Yay Obama – but:
Posted on November 07, 2012 by Stacy Bias | 1,999 views | 4 CommentsI feel like a lot of people are really hanging on to the bit of Obama’s speech where he says everyone can make it if they’re ‘willing to try.’ And I just want to point out that this is a myth, this is a story we’re being sold about what it means to be American, and what it effectively does is put the onus for failure to ‘thrive’ back on the individuals who are most endangered by systematic and institutionalized oppression. Obama’s rad and all, but he’s a politician and i’ma join you in celebrating, but please don’t lose track of the fact that this bootstrapping shit is a way to shift the blame from the HAVES back to the HAVE NOTS. It’s like saying everyone can be thin if they just work hard enough. It’s like saying that everyone can get into college despite any access issues. It’s like saying that everyone who is struggling is just not doing their best. I hate to break it to you, but working hard is NOT the measure of success in this world. PRIVILEGE determines access. And with that, back to your regularly scheduled kermit arms.
4 Responses to Yay Obama – but:
Leave a Comment
(Note: Only respectful comments will be published.)
Mailing List
Twitter Updates
Error: Twitter did not respond. Please wait a few minutes and refresh this page.
Need a Website?
This site designed by Chipboard Creative - a queer, female-owned, body-positive design firm. Check 'em out!
Big Liberty Feed
- Story time: I went to a carnival with my little cousin (she’s 8 years old, as of my typing this). I...
- Thin Privilege is having one of your best friends like a guy and see him give off signals that he...
- I’m borderline hypertensive, have been for years. On my first visit Dr. P noted that, because...
Notes From the Fatosphere
- Embracing our Bodies – University of Queensland Women’s Collective Event
- Big Stinky
- Saturday Share: BeauCoo, Pics On Someone Your Own Size
I saw that too; Everyone can make it if they work hard AND HAVE THE SAME OPPORTUNITIES AS EVERYONE ELSE. But we dont’. We live in a society where some people are very privileged and others aren’t. His working towards equality helps a lot to level the playing field, but we’re not there yet, not by a long shot. Yes, if you work hard you can make it, but never forget all the people who helped you get there, and all the circumstances you could take advantage of. You’d think a man who was raised by a single working mom and became the first BLACK president of the USA would know this.
What I got out of that part of his speech was that if all of us are able to work hard to , and put partisanship aside, we can fix this nation. I didn’t get the individualist, boot-straps thing out of it, but then again, I was tired.
What I got out of that part of his speech was that if all of us are able to work hard to work together
, and put partisanship aside, we can fix this nation. I didn’t get the individualist, boot-straps thing out of it, but then again, I was tired.
Sorry, formatting is messing up, I’m doing something wrong!