I too agree that it can be okay, and sometimes even an advantage, for a
member of the "oppressor group" to speak out as allies with the
oppressed.
However, I also think that it is critical that the "oppressed group"
take the lead in identifying the key issues and priorities that need to
be focused on, the key messages that should be conveyed etc. And that
any allies should be working WITH them.
When all this is, in fact, what actually does occur that can be a
positive thing. I think the people who are saying "this is good" and
"the work is more important than the messenger" etc. are people who
have seen many positive examples of true allies working along side in
the struggle, as equal partners and with full respect on all sides.
And that's great. And I too have seen positive examples of that and
celebrate them as well.
Unfortunately, there are still some cases out there where this does NOT
necessarily happen. One community I see it happen with is with
Autistic self-advocates, at least in the US and I suspect elsewhere.
Although there are some parents and researchers and so forth who are
great about listening to Autistic self-advocates and learning from them
etc., there are also many others who will create their own
organizations without any input from Autistic people. And if Autistic
leaders reach out to them and try to give constructive feedback on the
priorities they have selected, or the manner in which they package
their message, instead of listening they find ways to discredit the
people speaking out. I think this also sometimes happens with people
with intellectual disabilities, people with psychosocial disabilities,
etc. Also, in certain countries, from what I gather, it is still very
controversial for a deaf-run organization to have the audacity to call
themselves an organization "of" deaf people--because hearing people
running hearing-lead organizations for deaf people would then be likely
to attack them.
I think Colin (and I hope he will chime in here to clarify) may be
responding to the latter kind of situation, not the former. He links
to a good essay about how to be a good ally -- I think it's worth a
read in considering the different ways that people can be, depending on
their choices and pattern of behavior, either a good ally or a
not-so-good ally:
> "How To"- Becoming an Ally
> http://www.daa.org.uk/index.php?page=3Dhow-to-be-an-ally
Andrea Shettle, MSW
[log in to unmask]
http://wecando.wordpress.com
On Jul 16, 2009, at 6:54 PM, Jenny W wrote:
>
> Agree with Claudia. The work is more important than the messenger.
>
> P.S. Colin seems to be arguing that having members of oppressor group
> speak out is a bad thing. In fact, it generally gives more
> credibility to the message. Colin's social movement examples were
> successful precisely because of the many privileged allies who spoke
> up.
>
> Judith - what percentage of disabled representation are you hoping
> for (e.g., 55-45, 60-40, 80-20) ??
>
>
>
>
>
> --- On Wed, 15/7/09, Judith Stephenson <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
>
>
> From: Judith Stephenson <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: FW: Re: DISABILITY-RESEARCH Digest - 13 Jul 2009 to 14 Jul
> 2009 (#2009-165)
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Date: Wednesday, 15 July, 2009, 8:39 AM
>
>
>
> Subject: Re: DISABILITY-RESEARCH Digest - 13 Jul 2009 to 14 Jul 2009
> (#2009-165)
>
>
> Call it 'essentialism'. Interesting term. Perhaps non-disabled people
> should do a 'Bob Connell' and give themselves an impairment if they
> feel so strongly about the systematic oppression that we face as
> Disabled people in our everyday lives. I jest, of course but the
> point is Men do speak on behalf of women, white people do speak on
> behalf of Black and minority ethnic people and so forth. This is not
> to say that those individuals do not identify with groups of people
> who are seemingly oppressed by those that hold the power but as Colin
> says - it should be disabled people first and foremost that speak on
> their own behalf until we have some semblance of equality.
> 'Disability scholarship' is an interesting phrase as well. Yes, of
> course academia and the study of disability may further the social
> movement but it is disabled people themselves that should be
> challenging and revolutionising the social construct that
> notwithstanding disability scholarship, legislation, direct payments
> is not suited to the human being and in particular the human being
> with impairment.
