The difference between privilege and power

I've been thinking about the connections between different forms of oppression. I've been thinking about the ways that patriarchs keep power by setting oppressed groups against each other. I've been thinking about the commonplace accusation that feminism is a white phenomenon, that feminism, almost by definition, is racist. This is something I've been struggling to write about for years, and nothing that I write about it ever satisfies me. I think this is something that I will have to write about in small pieces, rather than all at once.

Here's a small piece of the puzzle.

Sexism and racism are both part of the structure of of society in the United States and around the world. These structures help to create individual attitudes, but are made up of much more. There is nothing about adopting feminist ideals that makes sure that feminists won't have racist attitudes--or sexist attitudes, for that fact. It also seems true that movements to free oppressed people are often dominated by people within the group who have the most privilege. I don't think it's true that feminism is merely a creation of white, economically privileged women. I think that idea is insulting to millions of women of color and working class women who have made up the grassroots of feminism. Nevertheless, economically privileged white women are the ones with access to the most resources to shape public understanding of the movement and influence government actions.

The fact that women and other people have a difficult time living up to their ideals is sad and painful. But what I have a hard time wrapping my head around is the concept that focusing on women and trying to eradicate patriarchy somehow, by definition, means supporting racism or other forms of oppression.

"For the Love of Separatism," by Anna Lee, was something that helped me organize my thoughts on this issue. Years ago I read this essay that I'm linking to in the magazine Lesbian Ethics. A while back I found it electronically on the wonderful web site Feminist Reprise.

Anna Lee offers the perspective that white women promote racism not by focusing on other women, but by making alliances with white men. Here is one example she gives:

The original radical analysis of rape by organizers of rape crisis centers was replaced (often along with the original organizers) with organizers’ acceptance even desire for police participation in preventing the crime of rape. Rape crisis center organizers eagerly sought police involvement even though police had never demonstrated a concern with or success in finding the male rapists of black women. The police, however, have shown a willingness to rape black women.(6) In fact, white feminists’ analysis of rape discounted the experiences of black women. The police have also shown a very successful record of protecting white men from facing the penalties for their rapist acts, while, as I commented earlier, black males are disproportionately targeted to pay the penalty for the crime of rape. Who benefitted from police involvement with rape crisis centers? Not black women. Not black men. But white males did benefit. While white feminists’ agenda may not have been articulated, their desire to bond with white males was not unnoticed.

Anna Lee continues to offer a thought-provoking analysis of why white feminists and lesbians seek out connection with and approval from white males:

What all of us, especially white lesbians, must be clear about is the difference between power and revokable privilege. Power-over is the necessary resources to decide what the outcome of a situation will be. Revokable privilege is the ability to carry out someone else’s decisions and their agenda. Privilege can be wielded as long as someone else’s decisions and agenda are followed. White women have revokable privilege. When they serve white male interests, resources are made available to them. When they do not, the availability of resources decreases. When battered women’s shelters hire out-lesbians or make services available to lesbians who have been battered, funding from city, county, state or national government is canceled. It is important to males that women be patched up and returned to them. It is not important to them that lesbians be patched up and returned to a lesbian battering situation.

White lesbians or feminists may, in fact, know that the availability of resources is dependent upon making the male givers of the resources comfortable, or they may not want to examine the gift horses’ mouths too closely. When certain actions result in predictable, consistent outcomes then the actions not the rhetoric must be examined. I’m still waiting for white lesbians to question their bond with white men and what that bond means to creating a diverse lesbian community. The bond between white lesbians and men is currently a stumbling block to the creation of meaningful race and class diversity.

This is one of those times when I don't seem to have a useful concluding sentence. I guess I'm just looking for the next piece of the puzzle.