It just seems to me that the overcompensation of which you speak may lend more awkwardness to a situation than relieve it.
It's the difference (to go with your sexism analogy) between a guy saying, "You know, one thing that always has bothered me about Western culture is the power imbalance between men and women," and another going, "You're a woman--what do you think about feminism?" The latter implies that men don't talk about feminism unless there is a woman present--that it's not an issue until the "problem" inserts itself into a situation (i.e., that difference is made visible).
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branchandroot
(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-23 06:57 pm (UTC)It just seems to me that the overcompensation of which you speak may lend more awkwardness to a situation than relieve it.
It's the difference (to go with your sexism analogy) between a guy saying, "You know, one thing that always has bothered me about Western culture is the power imbalance between men and women," and another going, "You're a woman--what do you think about feminism?" The latter implies that men don't talk about feminism unless there is a woman present--that it's not an issue until the "problem" inserts itself into a situation (i.e., that difference is made visible).