In the comments on yesterday's post on race, Joel wrote:
"Oh, by the way, if you research gender issues you’ll find the same exact language, substituting “male” for “white”. "
I thought over this off and on for much of yesterday.
And I don't think I agree.
Oh, there are feminists who take an "anyone who disagrees with me on issue X must be a sexist" attitude. But I don't think they are all that common. After all, while some feminists certainly believe that all objections to abortion are rooted in sexism, you don't hear the idea discussed all that much. Most feminists seem willing to scknowledge that the issue is more complicated than that. Meanwhile, the idea that the only possible objection to undocumented immigrants is racism is so mainstream that I'm sure Sinkford didn't think for a moment before writing We are also called to acknowledge that racism has blinded most Americans to what takes place in our own kitchens, workshops, and fields in an official statement.
Last time I discussed this issue on someone else's blog, I was immediately hit with a question about undocumented immigrants that weren't from Mexico, the clear assumption being that I was a racist who would change her mind the moment she considered the possibility that all undocumented immigrants weren't Hispanic.
(Item: The person here illegally whom I personally know best is English.)
(Item II: The idea that anyone who disagrees with you is stupid and you completely understand them and can predict why they think what they do, will be the death of liberalism.)
Anyway, while I can recognize that all extremes start to look alike after a bit, I think the way we look at these issues is fundamentally different. Nobody calls Condoleeza Rice an "Uncle Tom" because she doesn't do enough for women, after all.
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