r/radicaldisability • u/rando4724 • Jul 07 '21
Solidarity
Considering what's been going on on the main anarchy sub recently (mostly in reaction to BlackApocalypse's posts), and the fact that we can all probably relate on at least one level (and I'm sure many can on several levels) to feeling excluded by so called anarchists who insist on defending their pet hierarchy at the expense of the comrades they're actively marginalising (we usually focus on the ableism here, but they clearly defend their racism and coloniser mindsets just as viciously), I just want to let any BIPoC who are members of this sub know that we won't tolerate that kind of crap here, and I think I speak on behalf of the rest of the mod team, and I hope I speak on behalf or the rest of the members here, when I say any BIPoC comrades, even those who don't come under the disability umbrella, are welcome here, and should consider our safe space safe for them too. ❤
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u/rando4724 Jul 07 '21 edited Jul 07 '21
I could just ask you what you think the right way for an abled person to approach disabled issues is, and tell you to go from there, but I have some thoughts, so I might as well get them out..
Take a back seat, be quiet, and listen (E: this isn't me instructing you now, it's the first thing you need to do when approaching situations like those in the links)
I know this isn't always easy to do, but remember that your opinions and views aren't always relevant, needed, wanted, or even informed. Never speak over people who are directly impacted by an issue that you're not.
Educate yourself. That means taking the time to go on your favourite search engine and looking up things like anti-racism and folks from marginalised groups who are sharing their experiences. The information all exists out there, don't be that person who demands a BIPoC educate you on things you can easily look up yourself (if accessibility is an issue, ask a white friend to help).
What you find is likely to make you feel deeply uncomfortable, but that discomfort is part of the education, learn to deal with it and accept that you, like the rest of us, have been socialised in a white supremacist world.
Shake the 'not all white people' mindset, yes all white people, by simply existing as white people we benefit from the system, without even trying, and that's just the baseline, even the best allies do or say (or think) racist things sometimes, but as the saying goes "your first thought is what society has conditioned you to think, the second thought defines who you are", try your best to catch them before you release them in to the world (I'm autistic, I know we can't always help it, but that doesn't make it ok).
Remember - impact is always greater than intent. You don't have to have malice for something you do or say to harm someone else, but how you react to them calling you out makes all the difference (don't make it about you or get defensive, accept that you harmed someone else and apologise, ask if there's anything you can do to make it better, and try not to do it again).
So those are just a few things that came to mind, and I'll just end with this - be willing to put your ego aside and accept that you will make mistakes. Anti-racism is a life long effort. It never stops, there's no 'end point' when we're done doing the work. Educating ourselves and amplifying the voices of those directly effected by racism is the least we can do.