I think there's much truth to what you've written--intersectionality has been bastardized and weaponized; a Black woman who I blocked and whose comment I hid on this article told me I'm a "plantation-owning Karen" as evidenced by this piece, while ironically saying that I had audacity thinking I'm not privileged as all Jews allegedly are in my Karenhood since I can write this piece and shit on him with my great white Jewish power... She can say anything like that with impunity because she's a Black woman and anything I say back just reaffirms my "Karen-ness" (as it did in our fruitless and violent exchange after wherein she continued to allege that I was a slavery apologist trying to block a Black man who was minding his own business from receiving his rightful reparations).

I'm really losing steam in working in social justice circles hearing all of this selective victimhood shit and hateful nonsense dressed up as progress. I'm tired of the vilification and exclusion of anyone who isn't tokenized. I don't understand why we can't recognize that ALL humans experience trauma and abuse, while ALSO recognizing that certain groups face certain and disproportionate injustices and traumas without making it so that the ones who aren't part of that group (even if they are actively or passively participating in those structures) must be completely alienated and spat on. I used to really adhere to the anarchist "let's destroy the whole system, even if it means violence!" bs but now I see how ridiculous that is; what would I really be fighting for or against? Rebuilding the exact same system except with people of color at the top of the hierarchy? I'm increasingly disillusioned and really don't sense that most contemporary social justice has any real interest in re-examining the utility of hierarchy itself rather than just subverting it into a new dystopian paradigm of oppression.

Thanks for listening to my rant! Anyways to address one other thing you said, I don't know that we'll agree on this, but I don't think "cancelation" applies to my conception of how Dave Chappelle should be handled. Not having a $20 million Netflix special on one of the most widely watched platforms that exists doesn't qualify as cancelation to me; I don't want him jailed, I don't want him booted off social media, I don't want him forbidden from clubs. Let him speak his message and let those who want to pay to see him in comedy clubs or listen to him on YouTube watch him at their leisure. Netflix, like Disney/ABC and a small handful of other media conglomerates, has a disproportionate and unqualified ability to normalize and/or stigmatize certain attitudes and behaviors in society. Spouting hatred that incentivizes or encourages hateful actions against groups (including further violence against Asian and trans people) is not something that I believe should be destigmatized and platformed in this manner. I could still easily identify and write about this kind of hatred (as I have) even as it exists outside of these super mainstream platforms that directly influence society.

Harvey Weinstein is what true cancelation looks like. I fear how people conflate cancelation with any form of accountability or lack of major platform. I'm sure many people have made high definition feature-length documentaries about why child pornography should be allowed or sex with horses or why murder should be legalized or why terrorism has been actually very productive for the Islamic State and what the benefits would be of everyone else jumping on board and conducting mass shootings--even without graphic imagery that would disqualify any of those from something like Netflix, but we're not platforming it. There are literally millions of comedians, up and coming and tried and true that are as or more funny/insightful than Dave Chappelle and who can provide incisive and even controversial societal commentary without in some way encouraging harm. But again, we don't need to agree on this today :)

Thanks for the comment!