Hello all,
In my efforts to not be a Brocialist, I still have some unlearning to do. Whenever my dad and I talk about bad bosses he always says “the worst bosses I’ve ever had were white females and the best were black females.” I’ve heard this so many times I feel like it has influenced some of my thinking. It’s something I may need to deconstruct.
Anyways, my girlfriend and I work at the same place and we both have agreed our current boss, a white female, is the worst boss we’ve ever had. My girlfriend also said “my other terrible boss was a white female so I think you’re dad is onto something. I wonder why.” I responded stupidly with “I think it’s white feminism.” She got really mad and said “how can you paint feminism as broadly as that?” I said “there are other strains of feminism”
I admit I shouldn’t have used “white feminism” but instead “mainstream liberal feminism”. The conversation ended there and I wasn’t able to expand on why Liberal Feminism doesn’t prevent white females from being bad bosses. Liberal feminism doesn’t aim to deconstruct intersectional issues of social justice namely racism, class hierarchy, and imperialism. Mainstream feminism is primarily propelled by and consumed by white females which has taught them to, and borrowing from Angela Davis, “push through the glass ceiling” where they can be a girl boss and not directly confront their position of power specifically class and white supremacy.
White females have grown up relatively privileged because they have rolled around in the blood money that the wealth of imperialism and capitalism have brought them. I know the long history of oppression they have endured and I don’t want to skirt over it but in comparison to BIPOC they’re better off and have profited from our system. Combine their privilege with the ideology of Liberal feminism which has told them to integrate and take the reins over an exploitative system so when they become bosses it can influence them to be very exploitative.
Help me learn here!
TLDR: I said white feminism may have influenced white females to be bad bosses. Girlfriend got mad. Mainstream Liberal Feminism tells white females to integrate and control an exploitive system. When white females succeed, their background of privilege and liberal strand of feminism may be a reason why they can be really bad bosses.