I met a Jen on the bus

I can’t say whether Jen was male, or female, both or neither, as I don’t know how Jen identifies.  Not wanting to offend Jen by assuming anything about them, I assumed nothing.  I was immediately accused of prejudice, having labeled Jen a non-entity, worth nothing because I had not determined to identify Jen in a cis-friendly, non-privileged manner.  That I had determined to not define Jen in any form, is, apparently, a negative definition, in and of, itself.

What you read above is not true.  No names were changed, no places were harmed in this fictional event.  The only thing I am guilty of is creating the situation to illustrate a particular silliness.  That I elect to highlight this silliness, especially as I am a white male of heterosexual preference, automatically renders my opinion not only baseless, but also a form of privileged prejudice.  Alas, i cannot help myself, as I am fundamentally unaware of my own privilege,  and should somebody point this out to me, I am still not able to comprehend its magnitude- somebody else must comprehend it for me.

This vexes me…

By Dan Granot

I chose the Shorter Whitman because of his work, "Song of Myself" and because of my self-deprecating sense of humor. I am under no illusion that I can write successful essays or poetry, but I have been known to write them anyway.

2 comments

  1. If you cannot have an opinion or even take notice – Are you privileged or diminished by you imputed cisgender white male imputed racism? Is CGWM the new LGBTQWERTY?

    1. I think the movement to win everyone’s equality has become the tool with which people now oppress others. Should what I think and feel be any less valid, any more marginalized than any others, simply because I am a white male? If my actions have been convicted before I am allowed to think them, then what hope of equality and privilege can a person truly discriminated against hope to aspire to from the actions of this movement?

Leave a Reply to David Bullis Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *