Response to Sara 11/18

I thought this weeks reading nicely tied together our class’s discussion about the various issues facing the feminist movement. Particularly the article “Mapping the Margins” explored the pratfalls with creating a united feminist front against a patriarchal system.  I had never really considered a giant movement for a cause problematic until reading this article. I understand the author is not advocating fractioning the feminist movement, but she does note that we need to understand the homogeneity of the feminist movement is a myth.

            Creating a united front for a cause of course has its benefits- the problems of a huge group of women are much harder to ignore than the isolated reported incidents of a few. A cohesive group can also gather and allocate resources better than a smaller scattered group. Overall, the unified feminist movement captures more attention than smaller women’s groups and can elicit more change from society. Nonetheless, the change elicited may only benefit a select few within the movement. Intersecting cultural practices may have effects on the results of the movement. Crenshaw explains how the benefits gained by the feminist movement affect women of color differently than it does white women. Many times women of color fall between the cracks of the movement and they require extra benefits to manage the system. For example, immigrant women may be especially hesitant to report domestic violence because of their legal standing. Reporting violence would require knowledge of the law and police system; furthermore, these women frequently depend on their husbands for all of their knowledge and such husbands may be supplying them with false information. I was also surprised to learn how some states are withholding information about domestic violence among people of color for fear of how it portrays the community. I agree that it is never a good idea to give out skewed information, but at the same time if reported objectively, this information is necessary to share. Such information would be valuable to teach others about the problems within such communities and would probably rally people for change. Overall, I thought this reading was especially valuable because it explains how broad sweeping changes for a large movement may not have all of the benefits most people assume. There are indeed problems associated with large groups and appeasing every particular person in such a group may be impossible. However, it is important not to forget the specific needs of most members and try to address any issues to the best of one’s ability.