Why race, gender, and sex matter

Even if they are social constructs

After a year-long hiatus, I recently reactivated my social media accounts. I’ve been feeling rather lonely as of late and was encouraged to do so by a friend. At the onset of this experience, a sea of Dopamine flooded my brain. Happy to see old friends and communicate with strangers online, I thought to myself, “maybe social media isn’t all that bad, Kalen. Maybe you misjudged it.” Meh.

As I sank into the old comforts of perpetual phone checking, comparisons to others’ perfect lives, and the appreciation for the ‘likes,’ I let my guard down. For some godforsaken reason, I believed that I could speak my opinion in this format without judgment. I was wrong.

The cracks in the veneer of self-indulgence began when I started to post anti-racist and anti-sexist information. Although the ratio between supporters and haters was 5:1, I quickly discovered the aggressive tone of those who disagreed with my message.

I guess I was looking for a fight when I attempted to engage in a logical discussion about American history facts. One commenter pointed to the problem with us radical feminists. We can’t seem to let the inequalities that exist go. If we really want to find a solution, then we need to stop talking about it. Huh?

When I mentioned the oppressive history of our country and matters of life and death that plague certain communities (racial, sexual orientation, and gender-based crimes) they attacked my character. Apparently, I’m just another stupid feminist who has the facts wrong and they refuse to talk to me. Okay.

Although the angry strangers irked me, they didn’t get in the way of my stride. However, the situation quickly changed in the presence of real-life friends from long ago. A wealthy, attractive, right-winged, anti-vaxxing white woman with blonde hair and blue eyes scolded me for my ignorance. How dare I encourage the play of victimhood. Don’t I realize discrimination isn’t an issue? Are these illusions, and everyone has the same chance to succeed in America?

At this moment, I deactivated my social media accounts. This pointless activity doesn’t benefit my cause. My doctoral work and activism will be my platform. I’ll leave social media to the celebrities. I could have left it alone at this point, but I didn’t. Instead, my internal dialogue is filled with a relentless ponder of the interaction.

My challenge is in the unwillingness to communicate. I’m not interested in understanding my own point of view, and I make an effort to engage in brave spaces with those who oppose me. I believe the only way to shift these oppressive systematic structures is to do it together, so I’ve spent many hours in contemplation.

The truth is that she is right, in a way. Race and gender are social constructs, which means that they do not exist in a tangible form. Instead, they are part of our collective labeling system. However, labels aren’t inherently negative. In fact, labels provide us with the opportunity to understand the nature of our world.

Challenges arise, however, when we place these labels in cages. When we oppress particular groups who exist outside of the majority, it creates a hierarchy. For instance, the pseudo-scientific theory that non-European individuals are biologically different attempts to treat certain individuals with disdain. This same theory, which we used to teach in textbooks, has been debunked.

When we consider gender, we understand that the concept of male and female are performative in nature (thank you, Judith Butler). Therefore, our gender presentation is bound by societal characteristics and not the genitalia that an individual possesses. However, similar to the way people of color were treated, the medical field locked into a certain idea of the “proven differences” between men and women since, well, it was developed.

With this in mind, how can I dare say that racism and sexism exist? If they are merely societal constructs, then does this idea of oppression actually take place? The question of relevance and truth comes down to the action which ensues based on these constructs.

If certain political, social, economic, and medical roadblocks exist based on such constructs, the labels have solidified as truth. This collective measure initiates solid and structural oppression of a particular race (skin color), gender (personality characteristics), sexual preference (people we are attracted to), and biological sex (penis or vagina).

The thought I often hear (and have thought myself) is that “well, I’m not oppressive; how can I be part of the problem?” The truth is that we all carry this oppressive nature. Like fallen ash, there is no avoidance..there is only clean-up.

I won’t go into the details about the current day challenges individuals outside of a particular class, color, sex, and gender face. If you are interested in more information, feel free to check out NPR, CNN, or any other credible *and neutral* new source. Local politics provides a way to understand how the smaller pieces of the country make up the whole in federal law.

So the question is, what can we do? Is the discussion beneficial, or is it simply another way to remain in victim mode? I find those who disagree with constructive conversations to represent the deeper collective issues. An understanding of the collective unconscious helps us to pinpoint the deep fear of the shadow. The more we sweep our shadow under the rug, the more we will unconsciously act out against others.

Instead of claiming to be over the issue, please educate yourself on the current struggles of that cof those considered a minority face. Ignorance is not the answer, and neither is hate. Instead, listening to and validating the righteous rage of those who have suffered under the weight of colonization and patriarchy is the first step towards collective unity.