I'm putting a temporary halt on calling out other feminist bloggers. While it's necessary to identify privilege, and correct those behaviors that are problematic, this past week I've watched more than one blogger take a leave of absence from the feminist/activist blog world because of the pressure to be ideologically perfect at all times. I don't want to be a part of this, and it's really stifling my own writing.
If I had to narrow down one aspect of call-out culture I find truly distressing is the digging up of posts made when said blogger was younger, or less aware that certain words hurt. I'm not what this is supposed to serve except to prove the moral superiority of the one doing the call-out. Granted, this is a huge risk anyone who dares to hit "publish" takes, but yikes, as someone who's been blogging for more than have a decade in some capacity or another, my record is less than spotless. This is one of the reasons I've yet to call myself any kind of activist. Writer. yes? Ally? I can't be the judge of that, I suppose, but I try. Activist? I simply don't measure up.
