Comrade_Spood

Israel is an apartheid state, not a people. Would you interpret someone saying “death to Nazi Germany” as advocating for a counter-genocide?

Love Bookchin, a true anarchist.

Yeah basically. Like yeah generalizations are bad, like you say. But when we play the “not all straights” or “not all men” game, we are detracting from very real and very harmful issues facing a community. There is a reason women overwhelmingly pick the bear over the man in the hypothetical, and a man saying “not all men” does nothing to make that women want to pick him over the bear. Honestly, it often times would probably make the woman even more likely to pick the bear. Cause what you are doing is effectively making the topic about you, and you are telling the person “your generalization is more important to me than the problem you are talking about.” And because the people talking about the problem are marginalized (by definition, people without an influential voice), it only further covers up the message. As a white, straight-passing, and cis-passing man, yeah of course it hurts when I feel like someone is lumping me in as the problem. But I know its not my fault, and that its not really attacking me. And I know this because I try my damnedest to be an accomplice, not just an ally.* Basically, be the reason why they dont feel the need to generalize anymore, show dont tell.

*There is a very good zine called “Accomplices Not Allies: Abolishing the Ally Industrial Complex” written by Indigenous Action that I highly recommend. There is also another zine called “Queers Read This” that I also highly recommend. I linked both below.

https://www.indigenousaction.org/accomplices-not-allies-abolishing-the-ally-industrial-complex/

https://archive.qzap.org/index.php/Detail/Object/Show/object_id/184

Also thank you for engaging in good faith and being willing to listen

Read my reply to walk_blessed and you’ll get the nuance. I explain how its different from white supremacists generalizing black people.

Yeah, like white supremacists doing it are not victims talking about real oppression, they are pieces of shit leveling stereotypes and misinformation to slander their victims. A queer person saying straight people force straightness down their throat is not the same as a straight person saying queerness is forced down their throat. One is a reflection on how straightness is deemed normal and safe and so is represented as the default, and the other is being uncomfortable outside of your tiny bubble and accusing people just wanting to be represented as some sort of personal attack. Intent and context are huge

They are talking about a trend with straight people, not accusing every straight person of being a rapist. Rule of thumb, if someone critiques an identity that you are a part of and the critique doesnt apply to you then its probably not about you. Coming in and saying this type of shit makes you seem like an asshole who isnt listening to marginalized peoples’ struggles.

Like for example I hear houseless people complain about nurses and doctors a lot because they tend to assume they are dope-seeking. If I was a nurse, I would listen and do my best not to be the kind of person they are talking about. I would not tell them “You should stop generalizing, cause I don’t do that.” It feels very invalidating and makes you come off as very self-centered.

I aint gonna say people couldn’t rephrase better to avoid over generalization, but just saying that lets stop making it about ourselves when people are talking about real and serious problems affecting them. Be an active listener and dont be a part of the problem if you aint gonna be a part of the solution.

Edit: Crazy how a comment can have +60 upvotes, but a comment defending that comment can get -11.