Deconstructing Binary Oppositions, Part 2: Intersectionality

Before we begin, I'd like to say that today would be my and my ex's third anniversary. Forgive me if notes are a little lackluster today.

Goals:

1. Understand intersectionality (and distinguish from hybridity)

2. Basic HTML tags (for prettier blog posts)

Notes: Monday, 9.27 class -- meet in basement of library for mandatory research.

• Paper #1 is due 10.1 (which is a Friday) -- shared with Buckmire via Google Docs

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HTML (hypertext mark-up language) tags:

• A programming language that tells another program how to present something
• Glues commands to browsers on how to display pages
• "the language of all web pages"
• vs. WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get)
• HTML command is called a tag
• i.e. < >No homo</ > (and you insert the letter you want)
• B = bold
• i = italics
• u = underlined
• Anchor tags:
• <a href = "website here"> This article </a>

Intersectionality to the Rescue:

• Intersectionality (clicking the word will link to the Wikipedia article on intersectionality)
• Willful Blindness -- blindness to one's own privilege - looking only at one's disadvantages
• Denial of another's oppression and/or your own privilege
• Leapfrog Paranoia -- the fear that a formerly oppressed group will be "left behind" by progress made by a currently oppressed group which "jump ahead in the oppression line"
• Fear that if you acknowledge another's oppression, your status is reduced/superseded by that groups
• Movement Backlash -- taking the advances of a movement toward equality and redefining the hegemonic group/practice as a "victim" (e.g. reverse discrimination, or "marriage is under attack").
• Hegemon portrays itself as the victim or subaltern in response to advances by the oppressed
• Compassion Deficit Disorder -- knowing but just not caring enough to do something about (or not caring at all) the ongoing struggles of marginalized groups
• Defiant Ignorance: Refusing to acknowledge or learn about another's oppression
• Panopticon -- the all-seeing eye

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Good things come in 5, apparently:

• Categorical Intersection
• Categorical Multiplicity -- More categories leads to more multi-dimensional analysis
• Time Dynamics -- Taking note of the impact of time on specific oppression
• Diversity Within -- The existence of groups within groups
• Individual Institutional Interaction
• Content Intersectionality -- Existence at crossroads of multiple identities simultaneously