On the "Am I qualified to have an opinion?" front: Thinking is never bad.
On the "Am I qualified to express an opinion?" issue: I understand what you're saying about being a man talking about feminism. One of the keys, from my perspective, is being aware of that issue when you talk, and trying to focus on listening first, before speaking, whenever the subject comes up with women. (This doesn't mean you can't start the discussion. But when you hear something you disagree with, spend a goodly chunk of time trying to understand the speaker's point of view before you respond.) Engage in discussion, yes, and as long as you're actively listening to learn more about how women actually experience the world, and then try to fit your comments to what they actually experience, you probably can't go too far wrong.
I benefit, daily from my male privilege, and don't necessarily cast that off when I might.
I'm interested - in what ways are you thinking that you could cast off privilege? Are you talking specifically about male privilege here, or other sorts? Because I'm having a hard time seeing how you could "cast off" male privilege; it seems pretty sticky to me.
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Date: 2008-04-03 11:31 am (UTC)On the "Am I qualified to express an opinion?" issue: I understand what you're saying about being a man talking about feminism. One of the keys, from my perspective, is being aware of that issue when you talk, and trying to focus on listening first, before speaking, whenever the subject comes up with women. (This doesn't mean you can't start the discussion. But when you hear something you disagree with, spend a goodly chunk of time trying to understand the speaker's point of view before you respond.) Engage in discussion, yes, and as long as you're actively listening to learn more about how women actually experience the world, and then try to fit your comments to what they actually experience, you probably can't go too far wrong.
I benefit, daily from my male privilege, and don't necessarily cast that off when I might.
I'm interested - in what ways are you thinking that you could cast off privilege? Are you talking specifically about male privilege here, or other sorts? Because I'm having a hard time seeing how you could "cast off" male privilege; it seems pretty sticky to me.