I remember one pivotal class in my graduate school experience. I was a young Jewish studies graduate student, sitting in my Jewish Environmentalism class, and I had stopped to engage a classmate in discussion during our class break. In the midst of our debate, she quite pointedly declared,
“You will never be qualified to speak about Judaism because you are not Jewish.”
I remember sitting in stunned silence. Here I was devoting my life to the study of rabbinic texts and Jewish history, and my response was negated, my critique put aside because I would never be qualified, in her assumption, to share my voice.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
This week on twitter, MANY have weighed in on comments made by emergent leader, Phyllis Tickle, as Julie Clawson recounts here. And I too was taken aback by Clawson’s description of Tickle’s comments, but that reaction is not what I want to discuss. Instead, I want to discuss the way twitter reacted in heated fury, not at Tickle but at the men who weighed in on the discussion. (To view some of these conversations sparking controversy, click here, here, and here).
Let’s be honest, twitter is not the best forum for long intensive discussions of theology, philosophy, and theory (yet we still try!). There is too much lost in tone, expressions, and 140 char. wording that I must take everything on Twitter with a grain of salt. But what troubles me about the reactions to Jay, Pete, and others like them, is that some (particularly women) disregarded their comments as evidence they were “blinded by male privilege.”
Stepping aside from the already heady twitter debates, I would like to offer a few thoughts in general. I agree that a healthy critique of anything is beneficial. Criticism and engaging dialogue are the breeding grounds of progress. But I fear that by labeling anything a male says as evidence of privilege, particularly when I as a woman disagree, I am effectively shutting down the possibility for fruitful critique.
I can’t help but hear similar sentiments in the twitter reactions as I heard that day long ago in my graduate school class. I was told “You are not Jewish, therefore your critique does not matter.” Are we also then, in our quickness to disregard men’s comments, telling men, “You are not a Woman, therefore your critique does not matter.” The fact that a man would be quick to tweet, “I am terrified of ever questioning universal, global white privilege,” really saddens me; his voice is just as important as mine!
Returning to the specific conversations in question, when I read Jay, Pete, and others like them I hear real honest and valuable critique. Especially in a format as limited as twitter, I would never classify them as “blind to their privilege” because of the comments they made. And even if they were, I don’t believe that limits the value of their comments. Sure, I know women voices are a minority in the emergent discussion. But I, as a woman, would rather engage comments such as these critically and not with the easy answer that it is “just male privilege talking.” I value every one who wants to weigh in thoughtfully to the emergent discussion, and I’m tired of always drawing the privilege line. I don’t need emergent men to step aside for me; I will fight for my right to speak myself. We all approach the discussion with our own particular lens, and I want to leave room for every member of the discussion to make mistakes in the process. Because invariably we all, regardless of our gender and privilege, will make mistakes at times. But I’m willing to offer you grace, if you will show me the same.
The fact is the very fact we are having this conversation shows we are all guilty of possessing the privilege to articulate privilege. So I simply wonder, can we move on from the privilege witch-hunt and show each other a little grace?
***UPDATE: Amaryah Shaye offers insight into the use of the word “privilege” and why it should be retired. Read here.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
