Lorde, McIntosh, & Miles 9/23/10

In the first reading, Lorde illuminates the diverse populations that can unify to stand for a particular view. As a Black lesbian feminist, Lorde shows that the titles only go so far. A feminist group meeting must value the input of all the individuals who share their same view. In presenting opinions on certain topics such as material relationships between women, one feminist failed to acknowledge mutuality between women. On the second page of this article, Lorde states that "Difference must be not merely tolerated, but seen as a fund of necessary polarities between which our creativity can spark like a dialectic." This interdependency gives individuals courage to enact different strengths. Lorde asserts that the "failure of academic feminists to recognize difference as a crucial strength is a failure to reach beyond the first patriarchal lesson." She believes that we must embrace difference in order to overcome racist patriarchal thought.

In "White Privelege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack", McIntosh elaborates on unacknowledged male privilege as a phenomenon. One interesting point that she made was that "whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege, as males are taught not to recognize male privilege." To McIntosh, white privilege is an invisible package of unearned assets that whites can utilize to get ahead in everyday life. I found it very interesting that as a white woman, McIntosh is able to flip her point of view and investigate another's perceptions of certain situations. This seems very important in the study of feminism, because conflict is much easier to understand when you can view it from both sides.

"On the Rag" by Tiya Miles describes the formation of The Rag: A Feminist Journal of Politics and Culture on the Harvard-Radliffe campus. Miles addresses the disproportionate amount of responsibility and power in this group. Conflict arose in meetings due to opposing views of how feminists should be viewed and how black women should be depicted. The subtitle of this magazine was called into question in order to signal to black women that the collective was an welcoming space. Other problems with class and race arose too. It is fascinating that a group composed of such strong-minded women dissolved in two years because of conflict, as the goal was to unite against a common cause. In trying to fight oppression of women, individuals in the group oppressed and denied the input of others.