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Why Privilege is no Excuse
Oct. 20th, 2013 11:50 amIt occurs to me that, as an 80% vanilla, straight white male professional who would like to be in a happy monogamous marriage, a lot of conservative policies wouldn't hurt me directly.
Nope, all of the hurt (and there would be plenty) would be indirect: by restricting the choices of the people I love; by reducing the pool of talented people society can benefit from; by removing the vast variety we've become used to; by simply making this a meaner world, were bullying and persecuting those who are different is acceptable.
But mostly, that grip would tighten more and more, until my own hurt would no longer be indirect, because the people who want to regress will never stop until we are all the same. I don't want to be the same as everyone else. I especially don't want to be the same as the likes of them.
In the end, I have to acknowledge that Martin Niemöller was right.
Nope, all of the hurt (and there would be plenty) would be indirect: by restricting the choices of the people I love; by reducing the pool of talented people society can benefit from; by removing the vast variety we've become used to; by simply making this a meaner world, were bullying and persecuting those who are different is acceptable.
But mostly, that grip would tighten more and more, until my own hurt would no longer be indirect, because the people who want to regress will never stop until we are all the same. I don't want to be the same as everyone else. I especially don't want to be the same as the likes of them.
In the end, I have to acknowledge that Martin Niemöller was right.
