I had my difficulties trying to begin this article for multiple reasons. one of them sadly being a really bad case of writer’s block and another being the urge to find a perfectly fitting introduction to make up for the fact I haven’t had time to update anyone on my life or just write & create in general.
having a perfect introduction would eliminate at least one of my countless problems.
but maybe this is the perfect introduction though, since I had felt pressured to write the perfect article even though I could have just written something, spoken about whatever it was my heart desired; and not feeling and wanting to write the perfect piece of literature. apparently I have deepened the fact that I and so many others, different groups in society & most importantly minorities have to be on top of our game in order to be respected, cherished and perceived in a positive way, or at least just dismissed by predominantly men so we do not get made fun of, are antagonised or worse, get violated. our lacking creates the perfect reasons for society to diminish what we have created. the public doesn’t let women, people of colour or the queer community breathe… even for a bit. they are tired from having to be faultless and subordinate in order for society to accept them.
androcentric beliefs flood our everyday lives inscribing an unfair power dynamic that cannot be shaken off. we are trapped in a world celebrating patriarchal, sexist and misogynistic views, shutting out anything & anyone that doesn’t fit the male narrative.
a man is able to transcend and change his identity as he pleases – something that is easily celebrated – but a woman is fixed to one identity – being a woman. she’s being reduced to being subordinate to a man, unfairly so, and lives a stagnant life. signs of change? positive outlook? unlikely.
I asked a friend of mine if I was being too “mean” but criticising a system benefiting men and creating an aversion to anything else, should most definitely be criticised even harsher than I have managed to do.
we are just always seen as women, people of colour, queer etc. before being seen as humans, whilst heterosexual white men are seen as individuals and human beings with agency who don’t need to prove why they’re worth existing. if you created structures and shaped society to your liking you might read this and curse me out under your breath. why change a running system if it works for you… right?
coming back to the before mentioned androcentrism: a male ceo is just a ceo, the neutral term being used since a male centered society views being male as the neutral state of things; the ground zero whilst being female counts as a disruption in this structure. she is reduced to being a woman and it is questioned why exactly a woman got chosen to handle company affairs, directly being prone to defamatory stereotypes that she slept her way to the top or that she was just filling a diversity quota. this also just emphasises the fact women are seen as objects, furthering the agenda of denying them their individuality.
let us continue because I have more to say:
if for example a queer person were to make a mistake they would be put on the highest pedestal for the world to see them fall; and for them to break their backs to fit the standards society has set for them. the standards that have been set by men in privileged positions. the aforementioned mistake could be of minor ‘problematic’ nature and it could still knock someone who isn’t a white cis het man down and set them back for years. a trans person cannot just be themselves, first & foremost they are trans. no one should feel ashamed of their identity. what I mean is, when you’re not a man you are simply reduced to one characteristic of so many- and this one characteristic is ridiculed, antagonised and often misrepresented on purpose. in order for a trans person (or any other minority) to be respected, they need to apparently have the nobel peace prize or end world hunger. society just doesn’t let them breathe. either you work yourself to the bone or society does it for you.
we need to let people breathe and let them know that their safe existence shouldn’t be something one has to achieve.
why is it always that you have to prove that you are worthy of your existence before you can actually start breathing & not worry about the other problems the world presents on a silver platter. there are so many individuals fit to be regarded as great additions to society, ready to be the voice of a change that is needed so dearly, using their platform to help others and lift them up when society tries to shut them out. we are feminists, fore runners for the trans & queer community and advocates against racism, sexism & misogyny standing up for our rights. we’re putting in the work to effectively change a system reluctant to be changed. but let us breathe! first & foremost we are human beings, even if some might want to negate that notion. we aren’t machines destined to defeat the problems others – men and small minded women – have created. we aren’t machines that can be rewired, short circuited or turned off.
we are individuals and human beings who don’t have to prove their worth to anyone. we should also be allowed to shape society as we please – and not having to ask for permission to make use of our rights. our rights, that should give us choices, not restrict us. having to fight for the right to be acknowledged as a person isn’t living – it’s simply surviving. let us just be us – we aren’t on this planet to fit the male narrative … which really isn’t doing a good job… is it?
limitless potentials are simply utopian for people who have countless limitations put upon us by society which doesn’t grasp the potential since it’s negating it entirely.
it is the god forsaken system that is wrong and NOT our identities.
Art Of Pretending 