The giant and the dwarf

There has been a lot {A LOT} of outcry from people in the majority lately about how complain-y the minority is. The thought, I guess, is that the minority should stop complaining about, you know, being the minority.

But that is a bunch of bullshit. The minority is in the position it’s in because the majority put it there. So let me give you an image here:

A giant holds down a dwarf with its thumb.

Naturally, the dwarf doesn’t like being held down, so the dwarf fights back. The dwarf may protest by drawing a weapon, cursing profusely, begging, projecting messages of peace, or going on a hunger strike.

You guys. The giant has no right to complain about the dwarf’s complaints. That’s asinine.

Men are giants.

Not because they are strong or tall. Not because they tower over women. Not because they are any better than women in any way whatsoever.

Men are giants because there are a large group of them eager to pat each other on the back and encourage each other to continue being shitty. Men individually aren’t giants; the whole group of them – the ones who aren’t enlightened – is one singular giant.

Men are giants because, throughout history, and speaking very broadly, they have held women down. And, again speaking very broadly, they are STILL holding women down.

• Women are still receiving lower pay than men.
• Women are still being told, “There’s no such thing as Rape Culture!”
• Women are still expected to be homemakers even when they work outside the home.
• Women are still asked, upon getting married, “When will you start having kids?”
• Women are still being held responsible for men’s lusty misbehavior.

Until all that stops, women, as the dwarves in this scenario, have the right to complain, to fight, to rail against the injustice of being held down.

Whites are giants.

Not because they are any better than People of Color in any way whatsoever. Let me be clear on this statement so it may never be taken out of context: I, personally, do not believe whites are better than People of Color. They aren’t.

Whites are giants because there are a large group of them eager to pat each other on the back and encourage each other to continue being shitty. Whites individually aren’t giants; the whole group of them – the ones who aren’t enlightened – is one singular giant.

Whites are giants because, throughout history, and speaking very broadly, they have held People of Color down. And, again speaking very broadly, they are STILL holding People of Color down.

• People of Color are still receiving lower pay than whites.
• People of Color are still being told, “You have the same opportunities as we do!”
• People of Color are still expected to attend college on their own financial merits even though whites, more often than not, have parents who are able to pay for higher education, whereas People of Color often do not.
• People of Color are still asked, “Where are you REALLY from?”
• People of Color are still being held responsible for a fucked up job market that has less to do with the number of people applying for jobs than with the fact that Corporate America sends more and more work overseas and hires fewer and fewer entrance-level employees full-time.

Until all that stops, People of Color, as the dwarves in this scenario, have the right to complain, to fight, to rail against the injustice of being held down.

“But I’m tired of Femi-Nazis!”

Oh, really? You’re tired of women getting pissed off about sexual inequality? Well, too fucking bad, bozo. Maybe you’re one of the good guys. That’s awesome. Go help out your sisters at arms instead of whining about all this talk of so-called Rape Culture.

And while we’re at it? Let me clue you in: The moment Rape Culture doesn’t really exist, it will stop being a THING that you need to be tired of. If you’re tired of hearing about it, you had better believe that our collective vaginas are tired of clenching shut every time we’re alone in an elevator with a scary, asshole-ish looking motherfucker.

Women don’t exactly ENJOY this Rape Culture phenomenon. I mean, do you think it would be fun to have your asshole, for example, invaded against your will? And to be told afterward that, if it happened, it’s clearly because you wanted and invited it? Do you think that sounds exciting?

If yes, you’re obviously a weird-o, which renders your answer null and void. If the answer is NO, as it should be, then you finally have a clue what Rape Culture is about.

Being a Feminist, or Femi-Nazi if you must, doesn’t mean that women want to be placed higher than men. It means they want equality. Submitting that Rape Culture truly exists does not implicate that all men, collectively, are rapists and jerk-faces. It means that women are tired of being blamed for the rapes they endure; it means that rape does, in actuality, exist, and that rapists should be held accountable.

“I’m a victim of Reverse-Discrimination!”

Okay, before I even get into the how and WTF of that statement, let me first explain something that should be basic but clearly isn’t.

Reverse-Discrimination, by the laws of the English language, indicates that Discrimination did not, in fact take place. It’s kind of like a double-negative. People don’t walk around saying, “I am reverse-pregnant!” Because that would be stupid. You’re either pregnant, or you aren’t. Likewise, you’ve either been discriminated against, or you haven’t.

But okay.

I get what you’re trying to say. What you are implying by this statement is that Discrimination belongs only to minorities, which, in most cases, refers to People of Color. Which means you’re white, right? And I’m guessing you feel like somewhat of an asshole saying, “I’m a white person who was discriminated against.”

Do you know why you feel like an asshole saying that?

Let me help you out.

You feel like an asshole saying that because… You are an asshole saying that.

Maybe, just maybe, you are, indeed, a white person who did, in fact, endure one moment in time where being white got you the short end of the stick. Yeah, I guess that probably sucked. As a matter of fact, I’m sure it did. When I lived in San Antonio, Texas, I was a white girl surrounded by Mexicans and Hispanics, and, as such, I was a minority. I got turned down for jobs all the fucking time because I couldn’t speak Spanish. And then I went home and whined about this so-called Reverse-Discrimination.

Then I fucking grew up.

You see, even being denied a job because of the language barrier, I eventually realized that I was still way more fortunate, as a white person, than any of the Spanish-speaking individuals who were granted all the positions to which I had applied. Because, generally speaking, those Spanish-speaking individuals were limited by economics, education, culture, geography, and a myriad of other demographic statistics that meant they weren’t likely to move very far up the food chain.

I admit it. I begrudged them at the time. I wanted a job, goddamn it! And I couldn’t get one! And it was because I was white!

FALSE.

It wasn’t because I was white. It was because I couldn’t speak Spanish. All I had to do was learn the language, and I’d already be a “step up”. See, the truth is, they wouldn’t have minded hiring a white person. Most of the employers didn’t give a fuck what their employees looked like, as long as they could communicate with the customers – the majority of which spoke Spanish.

This is exactly UNLIKE what happens in mostly white areas of America, wherein being a Person of Color actually might mean you don’t get hired. And that’s the difference many white people fail to grasp. It might suck to have been white for, like maybe, five minutes. Now try carrying that knowledge around in your heart for a lifetime. Try having to explain to your children that they will always have to work harder, play smarter, do better, go further, and still be denied opportunity based on the color of their skin.

THAT is discrimination.

The dwarf understands this.

Women understand this.

People of Color understand this.

Anyone who has lived a life of oppression understands this.

The giant thinks it’s a crock of shit.

Well, Giant, it must be nice up there with your head in the clouds. I guess when you’re too far removed from reality, your glasses become rose-tinted and your perspective becomes positively skewed. You think because you’ve seen hardship, you understand what hardship is for everyone. You think because you’ve had it easy, everyone else has the same chances as you. You think because you were born with a prize, we are all medal-bearing competitors.

Most of us are just trying to get by.

We dwarves just want to run the race you’re running without a giant’s thumb holding us down.

Shit, most of us aren’t even trying to win; most of us just want to be allowed to participate fairly in the Game of Life.

Next time I hear someone in the majority talk about how sick they are of minorities complaining, I’m going to ask them to stop being so fucking ass-tastic. Probably won’t win me any points, but I’ll sure as shit feel better.