Re: (Privelege Was Re: Re: Maoist cleanup drive hits Nepal gays)
On Jan 8, 2007, at 12:58 PM, Yoshie Furuhashi wrote:
The biggest privilege we all have, queer or non-queer, is the privilege of being born in a rich and peaceful country, having access to tap water, flush toilets, and things like that. Till last spring, few in America or anywhere else in the OECD nations — even leftists or queer leftists — took any interest in the Nepalese, GLBT or straight, except such outfits as MR, RCP, AI, and HRW, which have political and professional interests in the developing world. That’s because the fate of Nepal, good or bad, let’s face it, doesn’t matter to the Americans or anyone who lives in a rich country.
Were you concerned about the fate of Nepalese, or do you include
yourself in this condemnation? You often sound like you’re speaking
from a high horse when you write things like that, so I’d like some
clarification on your altitude.
There’s only so much one can care about in this world. South Koreans
aren’t poor, but I don’t devote a lot of my time to thinking about
them. Ditto Singaporeans. Belgians even. We may be cued to think
about things we hadn’t previously noticed if they’re in the news.
Maoists have brought Nepal an attention it didn’t necessarily have
before.
Doug