>
>
>
>
> ========================================
> Message Received: Jul 15 2009, 12:58 AM
> From: "Malacrida, Claudia"
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Cc:
> Subject: Re: DISABILITY-RESEARCH Digest - 13 Jul 2009 to 14 Jul 2009
> (#2009-165)
>
>
> I'm not so sure that essentialism is the answer. Bob Connell was a very
> articulate and positive critic of gender and power and although a man,
> was well-accepted as a member of the women's movement and seen as a
> strong contributor to women's studies. I think one of the strengths of
> having Bob Connell 'on-side' was that he was seen by hostile outsiders
> as a person who didn't have a personal 'agenda' because he was not a
> woman. In fact, I have heard from some essentialist women that, now
> that
> Connell has transitioned to being a woman and goes by the name Raewyn
> Connell, that her position as a disinterested profeminist scholar has
> actually been undermined! And of course, there are also feminists who
> feel that Raewyn isn't a 'real' woman because she wasn't born one, and
> so she's disqualified on that score as well. Seems you can't win
> sometimes.
>
> I'd say the same thing goes for disability scholarship - if we're going
> to say that someone has to have a disability in order to
> speak/write/advocate, then perhaps the next step will be that they need
> to have visible disabilities, or that they have to have been born with
> a
> disability rather than acquiring it, or it has to be physical rather
> than sensory, or some other ratcheting up of policing the body. I
> wonder
> if it isn't more important to evaluate what people have to say in terms
> of their ethics and the usefulness of their work for the greater social
> movement than it is to assess their credentials on a scale of whether,
> or how profoundly, they are disabled/gendered, etc.
>
> Best wishes,
> Claudia Malacrida
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: The Disability-Research Discussion List
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
> DISABILITY-RESEARCH automatic digest system
> Sent: Tuesday, July 14, 2009 5:05 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: DISABILITY-RESEARCH Digest - 13 Jul 2009 to 14 Jul 2009
> (#2009-165)
>
> There is 1 message totalling 61 lines in this issue.
>
> Topics of the day:
>
> 1. Would you expect a 'white' person to represent the voices of BME
> community
> , so.....
>
> ________________End of message________________
>
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> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 14 Jul 2009 18:43:56 +0100
> From: Colin REvell
> Subject: Would you expect a 'white' person to represent the voices of
> BME community , so.....
>
> Would you expect a 'white' person to represent the voices of BME
> community =
> and 'speak-out' their basic human and civil rights struggles?
> =20
> Would you expect a 'hetrosexual' person to represent the voices of LGBT
> com=
> munity and 'speak-out' their basic human and civil rights struggles?
> =20
> Would you expect a 'men' to represent 'womens' voices and 'speak-out'
> their=
> basic human and civil rights struggles?.....
> =20
> ...so for god sake why are well still allowing non-disabled people
> (includi=
> ng professionals) to control and represent the voices of the Disabled
> commu=
> nity and 'speak-out' our basic human and civil rights struggles=2C
> under
> 'N=
> othing About Us=2C Without Us'... times really need to change within
> attitu=
> des and behaviour =2C including politically too=2C to understand
> 'inclusion=
> ' what it means to Disabled People.
> =20
> Disabled People=2C like other minority groups need allies=2C but their
> need=
> s to be time for reflection of what people think 'Becoming An Ally'
> really =
> means in practice.... Some people need to be taught how to let go of
> their =
> 'power'
> =20
> How To Be An Ally?
> Food for thought: ?Becoming an ally to oppressed people.
> Excerpt from =93Becoming an Ally Breaking the Cycle of Oppression=94 by
> Ann=
> e Bishop.
> Published by Fernwood Publishing=2C Halifax
> =20
> "How To"- Becoming an Ally
> http://www.daa.org.uk/index.php?page=3Dhow-to-be-an-ally
>
> Colin Revell
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _________________________________________________________________
>
> MSN straight to your mobile - news=2C entertainment=2C videos and more.
>
> http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/147991039/direct/01/=
>
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> ------------------------------
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> End of DISABILITY-RESEARCH Digest - 13 Jul 2009 to 14 Jul 2009
> (#2009-165)
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