For those of you new or less involved in finding me all over the interwebs, I write two monthly columns for the Fearless Press; Unapologetic, which is about me getting all ranting regarding my multiple communities, and Out of the Box, which is an interview based column looking at people’s identities. This week’s Unapologetic post is called When Academia Isn’t The Answer.
…Looking at things from an academic perspective can sometimes be good. It can help to legitimize or normalize behavior (like the recent study that showed 30% of heterosexual American couples participate in anal sex), it can bring important discussion to the forefront. However, it can also take validation away from individuals and/or groups, it can stigmatize and sometimes criminalize behaviors, it can harm certain people, and it can serve to disempower and oppress communities.
Telling someone that their identity isn’t real or doesn’t exist because it doesn’t exist in the textbook you’re currently reading, or you haven’t heard it discussed yet is showing both ignorance and privilege. Many things we take for granted today were scientifically said to be impossible or non-existent at one time. As societies change, people change, and as people change, societies change…
To read the rest of this Fearless Press Article and to check out my monthly column “Unapologetic,” check out the awesome Fearless Press site!
This post, Sometimes, Academia Doesn’t Have All the Answers, originally appeared on Shanna Katz M.Ed, ACS on April 17, 2011.
