Let's talk intersectionality

Well, this has kinda become "Feminism Sunday" for me, so let's talk about one of the most misunderstood terms in feminism and in current social studies view of the world.

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intersectionality is the understanding that systems of oppression don't exist in separate silos. It's all, as the meme says, connected. It was coined by Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw back in the 1980s, but it's taken some time to make it out of academia.

Systems of oppression, I imagine you asking? Such as? Well, here are some: Racism, Sexism, Classism, Ableism, Homophobia, Transphobia, Xenophobia.

Being oppressed along any of these axes does not mean your life is terrible, just like being privileged along any of them does not mean your life is perfect. What it means is that there are systems, implicit, explicit or both, in place to support those privileged and hinder the oppressed.

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Let's take me, for example. I am Ashkenazi Jewish in Israel, which is the Israeli equivalent of being white. I am a cisgender man. I am lower middle class. I have ADHD and anxieties and a sleeping disorder and certain chronic pains. I am mostly hetero. My parents made Aliyah from the USSR in the early 70s and I was born here.

What does that mean?

Being the local equivalent of white means I don't have to deal with racism.

Being a man means I don't have to deal with sexism. It also means I am not a target of rape culture and can therefore just choose to not participate in it.

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Thinking of myself as hetero for most of my life means I have never been confronted with homophobia.

Being cis means I don't have to deal with transphobia.

My parents making Aliyah in the 70s means I was not part of a large immigration wave, unlike those who came from the former USSR in the 90s, which means I have not had to deal with xenophobia.

My mental health issues mean I have had to deal with ableism.

Does being privileged along most axes mean my life has been perfect? Of course not. Even putting aside my mental health issues, being privileged has not kept me from being poor for much of my life. It has not kept me from difficulties and hardships. But it does mean there are very few systems in place to hinder me. It means, as John Scalzi famously put it, that I pretty much play life on the lowest difficulty setting.

When it comes to struggles against oppression, it is best to let the oppressed take a leadership position. The privileged in any particular fight can a have a vital role in supporting the oppressed and amplifying their voices, but they should not use their privilege to be heard OVER the voices of the oppressed. So if the issue at hand is transphobia, for instance, my role is to amplify the voices of my trans friends, to express my support. If the issue is mental health, I can take a more prominent position.

But what if the issue is intersectional? For instance, if the issue is gender based discrimination of women with disabilities? Is it my place then to say "I have a disability, let my voice be heard!" Of course not. Because the oppression is intersectional, and thus, the people who are directly affected by it should be at the forefront. This is part of what people are talking about when they say you should stick to your lane.

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This, to me, is at the core of one of the biggest misunderstandings of intersectionality. It seems, from endless twitter discussions that some people think not being the lead voice on every discussion means they are the ones being oppressed. You're not, friends. You are just not the ones being discriminated against on this issue, and therefore should take a backseat ON THIS ISSUE. Heck, take any seat. Supporting the oppressed is great. Supplanting them in the fight against their oppression is not. Because IT'S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT YOU.
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I have a lot more to say about this, but I think this is an okay start, and one I'll be able to refer to in future posts.