Not Going Anywhere (But I Damn Well Feel Like It)
So I get back from my little vacation and find that Black Amazon took down her blog.
I don’t have a lot to say about that, because it should be obvious that it fucking angers me that white feminist bloggers (need I say ‘certain white feminists’? Or name some names? Nah, I’m sure y’all are smart enough to figure out who I mean) are silencing, disparaging, stealing from, and otherwise oppressing women of color bloggers all while whining about how they are victims and oh, it’s so sad. WON’T SOMEONE THINK OF THE WHITE WOMEN PLEASE!
It’s all just so much bullshit. I have a long post about it coming, but I wanted to say one thing:
I’m not going anywhere.
And let me also say that this is not some sort of underhand condemnation of those who choose to close down their blogs because of this shit. I understand the inclination. I support that choice. There have been times when I had to step away from this blog and other parts of the internet just to salvage my sanity. One day I may need to do so again. But right now? Right now I am staying here.
(and oh, you don’t know how hard it is for me not to use gendered slurs against you whiny little princesses right now. oooo!)
this makes me so very sad. we need many more strong women of color making their voices heard on the internet- not fewer. it seems wherever there’s a group or cause- whether it be women’s rights or environmental- or whatever- it seems to be headed by the stepford wives. i think that the feminist movement is nothing more than a pat on the back coffee klatch for suburban soccer moms with too much time on their hands and a need to feel good about themselves. it continues to mind boggle me that racism and misogyny continue to exist in the 21st century- but both are alive and well. we have just gotten more creative in our political correctness. i am glad you are staying.
First, thank you.
Second, in spirit you are always everywhere. Don’t Touch My Hair!
Third, in lieu of the gendered slur, I have gently dubbed the histronics you so vividuly describe as:
Missy Anne’s White Lady Vapors.
To paraphrase Jon Voight, “Use it … don’t … use it …”
*shrugs*
*grins*
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Good. I like seeing those words right now.
Amen…
I didn’t think I’d have to do this AGAIN this week, but…
Jesus Fucking Christ.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Good. I like seeing those words right now.>>
Me, too.
I can’t say I’m surprised, btw, wrt BA, I think she was already on the very last strand of her last nerve and planning to take at least a breather while she got back to life shit.
but yeah, I’m really not pleased that her AND bfp’s blogs are now gone while Norma Desmond, Inc. fap on and on and on about inanities alternating with o the PAIN of being BULLIED and SILENCED…
newsflash to a -number- of people: if yer still talking, you AREN’T the one who’s been SILENCED.
I applaud you for this post. I hope you are here to stay. This is the first of all your posts that I have read and I can tell that I am going to like what I see.
betmo, I loved your post and I think that it sums up most of the political action groups except where I live they are full of hippies. One thing that bugs me about middle class white people is that they are so patronizing to minority women. I’m a pissed off white woman who is in a lawsuit with the university that I used to work for due to being blacklisted because I helped found a union. My sister was blacklisted too. Yesterday when I met with a former co-worker I found out that there is more shit going on there towards the employees. I feel like putting in a motion to dismiss the suit and go to the State District Attorney.
In my last post I put some information on the situation in Chicago and it has gotten worse. Mayor Daley is giving semi automatic weapons to the cops and called out SWAT teams to hit the streets. There is a gang war going on there, also there has been one on the level of genocide of black people in Los Angeles for over a year. The Mexican mafia in L.A. has issued to shoot all blacks in Watts and Compton in order to gain this turf. The Los Angeles Times has a homicide report daily of gang shootings. Of course LAPD has been corrupt and racist since it was started in the 1920s.
Gee and all the media does is try to scare us on Middle Eastern terrorism when we have home grown terrorism here due to the established system of racism.
I applied for a job working for the Obama campaign with Move On. com, but right now I’m going to apply to work for the Job Corp or with teenagers while I go to school. I used to work with children that were abused, neglected and in gangs. They came for all social economic and ethnic backgrounds. America has been failing their children for way too long.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Fuck. Yes.
oooo! indeed.
I’m glad you’re staying.
I was just saying that if you, or a couple other bloggers of color wound up being hurt enough to quit, I was going to start kicking literal shins among white feminists. As it is, I’m going to metaphorically kick shins as much as I can, avoiding the messy assault charges, and try to support those still holding firm against these outrages.
It’s upsetting that folks are leaving over this… losing their voices is a loss for -all- of us. It sucks that things have come to this.
I’m glad you’re sticking with it, ABW.
I can’t bear to think of my days without your words. I really appreciate your presence and your courage every day.
Thank God for the smart WOC on this blog! I’m glad that you will stay around, ABW.
And I’m with you on being pissed off at white feminists and their whining lately, too.
Add me to the list of folks who are glad you’re staying.
