Dancing Around Objectification
Down to its core, this article is a simple “compare & contrast” of two different fictional characters. One is a black woman, one is a white woman. They are both exotic dancers. While they are both in very similar situations and are “idealized and dehumanized,” the author draws a line based on the racial difference. The main takeaway is that the white woman, while still not at the top of the totem pole, is high enough in status that she can use this privilege to take back her own agency, while the black woman cannot.
Intersectionality 101
This reading as the title suggests, is quite literally Intersectionality 101, this is to say; a short introduction to the theory of intersectionality. It starts by defining it: “a methodology of studying “the relationships among multiple dimensions and modalities of social relationships and subject formations.”…” Gives a little history about the term; coined in 1989 by Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw. And, explains the three approaches used to study and conceptualize intersectionality; interlocking matrix of oppression, standpoint theory, and a third unnamed one (resisting oppression.)
The Urgency of Intersectionality
Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, the speaker of this ted talk, explains intersectionality in such a way that a layman could understand. According to her when a person has more than one feature placing them at a disadvantage and/or unprivileged position, it places the person in the intersection of 2 or more roads, which could be race, gender, sexual orientation etc. Being aware of that and analyzing it is what she calls intersectionality. She heavily uses black females as groups to derive examples from, as she is a black female herself.
The Bechdel Test
The Bechdel test, first coined by Alison Bechdel in the 80’s, is a method to evaluate the portrayal of women in creative works. It consists of 3 rules. There must be at least 2 women in the work. They have to talk to each other. They have to talk about something else than a man. This test is often modified to suit different objectives and whatnot, but overall they are all at least tangentially related to evaluating the portrayal of women in fiction. It’s been criticized for being too shallow, and there’s been a barrage of new tests/methods created as superior alternatives such as the Mako Mori test.
Response
While I do believe “intersectionality” is an extremely important concept be aware of in order to understand the interactions between defining features of people and discrimination (amongst other things) I think it’s too try hard to actually label something that should come naturally when thinking about these “intersections.” It’s basically common sense to see how they all connect and interact, so I think this is just over-intellectualizing something that should be tacitly understood. I’m probably wrong though, since I’m out of touch.
Regarding what we’ve done and seen before in class, this topic clearly correlates to it in numerous way of which i’ll detail one. The labeling of this concept, and all the massive theory surrounding it, is rhetoric in its purest form. A framework which these people use to push this onto the general population, the masses, so they can use this tool to understand the experiences of people situated in intersections and more.
Question
How do complex theories like this trickle down to knowledge in the unconscious collective?