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Social Subordinates CAN'T Be Great

9/26/2011

3 Comments

 
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A friend of mine was telling me about a man who complained that Beyonce’s music, in the midst of strongly empowering women, didn’t make him feel like he was “wanted and needed” and described the ferocity of her message as “thrown at my face” and male bashing. This infuriated me. This was the 1,000th time I’ve heard a man accuse Beyonce` of male bashing and criticize her music because it proposes ONLY a female perspective. This man and others are under the mistaken impression that feministic messages have something to do with them, be it bashing or otherwise (Cue Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain...I Bet You Think This Song is About You”). Feminism and/or female empowerment is NOT about ridiculing men. It’s NOT about men AT ALL. In short, it’s about encouraging women to do what’s best for their well-being and success and to pursue justice in the face of discrimination. I’m sorry your feel disadvantaged because Beyonce` is so busy trying to cater to women, that she doesn’t write songs that make you feel “wanted and needed;” she isn’t for you to begin with. She’s for us. Women. For us by us.

This man’s reaction to Beyonce’s feministic messages is a part of the selfish, egocentric thinking that comes with being a “social dominant” and not a “social subordinate” (the central topic of this article). A “social subordinate” is someone who is a part of a community plagued by social injustice (ex. the poor, the disabled, homosexuals, racial minorities, non-Christians/Catholics, women). Social dominants, although often being the facilitators of injustice (either overtly or covertly), sometimes fail to realize that they’re more privileged. Living daily in an advantaged world among fellow social dominants, feeds into the illusion that social adversity is almost non-existent. When coming across material that’s in support of only social subordinates, (ex. Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” or James Brown’s “Say it Loud, I’m Black & I’m Proud”), social dominants feel left-out and discriminated against, crying foul and claiming that there is no such material for them. This reaction stems from both egotism and a presumed aloofness of their privilege. Egotism, because in their advantaged experience, they’re used to being catered to and respond negatively to anything that excludes them. Privilege aloofness, because they don’t see that most material and support is already in their favor. For example, a Caucasian peer of mine purported that the existence of BET (Black Entertainment Television) was racist and if there was a “White Entertainment Television” there would be an uproar. Aloof to her privilege as a member of the dominant race, she failed to understand that racial minorities are still severely underrepresented in mainstream television, giving reason for a channel like BET to exist. Outside of channels like BET and TV One, everything else IS white entertainment television. Hispanics, Asians and other racial minorities are even further underrepresented.

There wouldn’t be a need for a “Born This Way” if the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community wasn’t prosecuted and ridiculed. There wouldn’t be a need for Beyonce` to remind women that they can “Run the World” if they already felt like they could. It angers me when social dominants complain about supports for social subordinates, as if they don’t already have enough advantages. Social subordinates just can’t be great.

3 Comments
Crystal W.
9/28/2011 09:03:41 am

I'm not much of a music critic and know very little about these artists, so my response has more to do with feminism in general than with Beyonce or Lady Gaga.

Feminism promotes equal privileges for women, but oftentimes negates equal responsibility. It is wrong for women to be treated with disrespect, but we should also be careful not to end up at the other extreme. The fact that most of the people buying household items are female does not mean we should portray the husband in the cleaning commercial as a clumsy idiot. Nor does equal rights mean a mother should always retain custody and receive alimony in a divorce. Mutual respect, responsibility, and teamwork are very important to the concept of equity.

Although I can't speak from experience, I doubt being a "privileged white male" is all it's cracked up to be. They're treated as superior, sure, but that also means they're expected to be practically perfect in every way. They're expected to make higher grades in highschool. They're expected to get into college with less financial assistance. They're expected to never need government aid. It's hard to say which is worse, society saying "we never expected you to amount to much anyway" or saying "you're such a disappointment".

Being a man in general has its own disadvantages. Guys are expected to find a good job and be the bread-winner for their family. They are required to meet higher physical standards than women for the military. They are expected never to cry or show vulnerability. They are expected to be tall and strong and hate the color pink. They are expected to fit in the "man box" of what society wants them to be.

Instead of seeking social independence, we could seek a better togetherness. We could seek a life where we share responsibilities and find empowerment in our ability to shape the next generation. We could accept a kind man as the head of the household while at the same time acknowledging our right to be treated fairly and with tenderness.

Reply
Monica
9/28/2011 09:42:50 am

Crystal, I see most of your comments on this site, and it seems like every time J.Says tries to highlight the struggles of the under-supported and disadvantaged, you want to act as an advocate for those who already have the upperhand. Like J.Says mentioned, advocacy for the disadvantaged is NOT about attacking the advantaged. No one said that every group doesn't have their own struggles. She just pointed out that the disadvantaged can't encourage themselves without the advantaged complaining about it. See the bigger picture.

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Crystal W.
9/29/2011 12:14:56 am

My grandmother always called me a "devil's advocate." That's probably why I'm going into social work. Everyone's opinion is important, the majority as well as the minority. The percentage of kids bullied in the U.S. is statistically higher among white teens. Maybe because their persecutors don't fear legal action if they get caught harassing their victims. Hopefully someday our country will mature to the point where we don't care about differences in skin color and we expect the best from everyone.

Being in the Christian majority, I'm kind of tired of being stepped on. People aren't supposed to pray in school (which is rather cruel to Muslims and Jews as well). If we get a job as a teacher, social worker, or other government employee we're expected to keep our faith under wraps and act like it doesn't matter. An atheist organization sued this year to remove a piece of World Trade Center rubble that just happened to look like a cross. If a Christian organization had done something like that, everyone else would have had a fit.

I'm in favor of equal rights and responsibilities for all genders/races.

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