PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Ragonese sets out to break the paradigms
by Andy Mulkerin Sunday, Sep. 01, 2002 at 1:35 PM

Marisa Ragonese, often traveling with singer-songwriters Gina Young and Jolie Rickman, presents a workshop on the dangers of subconscious discrimination that face the radical community.

While radical and progressive groups often pride themselves on their tolerance and their support of minorities, the organizational structures they are based around tend still to preserve the paradigm that marginalizes minorities and awards special privilege to majority groups. Marisa Ragonese has set out to educate the public, and especially the radical scene, on this problem in hopes that one day the “hegemony” that still has a stranglehold on society can be broken.

Ragonese presented a workshop called “Feminist Interruptions into Privilege” at Carnegie Mellon University on March 16. She was accompanied by singer/songwriter/riot grrls Jolie Rickman and Gina Young.

The workshop was aimed toward forcing the participants, most of whom consider themselves some type of activist, to recognize the underlying societal problems facing women, minorities and homosexuals. Ragonese pointed out that within even the most progressive spheres, the de facto privilege given to majority groups – in particular, straight, white males – is often forgotten or ignored.

Those who attempt to establish exclusive spaces for t women’s groups, for example, are accused of reverse discrimination: they are excluding men. The reality of the matter, Ragonese asserted, is that everyday life occurs in a male-dominated sphere. Thus, the creation of a for-women-only space is not discriminatory; it is simply an attempt at equalizing.

In the discussion, Rickman brought up the story of her attempts to establish a women’s open mic night at home in New York. She was met with opposition by men who wanted to participate and felt excluded. Every other open mic in town, however, was male-dominated, and so she was not being exclusionary, she said. She was simply creating a space for women where there was none before, which does not entail taking away the male-dominated space.

Ragonese led discussion to the concept of privilege -- what it is and who holds it in society. Participants brainstormed ways in which societal privilege is manifest.

They were then asked to picture their own “oppressors,” and how those oppressors differ from them. Participants made comments such as “my oppressor isn’t afraid to walk home at night,” and “my oppressor does not have to defend his opinions.” The discussion aimed to define who has privilege, and how those people use it – intentionally or not -- against those without.

Another segment of the workshop was devoted to what each participant could do to be a better ally to those who are oppressed. Many of the faces at the workshop were white; several participants were male, and most were straight. The group discussed how they could use their capacity as such, and their privilege, to help those who are not as privileged. Of particular concern was the need to be understanding without claiming to understand, often an unintentionally belittling stance.

The final exercise of the workshop focused on self-evaluation. Each participant told the group one privilege that he or she enjoyed as a result of some sort of societal hegemony, and one way he or she could do a better job of being an ally. Ideas included things like becoming better-educated and standing up for minority groups when it's difficult or not "cool" to do so.

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