CRITICAL RACE MOVEMENT AND FEMINISM PARALLELS
NOTE: SUBSTITUTE “WHITE PRIVILEGE” FOR “MALE DOMINATIONS” AND PEOPLE OF COLOUR AND FEMINISM HAVE PARALLELS IN THEIR RESISTANCE STRATEGIES
***THE GOAL OF ANALYSIS (FOR BOTH) IS TO COMPREHEND THE STRUCTURES OF DOMINATION THAT SHAPE THE EVERYDAY REALITIES OF PEOPLE, TO SHOW HOW SOCIAL DOMINATION IS CONSTITUTED, SO THAT THOSE WITH AN OBJECTIVE INTEREST IN TRANSCENDING IT WOULD HAVE THE CONCEPTUAL TOOLS NEEDED TO TRANSFORM THE ARCHITECTURE OF SOCIAL REALITY
STILL IN OTHER WORDS === AS STUDENTS OF SOCIETY AND THE POLITICAL ECONOMY IT IS OUR JOB TO INTERROGATE “SOCIAL FACTS” — LIKE, RACIAL OPPRESSION, HETEROSEXUALISM, SEXISM AND GENDERISM, — IN ORDER TO UNMASK THE CONTINGENT, CONSTRUCTED, AND THUS TRANSFORMABLE NATURE OF CANADA.
In fact, the media’s portrayal of feminism attributed to a backlash to feminism, by the media exaggerating or fabricating stories of feminists as crazy man-haters who burned bras and wanted to destroy the essence of our society. These fabricated stories were necessary as feminism challenged the power structures of society, through counter-ideologies that threatened the status quo. Therefore, the status quo needed to maintain their power by ensuring feminist ideals would not be adopted by the masses
{*HOW DOES THE STATUS QUO MAINTAIN ITSELF? ===è CONTROL THE PUBLIC DISCOURSE [THROUGH MEDIA]}.
First and second wave feminism =====> Raise awareness, and gave women tools and voices to shed their patriarchal oppressive holds and join with other women in fighting for justice and equality.
The third wave of feminism, new forms of media to disseminate and circulate knowledge pertaining to justice for women are taking place within an underground culture.
{*HOW DO WOMEN AND
MINORITIES CRITIQUE DOMINATION TODAY ====> THIRD WAVE FEMINISTS USE
“MEDIA AS A TOOL OF RESISTANCE.”}
Third wave feminism is has the same goals as “third media” for people of colour.
Like Critical Race Movement, Feminism sought out new forms of media and new technologies to form political consciousness in striving for social justice. The primary new form of feminist media is zines.
Zines disseminate and circulate knowledge about feminism and the struggle for social justice through counter-ideologies, through the deconstruction of power within society, and through the formation of subcultures.
Zines are important portals for raising awareness of women’s issues within public discourse, without adhering to mainstream media which often construes feminist ideology and action in a harmful manner that reverses the strides in justice so far achieved for women ===è Many websites have been recently created in various forms such as blogs, live journals, art, information sharing, and organizing actions of resistance.
1. An outlet for their own personal stories, a means to reclaim culture and language through their writing, and the ability to critique mainstream media without the constraints of corporate or institutional interest (Bell, 2002)
2. Zines demonstrate to other girls and women that they can also produce culture rather than consume it, expressing one message of zines: to be anti-consumerist (Bell, 2002).
3. Zines need to assure that their efforts are directed toward deconstructing male dominance and power within society, through a feminist subculture with feminist ideals and ideologies of equality and justice for women.
4. Reposition themselves as creators of ideas and culture not merely the consumers of mainstream culture.
5. Riot grrrls promoted female empowerment, expression, and ‘girl love’, and gave voice to many women’s experiences that have traditionally been silenced (Jacques, 2001) ===è Riot grrrls served as a means to disseminate and circulate knowledge about feminism and the struggle for social justice through counter-ideologies, and through the deconstruction of power within society.