womanistfandom: Well, if your idea of democracy is inherent in enabling politically motivated racial
womanistfandom: Well, if your idea of democracy is inherent in enabling politically motivated racial stigmas, oppression, and marginalizing distinct groups (which it is) then yes I will judge and I will not have respect if you chose to blatant follow ignorant and phobic policy decisions. I do not understand why I should stay complicit to covert/overt forms of discrimination, racism, xenophobia etc just because those instances that occur in our everyday lives, among our workplaces, our friends and family etc does not effect my ability to exist, does not take away from my bottom line status quo. Why would I do that, when I know that my inaction will lead to enabling an atmosphere of justifiable racism, sexism, all the ism’s I could think of that is supportive of institutions that help the spreading of structural violence/oppression. My disagreeing with your “politics” isn’t taking away from your democracy. I find it rather contradictory to claim ones act of questioning another’s political standing takes a way from their democracy and must be preserved for freedom of speech, but to the obvious contradiction that the loses the right to questions another personal political/moral standings. Isn’t that the very foundation to which systems of oppression were build upon? That all it needs is people to blindly support the oppression of others? It’s very much like when White people say that the “price of freedom” given to us by the dead white imperial soldiers is reason for our privileges but not the actual murders of black and brown people for our benefit. Isn’t that why there is a severe epidemic of inadequate mental health facilities and access to health care for those of the LGBTQIA community which is distinctly higher than other marginalized demographics? What about those vulnerable black urban communities subject to police abuse and brutality due to introductions of racially fueled tactical and operational decisions/oversight? Or the denial of establishing truth and reconciliation which is proven by the states ability to steal property, land and commit mass forced gentrification/migration of our First Nations people without their consent. All of these issue are because we chose to stay complicit for fear of the “others” taking away from our civil liberties, taking away from our ability to exist. These are political narratives that play upon the lives of the oppressed by mobilize the privileged and allow for a mass peddling of to dehumanize, degrade and push these communities out of sight and mind. Our ability to relish in our civil liberties are to the dismissal and abuse of the most vulnerable of society. We must be aware that liberties are not a pick and chose scenario, you can’t just give to one take from another. Freedom of speech is most definitely one of those methods. I am told constantly that it’s not XYZ’s fault that (for instance) Muslim woman are physically harassed on the street, I never acted upon beating people up. But it is, it’s all of our fault that we failed to ask, to question stigmas and our own privilege and how it works within the frame of justifiable violence. Freedom of speech is to protect the persecuted and to allow them to speak about their violence without micro/macro-aggressive polices claiming that they are committing treason to the state, and structurally being shut down. The whole point is not for us to spew hatred and bigotry to allow for those systems to counting on. So no, I will not be taking away from your democracy or freedoms of speech, especially if you (including myself) are of the privileged dominating class. -- source link