On being a good writer and a good ally

[...] that my writing is more focused on buffering against the inevitable critiques than actually writing. It’s made me a worse writer. It’s definitely made me more jaded, and less interested in engaging with online feminist and social justice communities. I can only imagine how it makes our guests feel. -- Jill from Feministe 

So much of this resonates with me. I rarely comment on feminist blog, have nearly abandoned Tumblr (which has a host of its own problems), and even my writing here has become increasingly labored. It is really hard to write with a litany of possible -- nay, inevitable -- criticisms running through one's mind. While I like feeling like I'm contributing to the greater good, I liked my writing better when it flowed more organically, warts and all. But I also wonder how fair it is to have this kind of "beef" when the feminist blog world is hostile to WOC, working-class, disabled, queer and trans women. A lot of activist work isn't about being "polite;" it's about trying to break down those institutions that grant power to some of the people, and silence the rest.