Lorde presents many compelling arguments about the lack of intersectionality within the feminist movement and how under represented it has previously been in the feminist movement. Intersectionality has been so underrepresented within the feminist movement that different feminist groups have felt the need to distinguish themselves as black feminist. Due to previous literature, we know the lack of intersectionality within the feminist movement was secondary to white, middle age women starting the movement. Also, they represented a less dramatic face for the movement. The master’s tools have been used within the feminist movement by making white women its face. “The absence of [difference of race, equality, class and age] weakens any feminist discussion” (Lorde 1). Lorde goes on to comment about the lack of representation within higher educational talks of African American women. The lack of representation assumes that women minority groups have nothing to say, which is incorrect. Lorde notes that she was invited to speak last minute at a conference. The haste of inviting her last minute appears to make her less important and that she would just be free to speak whenever was convenient for the academia who were inviting her.
Also, Lorde brings to light the need for polarities to push change. According to Lorde our difference should be embraced. Change cannot be made if we are all the same. Hook would not agree with this in my opinion because he criticizes other feminist where Lorde begins to embrace the differences and states the need for different women to force change to be made. Also, focuses on women relying on one another instead, which the master twists into conveying women’s only social power to be to nurture the future. “For the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house. They may allow us temporality to beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change.” Women are poised in positions which force them to utilize the mater’s tools of education and capitalism and they appear to be defeating the master. Unfortunately, this victory is short lived because the master has granted them the ability to utilize these tools. By utilizing the master’s tools, it feeds the master’s superiority viewpoint. Most pop culture feed the beast of capitalism because they rely on the master’s tool of wealth. Beyoncé and other pop culture feminist are utilizing the master’s tools and showing us how great it can be to identify as a feminist, while relying on capitalism and wealth. Pop culture is educating the world on feminism more than academics are.
Women have had to educate men on women’s needs and now white women are asking African American women to educate them. Being preoccupied with the education of others is utilizing the master’s tools. I understand Lorde’s point of education taking time, but to me talking about issues is how change is brought about. Lorde stresses that differences and polarities are where change is made but I believe in a process of gradual change. It may take longer but people become more enlightened through continual education and maybe that means I am for serving the master and feeding the beast. Our culture does not take change or differences well, which is why white women are the face of the feminist movement. “Difference is that raw and powerful connection from which our personal power is forged” (Lorde 2). Unfortunately, in American society we are taught to conform to the patriarchal model and societal abnormalities. I blame these conformities on our history. The puritans came over and our country’s laws and ethics are based upon a puritanical and conservative viewpoint. We were called the melting pot for so many years because people came to American and conformed to the social norms. They worked to lose their accents, eat American foods, celebrate American holidays, and conform to the American dream. Today, we still view others who are different than the norms as outsiders and people like Ellen and Oprah we find appealing because they have conformed via respectability politics to our social norms. The goal should include, “interdependence of mutual nondominant differences lies that security which enables us to descend into the chaos of knowledge and return with true visions of our future, along with the concomitant power to effect those changes which can bring that future in being” (Lorde 2) Our differences need to be embraced and all voices need to be heard in order to propel society forward.
http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/lordedismantle.html link to orgininal work
