing personal and professional safety, > possibly for life. > > We Dalits, and especially Dalit women, are not accustomed to receiving > that kind of belief from Savarna social systems, or even our own Savarna > friends. You have always told us that our experiences were false, mistaken, > divisive, bids for attention. One doesn’t have to be an activist or scholar > to know this. Our mothers and grandmothers have warned us, because they > received these betrayals again and again, and they’ve only been allowed to > exist next to you in your societies because they silenced themselves. We > have been present for your fights, and then you let us down and told us to > shut up when your own purpose was served. You have never protected us from > abusers, often even thrown us at abusers to protect yourselves. We do not > trust you. > > I also have a #Metoo story, but Savarna India will not hear it today. I > will not confide in you the horror, pain and trauma with which I am still > living every day, only to watch you form a protective ring around one of > your own and call me a liar. I will not present my “caste certificate” and > the detailed histories of my parents, relatives and ancestors for the > entertainment of your sordid “liberal feminists” and their supporters. I > will not throw into your ring my education, professional credibility, > romantic history, every single achievement for which I had to struggle > twice as hard against your reluctance and ridicule, so that you can label > me an attention seeker once again. If you want to genuinely include Dalit > women in your movements, Savarna India, you have to do better. > > > Peace Is Doable > > > -- Peace Is Doable -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