I’m glad you’re staying (and I’d be surprised if you didn’t!) But it is it the white feminism that’s the problem or the stupidity? There are stupid people everywhere, including in middle class white feminism, I’m afraid. Speaking as a middle class white feminist, that is – and hoping you’ll carry on kicking my ass if my stupid starts showing.
I’m jolly glad you’re staying too. You’re my first port of call for non-British activist writing online. Who died and made those people “mainstream”? It’s not my feminism over there.
By the way, “whiny little princesses” is a great phrase. They’re so upset at having their feelings hurt, they just have to carry on shouting over everybody they’ve decided is “marginal”. They quickly notice when men do the same thing to them, I’ll bet.
I agree with Wendy Bradley above in hoping someone will call me out if I say something stupid, and that I won’t just keep digging …
I’m glad you’re staying.
I’m glad you’re not going anywhere. This whole thing is so maddening, so disgusting … so SOP as to not be surprising and yet I am surprised all the same.
Just glad you’ll still be here.
I’m glad you’re staying too.
Thank you for posting this. You are so right – the entire situation is totally messed up.
And I’m really glad you’re hear to stay.
I knew BlackAmazon wasn’t posting, but I didn’t know she had nuked her entire blog.
oh man. Another voice lost. *sigh*
You know, I never read pandagon, but Pam Spaulding had a wonderful post about discussions of race (or the lack thereof) in this country, and she cross-posted to Pandagon, so I wandered over there yesterday.
Ms. MyCareerIsMoreImportantThanWoC posted in the comments…and it infuriated me. She had apologized for the awful racist images in her vanity book and was behaving as if that absolved her of any responsibility for BfP or BA.
When I read her words I was so angry I paced the house for half an hour. Finally, I couldn’t take it any more and, against my better judgement, I posted a comment.
It wasn’t long before one person took part of my comment out of context and slammed me. So I said “bye” and got the hell outta there.
I’m glad you’re not going anywhere. I can’t wait for your longer post. People like you (and BfP and BA) have helped keep me sane, since in RL I’m usually only treated to the White perspective.
Peace
yliza
Thank you so much for sticking around. I lurk here all the time, but never post. Still, I needed to come out and thank you for staying.
I’m sickened to speechlessness at the bullshit in the mainstream of white feminist blogging.
I’m with Wendy Bradley, though I suspect the problem is that the stupid in white feminism is a result of the stupid getting the damned centre stage.
Right-the-fuck-on for sticking around to raise some much needed hell, ABW.
Oh wow… the threads at Pandagon. They are so ridiculous. I went over and saw the pileup against you, Yliza. Say one critical thing about her royal whiny highness and her followers attack like piranhas.
I think there should be a club for people brave enough to go through that.
Brave souls so far: Karnythia, A., Yliza, Charity, and I think BetaCandy? Probably a couple others I missed.
Going to chime in with others to say, really glad to hear that!
Good to hear you’re not going anywhere.
Yes, glad you are here.
I’m so sorry BA decided to pack it in.
PS: littlem, love the word VAPORS! Also accurate: white lady neurasthenia.
Power from within. Keep on keeping on.
It’s so good to see you standing firm. Thank you for all you do.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Good.
:)
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Good.
:)
Another voice in the ‘thank you’ chorus. And I also don’t blame the women who refuse to take that either. I greatly respect all of you.
I’m glad you’re staying! I’ve already seen 3 of my favorite bloggers close up shop and it’s left me saddened and angry that the “big names” are still around… >.<
Also, I hope I can make it to Wiscon sometime (I live in Minneapolis, but money is tight) so I can actually hear you on a panel or talk to you sometime. :) Do you ever make it to MN for any of our local cons? (Minicon, Diversicon (great con about diversity in SF/F), CONvergence?)
Another lurker saying thank you. I’m glad you’re staying.
Thank you for staying.
I’ve barely scratched the surface of the feminist blog scene and I find that people sharing the same skin color as me are decimating it. It’s sickening and frightening. I know that it’s my duty, having seen what people wearing white skin are doing, to challenge them and act as an ally in defending spaces created by women of color… but if those spaces are erased before I can join the fight, I’m sunk. I can’t create those spaces again. I’m sorry I wasn’t here before and fighting earlier.
Really glad that you’re not going anywhere, it saddens me when people close down their blogs because they don’t feel as if there is a reason to keep blogging. There is always a reason, there is always someone out there who wants to know what you have to say. And yes, stepping back from the whole blogging world is really a must sometimes, it preserves the sanity.
I hear you.
Glad to read that you’re NGA.
*huge box of cookies*!
Noah
Another voice to the chorus: keep on keepin’ on, especially for BfP and BA.
Not that it’s any of my business to tell you what to do, ABW, but I’m selfishly glad you want to stick around.