PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

by Jeph Johnson

I read ideas Progressive people write about and almost always agree with their thoughts and sentiments. I feel like I am on their side. I even would like to enlist in this war against social injustice. But instead of being embraced as a stealth ally who might be able to use a unique approach towards converting others, I am labeled 4-F.

So it's true, a person can agree with almost everything Social Justice Warriors (SJWs) assert and disagree with many of the proposed methods of countering those problems.

It's not up to you, a white cishet man to tell the underprivileged how to fight their battles!

Perhaps not, but I surely have the unique perspective of being of the same ilk that the SJWs are battling against (cis-het-white-male). They're fighting this battle for the underprivileged, and many SJWs indeed are underprivileged themselves.

I am well convinced white-cis-het male privilege exists but silencing those with white-cis-het male privileges simply because they have privilege is counterproductive to instilling in them a spirit of change.

White men in power need to step aside!

Probably. But no one enjoys giving up power unless they understand why they must do so.The current perceived hostilities felt by those in power makes understanding the plight of the underprivileged nearly impossible.

While many SJWs have no interest in appeasing the sensitivities of oppressive people, as a member of this unintentionally elite and oftentimes unknowingly oppressive group, it hurts knowing those I'm oppressing don't think I can change nor care my feelings may have been hurt.

Yes, the hurt is very likely not as painful as the hurt felt by oppressed minorities, but let's not let the degree of pain and frustration cloud reason or shut down discussion.

Despite this relatively minor "hurt", I am able to look past the insensitivity of many people who belong to these oppressed groups because I'm aware of where it originates: people just like me who've taken advantage of their privilege!

Still many other people similar to me (some may call them "not woke") find this blanket labeling condescending and challenging.

It is counterproductive to instilling change to tell people they're essentially a "lost cause". Regardless of one's personal beliefs or witness to history, this approach actually galvanizes people to become even more oppressive!

You're mansplaining!

I'm indeed white cis-het-mansplaining BECAUSE people like me are the only ones who can understand what many others who are cis, het, white and male are feeling.

Invalidate cis-het-white-men's feelings all you want (you've earned that right by being oppressed by us), but it's not doing the cause of equality and fairness towards everyone any favors.

In the spirit of trying to wake others up, I fear many on the right side of history might be falling asleep.