yet i exist within discourses that oppress me.
born "female," assigned "girl," marked for life to be a "straight" "woman."
now, struggling to break free, i have found myself immersed in new identities:
"radical" "feminist" "lesbian" "queer" "trans"
yet, can these social categories satisfy the yearnings of one's soul and all its desires?
new terms have dissolved certain oppressive ties, and it has bonded me to others in collective struggle. it has given me desire, hope, and clarity of mind.
but the fact is we live in a class society based in institutionalized domination and subordination.
we cannot escape our oppression through our identifications under systematic oppression which is institutionalized. identity may free us, give us a sense of existence and purpose, but it is conditional and always subject to reversal under oppression.
we must confront our institutions, all of which are based in domination and subordination. our voices, movements, and our very lives are controlled. this institutional regime not only directs us... it also dismisses those parts of us that do not align with its mission of total control. it cuts us up into pieces, severing our ability to connect to ourselves and with others.
institutional oppression is crushing us all, preventing all of us from living freely without the threat of terror. no one is free until we are all free.
and then there are those who are subjugated most to a life of wretchedness under this oppressive system:
fags, negros, whores, white trash, dykes, crazies, niggers, commies, trannies, dirty mexicans, hags, sluts, bitches, perverts...
these identifications are class identifications. they are used by the dominant class to dismiss us, to undermine our autonomy, and to prevent us from working with one another on equal footing.
you see, we are scared to be associated with such trash, even to speak of them, even scared to speak of ourselves if we are them. we must silence them. shhh.
in an attempt to be politically correct, the left says we must not openly name our wretchedness.
yet, it perpetuates a social lie to not be allowed to recognize our wretched condition under a system that mocks us, beats us, subjugates us to a life of lies.
to name ourselves for what society has made us is to recognize our social existence in our society as less than. it recognizes our oppressive condition.
political correctness is a ruse. it silences the subject of oppression, hides the muck from sight, preventing us from speaking truth about our lives.
we can never begin to find our way to freedom without recognizing our current reality: we are wretched. all of us. in one way or another. we are all in hiding, too scared to break our silence. if we are ever to understand our situation, we need to break free from our restraints.
we must rise up, flood our hearts and minds with the reality of our collective struggle.
only then will passion for change come into being.
a passion so deep we may begin to feel compassion for all and find harmony in the world we inhabit.
by naming ourselves openly we will be able to move forward... to find one another and unite in collective struggle.
i am here. i am queer. queers unite!
Catherine Thurmond
Baton Rouge, LA
February 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment