"Grievance Identities"
Apr. 27th, 2011 12:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rainwatersparkI was reading Shelby Steele's "The New Segregation" for my history class, and though Steele was primarily discussing African-American and women's rights, I found myself having flashbacks to the Asian-American activism group that I was (somehow) drawn into.
Steele condemns the "politics of difference" and "grievance identities [which] are not about such things as the great contributions of women throughout history or the rich culture of black Americans. To have a strong identity as a woman, for example, means that you are against the 'oppressive male patriarchy'--period. To have a strong identity as a black means that you are against racist white America--period. You have no choice but to fulfill a carefully defined politically correct role: (1) you must document the grievance of your group; (2) you must testify to its abiding and ongoing alienation; and (3) you must support its sovereignty...There is only one dimension to your identity: anger against oppression."
I couldn't agree more. This is the crux of my problem with the Asian-American group: the other members only emphasize the injustices faced by Asians in America and the unbridgeable differences between "American" and "Asian" culture. Why, I wondered, did they feel the need to confirm their Asian identity by stressing how different they were from "white people"?
They, in turn, seemed to be astonished that I was so nonchalant about my Chinese-American identity. I felt uncomfortable at times in the group; just listening to the others talk made me feel as though I was supposed to be questioning my identity. They talked about their "American" side and their "Chinese" side, while for me, it's impossible to separate my personality like that in such a clear-cut way. (I'm just one squashy bundle...like gel? An amoeba? Okay, I'll stop now.)
I'm tempted to think that they must be less secure in their identities than I am; that's why they're a lot more sensitive to the issue. But, as I'm reminded, everyone has issues--I probably spend about as much time agonizing over things that don't even cross their mind.
I may go into History Nerd Rant Mode in the future and start talking about random history things. You have been warned.
Steele condemns the "politics of difference" and "grievance identities [which] are not about such things as the great contributions of women throughout history or the rich culture of black Americans. To have a strong identity as a woman, for example, means that you are against the 'oppressive male patriarchy'--period. To have a strong identity as a black means that you are against racist white America--period. You have no choice but to fulfill a carefully defined politically correct role: (1) you must document the grievance of your group; (2) you must testify to its abiding and ongoing alienation; and (3) you must support its sovereignty...There is only one dimension to your identity: anger against oppression."
I couldn't agree more. This is the crux of my problem with the Asian-American group: the other members only emphasize the injustices faced by Asians in America and the unbridgeable differences between "American" and "Asian" culture. Why, I wondered, did they feel the need to confirm their Asian identity by stressing how different they were from "white people"?
They, in turn, seemed to be astonished that I was so nonchalant about my Chinese-American identity. I felt uncomfortable at times in the group; just listening to the others talk made me feel as though I was supposed to be questioning my identity. They talked about their "American" side and their "Chinese" side, while for me, it's impossible to separate my personality like that in such a clear-cut way. (I'm just one squashy bundle...like gel? An amoeba? Okay, I'll stop now.)
I'm tempted to think that they must be less secure in their identities than I am; that's why they're a lot more sensitive to the issue. But, as I'm reminded, everyone has issues--I probably spend about as much time agonizing over things that don't even cross their mind.
I may go into History Nerd Rant Mode in the future and start talking about random history things. You have been warned.
