This is a topic I don't think I could have gotten my thoughts together properly on to discuss. Julia, however, does an excellent job on a primer on what it means to be a man in jiu jitsu. Check it out, give it a thorough read.
Jiu jitsu has challenged me socially lately. My normal world is full of a mix of people, but this is one of the few times in my life where I've been exposed to a relatively large number of people who apparently aren't used to spending time around people who are/think/look/live differently than they do...at least not doing so in a respectful manner. For the sake of my own emotional well being (which has been compromised lately because of work), I've been steering clear of discussions online, but they seem to have found me, both on the Internet and in real life. So yeah...honestly, most of these discussions have come back to the concept of demographic privilege that Julia does a great job of breaking in.
This part? Awesome.
Privilege is not negated. I can’t balance my white privilege against my female disadvantage and come out neutral.
Privilege is not something you can be exempt from by having had a difficult life.
Privilege is not inherently bad. It really isn’t.
So yeah...check it out.
Jiu jitsu has challenged me socially lately. My normal world is full of a mix of people, but this is one of the few times in my life where I've been exposed to a relatively large number of people who apparently aren't used to spending time around people who are/think/look/live differently than they do...at least not doing so in a respectful manner. For the sake of my own emotional well being (which has been compromised lately because of work), I've been steering clear of discussions online, but they seem to have found me, both on the Internet and in real life. So yeah...honestly, most of these discussions have come back to the concept of demographic privilege that Julia does a great job of breaking in.
This part? Awesome.
Privilege is not negated. I can’t balance my white privilege against my female disadvantage and come out neutral.
Privilege is not something you can be exempt from by having had a difficult life.
Privilege is not inherently bad. It really isn’t.
So yeah...check it out.
I checked it out - as well as mostly all of the other posts she linked to/mentioned in her post - and thought it was very well done! I'm not a BJJ practioner (my art is karate), but as I commented there, I truly see the "laundry list" in other MAs as well. I always find it interesting when a few folks take it personally and aim to refute everything in one long, rambling post. She summed THAT up right nicely with this: "Just because YOU don't see it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist." Love it...
ReplyDeleteLoved the post. Thanks for sharing this. It's critical to discuss male privilege in athletic spaces; it's something often overlooked when it's discussed in say...work spaces or academic spaces. It affects EVERYTHING. Every form of privilege (i.e. White, male, cis, hetero, class) and corresponding oppressive force (racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, classism/poverty)does.
ReplyDeleteYeah...she's caught a LOT of backlash for even broaching the subject, but I think she's doing a really good job of covering gender and the associated issues in the martial arts.
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