What is a person of “insert nationality, gender, belief system, or whatever other label of boxed definitions”?
I was born in Cali, Valle, Colombia in the mid eighties, difficult start up, upbringing, the smallest sources of income, uncertainty, child sexual, mental, physical abuse that went past borders to when I went abroad to Canada too, and other less than pleasant experiences, still, considered myself privilege of more than others that had a bit less (some bit of food vs no food), because I grew up understanding that need of the very basic, the difficulties in society on many levels, but also because of the person I chose to be of my own accord at the same time, through all my life experiences – the lesser and the more blessed.
Hardships, wrong actions of different levels of gruesome, etc. be observed, be experienced, and at the end of it, not let it manipulate me, while also not ignore the wrongs or the lessons there.
It is a fine process to differentiate a generalization and what makes each unique, but also, what makes some, special.
Perhaps I was born with a higher perception of presence than some? I wouldn’t know, I assumed always what level of thought I kept, others too; to me, the sense of urgency in what was right or wrong, while around wrong only, even if in some instances I was naïve or unaware, overall sense of wrong to others did not scape my mind, though for myself it did many times, due to the horrible circumstances, and the nature of my upbringing.
To define me as a “Latin woman” (or deny me) given I am born in a Latin American country, and to try to fit me in a box as to validate me for it (or not) to approve of who I am, as if what I do or what I represent in already observed value isn’t something worthwhile, is denying my uniqueness because of existing beyond a box of labels that make some comfortable of what a person that isn’t in the confined values of a broken society, is.
What is like to be a Latina?
A Colombian woman for that matter?
Have I not lived abroad now the majority of my life? And, as such, adapted and even raised my son in the same manner of adaption as a single mother?
Does that take away from been a Latin woman? an immigrant? or is my background a diminishing factor on considering myself part of the country I live in, a Canadian?
What then of the other Colombian, or and Latina women? What then of usurpation by those who don’t see their already existing privilege, plaguing and aiming to take and distract by any and all means necessary?
To try to “allow” people to be beyond the structures of society that have subjugated them, or are aiming to, is more than a checklist of what should, but ultimately of the understanding that it is about those who have more than a face of a look & stereotypes, but people who add value to society.
To be a survivor of sexual abuse for years, etc. is a different experience than to be a celebrity that is using this as their platform of elevation for their career, even if they themselves have had a different experience altogether, because it adds to publicity; there’s a difference in giving a voice, and taking advantage of emotions of the public in certain situations, for some form of gain by an individual and or group.
To give equal representation to a socially marginalized group is more than try to group socially marginalized people, and force a form of representation, while subjugation, silencing, abuse, etc. are continuing towards a misrepresented person/ people.
My life experience is different than others, and it’s not a competition.
However, there is a shared responsibility of what truly adds value to society overall, which is not indoctrinated but simply born with us of understanding rights and wrongs, what makes something better or worse, and so on.
To deny wrongs or to not prioritize where civilization’s progress is, is to be ignorant of what even in the most selfish of takes is of benefit.
There are disagreements, and that’s not due to difference, but due to lack understanding of all the points involved; at the end, there’s always a process, a means far better than what is conflictive and manipulative.
I can pretend that: “this is better than nothing” is a sentence applied to serious matters and advancing spaces of thought on self and or civilization, or I can understand there will always be those that seek to profit from ignorance and short sightedness, rather than see all factors, so cons can’t run long term scams.
What is like to be a Colombian woman, a Latin woman, a person growing in abuse, societal needs, etc. has everything to do with also the person I chose to be, and the opportunities available for someone in my situation.
I am not the voice that speaks of all that is needed for women, Colombian, Latin or not, as much as I am a rarity of experiences and overcoming human wrongs/ error; also the lack of opportunity to be my own representation of who I am, are to be accounted as part of the facts.
Instead of validating people in such broad labels, is perhaps more useful to understand that marginalization happens in different stances.
You can be of whatever age, whatever appearance, place of birth, gender, belief, nationality, etc., and have situations of abuse for which you are marginalized.
If the focus of public attention (as some organizations, media, and political figures seem to aim to control), is placed on to people of all groups having equal opportunity at participating on social contribution across different means, in the sense of the actual value they provide, over simply prioritized on ability to distract or shock others, not only would marginalized groups gain actual representation, but there would be improvement on what benefits society as a collective, versus corrupt and further divide it.
As individuals, people select what they see of necessity, and then what they see as wanted, which account to external influence having its place of making them think, or manipulating how they think, depending on who they are and how they live.
At the end, it is a collective, and there’s no drilling a hole on one end and avoiding water from reaching one corner of a single surface.
This planet is a shared home, irreplaceable, not matter what some rich people with personal interests tells you; if pocket atmospheres existed, there would be no pursue of wars for resources, etc. so desperately by those who are lazy and greedy in their beliefs and ergo, actions.
Before something larger can happen as is actual space exploration, for example (beyond pictures), a better planet has to exist; you cannot enforce a better planet though, that also a large part of such understanding. Globalization and imperialistic wars, of few aiming to dominate others, aren’t going to make the greedy more than what they already inwardly, while not externally in their actions and dictatorship style of manipulations, know are.
It isn’t something of some loud mouth saying it, getting their friends, and paid shills shouting on social and happening either; even the unity alone of people not in imperialistic, global control sense, but of actual mutual benefit collaboration across the world, is a large matter of time and lots of true action, not of PR, but of understanding and listening, followed by more thoughtful actions.
People who understand such things are few, those with means of knowing how to guide and show the world that, are even less, ignoring such individuals for the priority of noisy for selfish and personal gain people, is ignoring that accrued wrongs in time translate on all other aspects as well; hence the constant state of the world is more of self destroying, even if certain things have been accomplished, the math of quantified poor choices surpasses few, momentary goods, as much as if a bit of the same was instead given to a person/ people that account more than pleasure in their intellect, the structure of balance that allows for life to thrive beyond momentary emotions, could have an opportunity to thrive.
As much as rich and or famous people do not want to be taken out of context or overall participation on what is the good of society and or beneficial for it, due to their position of privilege, people who do not have disposable cash and or fame, should have an equal level of consideration of what their understanding, knowledge, intellect offers to help the same society the rich and poor are a part of, that overtakes every bit of land where those in need live too. Same would apply on space, given particularly that all the people aiming to place themselves there are afterall, using the power, and resources of the whole planet for which all living beings, that means rich, poor and beyond human, have the same right to.
What a person of marginalized backgrounds can offer, varies, and it isn’t always at maturity given life circumstances (hence there are people in more needy situations), the atrocities of trauma, and unfortunately sometimes because of these, the self destructive ways their situations are more likely to lead them on to because of lack of opportunity too.
Situations where misrepresented groups can flourish are better addressed, giving opportunity of been heard and seen to those who overcome struggles, while also in such opportunities, they are given the space to help contribute towards a far better society than their experience, doing more than being symbols of hurt, but helping those in situations they otherwise cannot.
~Angel Pendragon~
03.21.2022