What ever happened to evaluating the pros / cons of an argument based on the argument itself, as opposed to who the person is? THAT’s what’s racist, in my opinion - that a white woman’s opinion is automatically “less than” that of a black woman (or the other way around) … that rich people can’t have opinions but poor people can. The pendulum swing one way, sure, but overswinging it the other way isn’t the solution either.
Read the link in post 32–It really is sad that the author couldn’t put two words together and actually welcome the newcomer to class and ask how she liked it. Instead she went home and wrote an article about society. She is one of the problems with society not the yoga class.
The story about Christian parents and yoga at school–seems like that is a particular type of yoga (not just stretching) that has more religious overtones. It is funded by a specific yoga group.
Are you appropriating from Jews or Chinese, or both?
It makes me very sad to read this, because while the stereotypes presented above seem relatively harmless, it shows that people are still willing to generalize an entire group of people based on actions of a few. In this case, we don’t even know if the people in charge were of Indian descent or not!
If you talked to most Indian people, I suspect they would be very encouraging of non-Indian doing yoga, or wearing a sari to a Bollywood party. Me included. One trend that I think is slightly more serious is people wearing bhindis (the third eye) as a fashion accessory. And even then, I doubt most Indian people care. But as with all issues, there will be some people who agree, and some who disagree, and in this case, I think both sides have valid points. It is when you dismiss these arguments on the spot because you can’t possibly understand why other people feel the way they do, people might, in frustration, bring up the fact that you are white. I’m not saying this is acceptable, but if you want people to stop dismissing your opinions because you are white (and btw, everyone on this thread seems to be in agreement that what happened was ridiculous), you could start by respecting theirs.
^ Apparently both, sorghum.
“Me included. One trend that I think is slightly more serious is people wearing bhindis (the third eye) as a fashion accessory. And even then, I doubt most Indian people care. But as with all issues, there will be some people who agree, and some who disagree”
Well, that’s what becomes annoying about the stereotypical SJW. They assume they speak for all (blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans, Indians, women, take your pick) - and that any white / privileged person’s point of view is a function of their whiteness as opposed to their authentic opinions.
@warbrain I think that quote was meant tongue in cheek…ish.
Omg, the comments:
I eagerly await the follow-up piece: "IHTM: I was Just Trying to Do My ***** Yoga and This Weird-A* White Girl Kept Staring at Me with Tears in Her Eyes"*
My class is through my school districts continuing Ed ( it’s cheap $65 for ten classes) so reflects the demographics of my town - which is pretty homogeneous. Not many minorities but plenty of people who are on the heavy side. My teacher tells everyone before every class it’s ok if you can’t do everything or if it hurts to do it to stop. She also always gives several alternatives to do if the ultimate pose is too hard for you.
Remember that absurd examples don’t prove the absence of an issue. While this particular case seems to me to be a silly example of claimed misappropriation, I have to say that I do not like some of the uses that people have put symbols of my own religion to, such as use as jewelry. It’s a another line-drawing exercise, and I don’t really see the point of coming up with examples that are even further away from the line than the one we’re talking about.
Yes, and the same thing in my fancy-schmancy yoga classes with the cool lavender cloths after savasana. That’s really not the point. It’s not that yoga is exclusive -it’s that the author of the article assumed that the heavy black woman was uncomfortable in the class because she was heavy and black, when maybe a) she was comfortable in the class and / or b) she was uncomfortable because she was a brand new student learning things, not because she was a “black woman in a white space.” In other words - she was a person, not a representation of Black Womanhood.
Yes, I agree. The women was likely uncomfortable because she was new to yoga. The teacher should have recognized that and reassured her it’s okay not to be able to do a lot of the poses at first ( or ever in my case - I cannot balance on one foot at all and so forever relegated to standing against the wall.) My teacher gives the same spiel before every class and we don’t even have new students since it’s a sign up for 10 classes at a time deal.
Staring at the author like “how do you get your head down there?!” kind of way.
Yeah that article was amazing, and not in a good way. I love the assumption that the woman behind her is suffering because she really wants to look like the author. It’s all “Me, me, me!” without any consideration of the fact that the other woman might simply be having a bad day or there might be something else going on that has nothing to do with her.
It’s incredibly egotistic, as if everybody’s dying to be a skinny white woman. I found myself wanting to write it from
the other perspective. “I was in this yoga class and there was this skinny, pale woman in front of me. She looked so sad and sickly I just wanted to cry. I had to put my head down so she wouldn’t see…”
I cried once in an exercise class. It wasn’t over the fact that I was the most out of shape person in the class (which I was) or that I needed to modify some of the exercise (which I did.) It was over my joy and pride at being able to be there at all after a traumatic double mastectomy. If I’d felt someone like the author judging me in class I would have wanted to kick her teeth in.
I know of one physical education teacher who was told she couldn’t include yoga in her curriculum because of its religions implications and the concern than it might offend some families. …I dunno.
“Over the course of the next hour, I watched as her despair turned into resentment and then contempt. I felt it all directed toward me and my body.”
Yes, it’s all about you, sweetie.
“Remember that absurd examples don’t prove the absence of an issue. While this particular case seems to me to be a silly example of claimed misappropriation, I have to say that I do not like some of the uses that people have put symbols of my own religion to, such as use as jewelry. It’s a another line-drawing exercise, and I don’t really see the point of coming up with examples that are even further away from the line than the one we’re talking about.”
I assume you mean things like wear a crucifix as decoration? True, but then it’s probably best for people to lay out the non-ridiculous examples as their “evidence.”
I guess if your religion is very strict, your kids doing yoga can be seen as a threat. http://www.tolerance.org/magazine/number-42-fall-2012/feature/yoga-public-schools
“it’s probably best for people to lay out the non-ridiculous examples as their “evidence.””
A recent example is Christians of various traditions hosting “Seders” without Jewish guidance or collaboration because Jesus had Seders. This was depicted on the show “Sister Wives.” Butchered blessings, the whole nine yards. It’s extremely difficult to offend me, but they managed. If I pray in the bathtub, I don’t call it a baptism, and if I have bread and wine, I don’t call it a Mass.
This. Who is even causing this? My school is supposedly very liberal and I don’t think I can name a single person I know who would agree with this…