Interrogating Authority

i left a quarter of my midterm blank i didn't guess because i thought some man might laugh i knew the answers but i doubted myself on his behalf some adult decided some time in my childhood it’s better to let her feminine fear fucking fester while the boys built bravery beyond their tethers so i memorized my driver's ed manual until my answers were immune to any man’s denial  while every teenage boy could afford to leave his engine idle mine has not since left its spiral

When we work within a system built on anger or prejudice, we have to tap into that same anger or prejudice in order to make the system feel reasonable.  When we justify the prison system, we tap into the anger of people who were afraid that crimes would destroy their towns. But they may not have known about the links between environmental factors and criminality or cared about the school-to-prison pipeline that they were creating.  When we justify a sexist dress code to "maintain order" in uniformity, we tap into the prejudice and hunger for power on which its creators operated. When we justify or ignore ableism, we are tapping into the anger that has been held for so long against disabled people because of myths and miscomprehensions  of disability as evil or straight-up inferior.  When surrounded by these angry and prejudiced systems, we get to choose between two existing angers:  to feel supported by a whole society when we choose the anger that the institution has chos

  Oppressions work together by pitting us against each other.  "Don’t participate in the walkout because the demonstration venue isn't disability-friendly. Donate to this GoFundMe that won’t even reach cities under attack because of blockades!" "Mutual aid isn’t a financially accessible way for low-income people to help others. Volunteer for our culturally insensitive program instead!" "Gender-affirming care reinforces negative stereotypes about women. Just ignore the plight of trans and nonbinary people because you fit into current gender norms!" Liberation and revolution are not built for exclusivity. White feminism is not revolutionary liberation. Neither are performative anti-racism, restricted disability accommodations, capitalist environmentalism, or any number of other exclusive forms of “justice.”   When we remain in the realities of dominant systems of oppression, we move with compassion by acknowledging and working around the barriers that m