Rudegrrl,

a note about feminist: If feminism sought to unite all women, why did Alice Walker and other black feminist break away from white feminist tradition, calling their movement "womanism"?

I am not separtist at all and although every fiber in my body wants to prove to you I am not, I will let that stand. I don't have anything to prove.

However, I do think there are some things you don't understand about European culture -- even as a European/white person. But see, this is part of the "genuis" of European culture, getting people within (and outside of it) to be _blind_ to it.

As for unification, I spent the better part of my young life advocating for just that. But see, I have no time for that anymore. I cannot "teach" or "educate" white folks about their culture because I get this. I get called things which I am not. I get veiled anger an frustration. Sometimes, even, I am called a racist. But where I am in my life right now, I am not concerned with "unity" as much as I am concerned with helping my people. I can't be in two places at one time because when I try, I end up spending more time attending to white people and their stuff instead of dealing with my own people -- who need me more than they do.

As for racism, I agree. No one is "born" racist. However, I would follow this up by saying that I believe that white/European culture leads its members to be racist. To elaborate a little, this is through perceiving people as "others" and setting these "others" up as antagonistic. This can be found in Platonic thought and his tourch bearers who finalized the split between mind/body. Even within the literature/ideology/movement with which you align yourself... why do you think women are angry -- outside of the very concrete reasons? Because in white/European culture, women are devalued. The "valueable" people are male -- and, of course, white. All of the evils committed against women stem from this perception of women being "less than" men.

Q



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