Reading through the posts from my friends on Facebook, I thought Patricia Arquette declared “White Power” on the Oscars’ stage Sunday night. Throughout the day, various friends of mine shared articles accusing her of racism and homophobia as she called for wage equality and women’s rights. I didn’t watch the Oscars so I didn’t know what she said that infuriated the masses. After the 5th article, I decided that I needed to see for myself. I finally gave in and opened one of articles to discover a poorly worded call for equal rights for women in the United States. In an interview after the conclusion of the awards ceremony, Patricia Arquette stated, “And it’s time for all the women in America and all the men that love women, and all the gay people, and all the people of color that we’ve all fought for to fight for us now.” I was underwhelmed.
The comments and articles that followed this comment accused Arquette of excluding Women of Color and LGBTQ women from being a part of the feminist movement for equal rights. Reading her words, I failed to see the great injustice that the rest of the world seemed to be seeing. There is certainly an argument to be made against the way in which Arquette communicated her ideas. The language was absent-minded at best. However, the comments were insensitive at worst. Arquette certainly is not deserving of the persecution she is receiving for an ill-worded call to action.
In an attempt to provide this perspective on a friend’s Facebook page, I quickly realized just how out of hand this is all getting. I commented,
“I feel we are getting to a place in society where one can't say anything without being perfect. We all know that her comments were not meant in this way and yet the public is crucifying her. Had she said nothing at all, she would have been called socially unconscious. She has some misunderstandings, that is clear, but she obviously was trying to communicate something important to her. We spend so much time trying to catch people, that we have forgotten who the true enemy is. It certainly isn't Patricia Arquette.”
But my friend was having none of it. This person’s response shocked, and in some ways frightened, me. In part, the response to my comment read “When you erase an entire group from a conversation, you're [committing] an act of violence.” In today’s world we are confronted with many injustices and catastrophes. Words can, and have, incited violence in this country and we must be vigilant not to allow hate speech. However, to conflate Arquette’s comments with an act of violence is outrageous.
Violence is serious and prevalent in the United States. Eric Garner experienced violence as his life was literally choked out of him. Lamia Beard suffered through violence after being shot and killed. Tamir Rice, Jesse Hernandez, Trayvon Martin and too many other people in this country and around the world have experienced violence fueled by hate and ignorance. LGBTQ teens are committing suicide to escape the acts of violence they are subjected to, but what Arquette said was not “an act of violence”. She called for other U.S. citizens who understand the sting of inequality to stand on the side of women. My friend’s comments may receive praise from some, but I call them counter-productive.
We mustn’t demonize Patricia Arquette for her comments, but instead remind her that the fight for rights in this country for many groups is not over. “Gay people” and “people of color” are still fighting for rights all over this country. The movements have been robust and yielded many gains, but those pushes for equality are not over. This is where Arquette has gone wrong. Her attempt to communicate her passion for the issue of women’s rights overshadowed the work that needs to be done in other communities.
However, we are all rational and thinking humans who understand that Patricia Arquette did not mean harm to anyone. We are intelligent enough to understand that she does not only want rights for White Women. Yet, we chastise her for speaking out about something that is important to her and expressing it poorly.
To those vehemently attacking Patricia Arquette: Where is your outrage over Sean Penn? Your silence over this man’s truly offensive remarks only further proves Arquette’s point!
The comments and articles that followed this comment accused Arquette of excluding Women of Color and LGBTQ women from being a part of the feminist movement for equal rights. Reading her words, I failed to see the great injustice that the rest of the world seemed to be seeing. There is certainly an argument to be made against the way in which Arquette communicated her ideas. The language was absent-minded at best. However, the comments were insensitive at worst. Arquette certainly is not deserving of the persecution she is receiving for an ill-worded call to action.
In an attempt to provide this perspective on a friend’s Facebook page, I quickly realized just how out of hand this is all getting. I commented,
“I feel we are getting to a place in society where one can't say anything without being perfect. We all know that her comments were not meant in this way and yet the public is crucifying her. Had she said nothing at all, she would have been called socially unconscious. She has some misunderstandings, that is clear, but she obviously was trying to communicate something important to her. We spend so much time trying to catch people, that we have forgotten who the true enemy is. It certainly isn't Patricia Arquette.”
But my friend was having none of it. This person’s response shocked, and in some ways frightened, me. In part, the response to my comment read “When you erase an entire group from a conversation, you're [committing] an act of violence.” In today’s world we are confronted with many injustices and catastrophes. Words can, and have, incited violence in this country and we must be vigilant not to allow hate speech. However, to conflate Arquette’s comments with an act of violence is outrageous.
Violence is serious and prevalent in the United States. Eric Garner experienced violence as his life was literally choked out of him. Lamia Beard suffered through violence after being shot and killed. Tamir Rice, Jesse Hernandez, Trayvon Martin and too many other people in this country and around the world have experienced violence fueled by hate and ignorance. LGBTQ teens are committing suicide to escape the acts of violence they are subjected to, but what Arquette said was not “an act of violence”. She called for other U.S. citizens who understand the sting of inequality to stand on the side of women. My friend’s comments may receive praise from some, but I call them counter-productive.
We mustn’t demonize Patricia Arquette for her comments, but instead remind her that the fight for rights in this country for many groups is not over. “Gay people” and “people of color” are still fighting for rights all over this country. The movements have been robust and yielded many gains, but those pushes for equality are not over. This is where Arquette has gone wrong. Her attempt to communicate her passion for the issue of women’s rights overshadowed the work that needs to be done in other communities.
However, we are all rational and thinking humans who understand that Patricia Arquette did not mean harm to anyone. We are intelligent enough to understand that she does not only want rights for White Women. Yet, we chastise her for speaking out about something that is important to her and expressing it poorly.
To those vehemently attacking Patricia Arquette: Where is your outrage over Sean Penn? Your silence over this man’s truly offensive remarks only further proves Arquette’s point!