race and sex

Things get strange when matters of race and sex intersect with one another. And issues get especially charged when a man of color is accused of attacking a woman. Recently I had a conversation with a female (self-identified feminist) who said that she always believes the woman. (We were talking about a white woman we both knew who had made certain accusations against her Indian ex-boyfriend) But especially since the whole issue of lynching had been on my mind these days I made a point of telling her that sometimes women lie and that you need to have a more balanced perspective. There is a long history of certain people using protection of "feminine virtue" as a club to reinforce racist stereotypes and practices. I'm not saying this with the intent of delegitimzing valid concerns and interests of women. Men can certainly be pigs most of the time. But that doesn't necessarily mean that men are every bit as evil as their ex-girlfriends say or that women are always blameless. The truth is usually more complex...

The whole situation is tricky. For example, the argument is often made that certain nationalist, or politically progressive groups tend to be patriarchal and sexist. (e.g. Black Panthers, the Nation, etc.) But it is also true that feminism can tend towards racism. In fact, according to the DadsNow website (DadsNow is a men's rights organization, so I would take what they say with a grain of salt but the claim is interesting nonetheless) the origins of radical feminism in the United States actually lie in the WKKK (Women's Klu Klux Klan).

WKKK women basically went around talking about what black men might do to them, and white men preached of the sanctity of "white womanhood". The sexually hypercharged imagery, together with economic desires of slave-owners, made widespread violence and discrimination against blacks acceptable and even necessary in the public eye. Women got what they wanted by motivating men with horrid sexual imagery about blacks, and men took up their dirty duties protecting the sanctity of "white womanhood".

The WKKK had over 4 million members by 1925, a substantial organization in those days. In Indiana, an estimated 32% of white native-born women were members of the WKKK.. Their work was largely promulgated through networks in the Protestant Church, the Y.W.C.A., and a variety of "vice squad organizations" which blamed all vice on men, but never questioned women's part in it.

By the 1920's, a congressional investigation into the KKK concluded that a woman named Elizabeth Tyler was the "true power" behind the KKK -- the grand dragon serving as little more than a figurehead. Tyler had achieved controlling power by catering to the weaknesses of men, and being the leading fundraiser of the WKKK and even the KKK itself.

And of course, another well-known connection between feminism and racism lies in the fact that Margaret Sanger (the founder of Planned Parenthood) was also a believer in eugenics. So historically the push for greater reproductive control by women was linked with a racist desire to "purify" the population of undesireable elements.

None of the above should be taken as an argument against feminism. We should all work towards creating a world which is fair and just to everyone, especially women. But at the same time, while we are doing so, we should be careful not to get there by demonizing other groups of people.