Have you ever taken one of those personality tests? At the end they might say, "You are _________. This serves you well in the way that ___________. This is a disadvantage for you if _________." Ultimately, your own strengths have the ability to transform into weaknesses. I feel that Keith Edwards had a similar point to make. His "Aspiring Social Justice Ally Identity Development" article was an interesting read. Edwards talked about how there are various motivations for breaking down oppression.
The general makeup of each ally can be good, but read into it a little more and you see the cracks going right through it. This is cliché, but I believe that I was a little bit of each ally. There was: aspiring ally for self-interest, altruism, and social justice. Of course, the social justice ally is the most effective and moral. But, in the end, I can't put aside the fact that it feels good to have equitable motives in mind, thus the self-interest in me. There is minor guilt in my privilege, bringing out the altruistic side of my allyship with others. However, I value all walks of life and I can't change how I grew up. Lastly, I feel as though I have the potential to be rooted in social justice because I see "the interconnectedness of forms of oppression supporting each other" and I recognize the "need to address intersecting forms."
2 Comments
Julia
12/5/2018 12:12:41 pm
The first step to becoming a truly great ally is identifying the "why" and acknowledging that we do have some undeniable privilege. That doesn't mean we need to feel guilty all the time-- it just means that we need to use it for a good cause.
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I think being able to critically think about your motivations for ally ship is remarkably important and you seem to be doing that super well. I understand your guilt, as I struggle with it myself, but I think what is really vital is recognizing that the guilt comes from having privilege. What is more productive than wallowing in our guilt, is using that privilege to help those less privileged, and I believe this metacognition is a great place to start!
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Greetings!I'm Kelly! I like to find beauty in what might seem mundane to us over time and bring to life what we experience each day. Check out the About Me tab for an additional look at who I am. Archives
July 2019
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