I Play Oppression Olympics

Every day.

Yup I said it!

Definitely. For one thing, I think looksism is worse for those who are not conventionally attractive than for those who are.

I also think classism is worse for those without means than for those with.

I think anti-intellectualism’s effect on the educated is more tolerable than elitism’s effect on those who do not have formal education.

Finally, I think ageism is worse for those over 50 than those under 30.

Anytime one end of a sliding scale is more societally acceptable, biases against people at that end are going to be collectively, on average, more tolerable than biases at the other end.

(For the record? This is semi-facetious. Of course, I believe that when talking about the core "isms," not just comparing ends of the spectrum for a particular "ism," comparisons or Olympics are futile and destructive).

Doesn’t mean one cannot or should not discuss when injustice exists even when one is on the more-societally-acceptable end. Especially if one is dealing with other isms simultaneously – racism, sexism, bias against sex workers, heterocentrism.

But that person - -the young or beautiful or brilliant – or hell, all three – person, let’s say she is a WOC and/or a lesbian and/or a sex worker. Well, if she were not young, or beautiful, or brilliant, then things would most likely be worse.

In an effort to be liberal and even-handed, both of which are good things, let’s not lose our grip on reality.

We may feel it’s OK to group older Clinton supporters who are well off. And then make judgments – like: they are threatening not to vote for Obama for vengeance.

Note: I understand that when Black Amazon was saying this, she was not making a judgment that all older women who are HRC supporters fall into this category, but was assessing that a group of this description do based in part on an article that showed McCain’s support increasing among white women and various quotes from the women ( only two of whom, interestingly, indicated decisively that they would not vote for Obama. The majority simply voiced anger about sexism towards Clinton).

So while I still feel it’s problematic to generalize a group and its motivations based on a few quotes, which are somewhat unclear as to whether any substantive motivations exist, this is not in response to statements like BA’s. I read her conclusion as saying – if they’re doing this to exact revenge, without substantive reasons, and this revenge will have an impact on me and others similarly situated, then that’s a problem. With which, despite having some issues with the terminology, I agree.

No, this isn’t in response to one post by someone I respect whose conclusion I basically support. It’s in response to a multitude of IRL and online conversations about older women and/or older well-off women who are HRC supporters.

Let’s face it. If we can confidently say: “hey, it’s OK to make comments about well-off people because it’s pretty obvious that classism is only relevant when generalizing about poor people,” then we can say “it ain’t OK to make comments about older people because it’s pretty obvious that ageism is, at very least, particularly relevant when generalizing about older people.”

Like many things one shouldn’t do, this one has a couple of reasons.

The first is above. It’s not OK. It’s not “the right thing to do.” For reflexive liberals, you can stop right there.

Pragmatists, you still with me? Good.

The other reason?

Remember Kathy Bates’ line in “Fried Green Tomatoes” when the cute young coeds took her parking spot, saying something about how they were younger and hotter?

No worries, I do.

She rammed their car and said: “I’m older and I have better insurance!”

Oh no, a threat that older women will fight with their pocketbooks? Not at all. Older women have different kinds of “insurance.” Knowledge. Experience. Wisdom. A map for where the loopholes are. A map for where the traps are. An old rolodex on low-tech three by fives with some names of people they knew when, who will take their calls and have strings to pull. A sense of what loyalty, in and of itself, can purchase.

Maybe none of these things. Maybe all of these things.

You never know.