Posted on 04/22/2015 1:55:52 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
As a first year, I came into the University knowing I was passionate about social justice, but I did not necessarily have the vocabulary and resources to articulate my beliefs. I knew that there were practices in place that exploit marginalized people economically, but I did not know that the driving force behind this was called unregulated capitalism. I knew that there was a difference between the way half of my family lived versus the other half, but I did not know the driving force behind these differences was due to institutionalized racism. I knew that there were more than two genders, but I had never heard of the term gender binary until halfway through college. Being a very reflective student during college coupled with doing research on Tumblr, has helped me to learn, unlearn and relearn all things social justice. I feel confident in my ability to understand identities, power, privilege, space, race, oppression and how these concepts all relate to and complicate each other. I can have meaningful conversations about these issues with my friends, and we can bounce ideas back and forth over wine.
As a graduating senior, I feel as if I have turned into this little creature that passionately spits out academic terms in everyday language, sometimes without even realizing that younger people, people from back home or simply people who have not had access to the academic side of social justice, do not understand what I am saying. Somehow, social justice has turned into an elitist and inaccessible thing. Universities all over the country have de-colonial majors, safe spaces and cultural centers in order to challenge the white supremacist, heteronormative, patriarchal society we live in. All of these programs and centers came about in an effort to empower marginalized people but also to provide them with the spaces and resources that they may need to heal.
Despite this, these spaces are not readily available to the people who need them most, because they are typically underrepresented at universities. This is not even to mention the marginalized people who have the opportunity to go to college, but attend universities that do not have de-colonial resources. That does take away from the amazing things that these programs and centers do for the people who have access to them, but it proves these resources are not accessible. In order to have access to these de-colonial spaces, one must have some sort of privilege to get them into these spaces in the first place. This is directly upholding the hierarchies that have already been put into place by the white supremacist, heteronormative, patriarchal system that we are trying to deconstruct and transcend. We cannot fight to overcome these systems while simultaneously perpetuating oppression in the form of maintaining systems that remain inaccessible to the majority of marginalized people. In short, inaccessible social justice is a contradiction that we need to be highly critical of and avoid at all costs.
I've spent my whole life wondering what I wanted to do as a career. I knew that I wanted to work in a field related to social justice, but I did not know which avenue to take. In the past few months, I have felt an overwhelming need to make what I have learned here at the University more accessible to the communities who would benefit from it the most. There is no reason for racially marginalized groups to face microaggressions on a daily basis from their “friends,” or for trans folk to receive visibility but not support or the countless other ways in which marginalized people need to navigate their identities, at a young age with no guidance, in a society not meant for them.
Too many times, high schools do not have the resources available for their marginalized students to learn about themselves and their environment. There is a strong need for social justice spaces in high schools as these spaces play a major role in the formation of students. Bringing a social justice center to a high school would allow students to learn, unlearn and relearn at a much younger age. Furthermore, this would have the potential to reach a much larger population, many of whom may not make it to college to be able to receive these same services. This could aid in a decrease in suicides in marginalized communities, as well as an increase in confidence and understanding. Accessible social justice would be revolutionary because it would work to deconstruct established hierarchies by reaching the students who would normally fall through the cracks.
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Kenya O’Neill is a School of Arts and Sciences senior double majoring in planning and public policy and Latin and Hispanic Caribbean studies with a minor in Spanish. Her column “Cloudy with a Chance of Controversy,” runs on alternate Wednesdays.
What? She didn't know how to scream "Gimme gimme gimme"?
Cute little Commie isn’t she?
What a bunch of Bull crap,I hope this person did not go into debt to be indoctrinated in this socialist claptrap.
Hey pal this is The United States Of America,E Pluribus Unum,look it up idiot,you could have put your time to a more productive pursuit
HUH???
The white supremacist, heteronormative, patriarchal system of her father produced her and paid for her college. Is she feeling guilty or does she not see the irony?
Besides not voting for Democrats what exactly is wrong with straight, white males or is that the real problem here?
If they get rid of us who pays for their socialism? It’s not like feminist majors or African American studies majors are going to build factories and be productive members of society.
Is this the Democrats last stand like Hitler with his final solution? Is this their dream?
Am I, the taxpaying, law-abiding, productive, wealth producing, person really what is wrong with America?
If so I can leave. My talents and 30 years of engineering and management experience can take me anywhere. I have been offered jobs all over the world. Can someone let me know? I don’t want to live somewhere, pay taxes and produce wealth in a country that doesn’t want me.
Sincerely,
Straight White Male
The real problem, the thing they're trying desperately to escape from that they use straight white men to personify is the thing called "reality".
“Social justice” as practiced by liberals can often be best defined as “trouble making”.
Hmmm.....I think that I see yet another ‘community organizer’ in the making!
The real problem, the thing they’re trying desperately to escape from that they use straight white men to personify is the thing called “reality”.
Like Hitler and Germany blaming the Jews for their situation?
“Wow, guess I got taken in but just goes to show you cannot tell the book by the cover.”
With her “Hispanic and Caribbean studies” I have to assume that she is Hispanic and probably from Puerto Rico. She kind of has the look of a Puerto Rican. Yes, there are native Puerto Ricans with what others might consider to be ‘Caucasian names’, hence, the name “O’Neill”. ;-)
I hear that Libya is in desperate need of Social Justice activists.
More like Mao blaming The Four Olds-- old ideas, old culture, old customs, and old habits.
Communists are always so wordy. Very annoying
Geez, I thought it was satire at first.
You have spent the VAST majority of your life being potty trained, learning to crawl and roll over, learning the meaning of, and how to say mama and dada. Walking came next and eating out of a contaainer without a nipple on it...Remember that first spoon you held..most of the food on your head and most of the rest on the floor.
Once you were out of those restrictive diapers, it was cute little panties with pictures of Cinderella or Winnie the pooh.O.K., Now you actually boaard the school bus for all important pre school....and this is where you began to DECLINE in intelligence.Grade school and public high school began your rapid descent toward meaningless oblivion. The ultra liberal teachers union hired enough idiots to reduce your educational opportunities to indoctrination sessions where you learned to be a loyal socialist/democrat.
You have spent almost all of your very short life learning to be a human being...unfortunately for you, your upbringing and education have warped your mind so badly, that only age and experience has a chance to cure you....it works a lot....you'd be surprised by how many liberal idiots wake up as they get older and wiser!!!
It’s amazing how much bullsh!t one can cram into one article, and I only made it halfway through.
CONGRATULATIONS..
YOU SHOWED FAR MORE TENACITY than I could possibly have mustered for such a painful task!!
I got the general DRIFT...and I do mean Drift....long before the halfway point...and bailed .......before I ran out of TOLERANCE!!
I have never heard of the terms “heteronormative” “trigger warnings” “microaggressions” and any number of all the idiotic new genders little social justice warriors invent. I guess I missed that in school. This has me questioning the racist patriarchical system anti-gynocentricism of my education when I failed to check my privilege in the 80s...
God forbid that heterosexuality should be the norm!!!!
Kenya’s inner child appears to have taken over. It needs to be spanked and sent to bed without its supper.
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