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Ignorance

Started by Shana A, September 09, 2010, 11:47:30 AM

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Shana A

September 09, 2010, 11:47:30 AM
Ignorance

Written by Lisa Harney
September 8th, 2010 at 4:27 pm

http://www.questioningtransphobia.com/?p=3019

So I want to talk about ignorance, not strictly as an individual problem (although that's how we usually interact with it) but as a systemic, institutional problem.

Ignorance is not a neutral state of lack of knowledge. It's not a situation, typically, where a person just doesn't know anything about a topic. Ignorance is a malignant, hostile state in which people learn about things based on received wisdom, common sense, media representation, and how it's slanted as news. Ignorant people are not malignant and hostile, but their ignorance is informed by this malignant hostility.

Take trans women – what is someone who is ignorant of trans women likely to think? Some totally false and harmful ideas include:
"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." Oscar Wilde
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