The problem with majority rule is that it's a characteristic of our species to be averse to social change. We tend to be biased against the unknown, so it takes a long time for the majority of society to treat oppressed groups with compassion. The backlash to social change always promotes the idea that the needs of the oppressed contradict the rights of the majority. It's enough to look at the right-wing propaganda anywhere in the world to see this in action.
People are likely to fall for this rhetoric when they don't know the oppressed group in question, even if they're otherwise inclined to support minority rights.
Frankly, I think that this is true of terfs too - but I mean the masses, not strong influential populists like jkr. I have known personally some terfs who believe the terfy propaganda, even though they otherwise genuinely care about minority rights. Obviously, they never had a proper conversation with a trans person about oppression.
The whole concept of minority rights protection in democracy seems to me quite powerless with regards to this inherent flaw. The problem is that before the majority public starts humanizing a minority group, they don't even consider them as a "minority". More like a threat, a scary "other" whose intentions are unknown, so any horrific expectation of harm can be ascribed to it.
I think that this is a major flaw in the political culture of democracy. We need somehow to disincentivize forming opinions about rights without being properly informed and educated about the people in question. Listening to the people whose rights are discussed should be a prerequisite for speaking publicly or making decisions about them.
The thing is: I have no idea how this can be ensured. I just observe how this flaw ruins democracies and enables fascism and it's very frustrating to see the powerlessness of anyone who tries to counter these regressive forces. "The marketplace of ideas" doesn't work when there's a strong imbalance of power with regards to access to public discourse.
Just as an example, whenever trans rights are discussed, it's always easy to let terfy cis women speak over trans people because they are seen as representatives of an oppressed group and this status is uncritically transferred from the power relations of cis men : cis women.
In this case, we should think of ways to ensure that the status of being oppressed cannot be assumed to be true in all social contexts. At least not to the point of silencing another minority completely.
This might seem inherent to the identity of transfems and the fact of transition, because prior to acceptance, we are viewed as men - which places us on the side of the oppressor.
But I think the same mindset is common in other cases that don't involve a transition. E.g., the antisemitism of present day Nation of Islam involves emphasizing the whiteness of Jews and slave ownership. Zionists emphasize the collaboration of Hajj Amin al-Husseini with the Nazis.
@lulu
I just saw a St. Andrewism video about how his views on anarchism changed over the years he's been making videos about it on YouTube, and one of the things he realized was that Democracy, being majority rule, despite being a much *better* type of rule, is still rule - it still suffers all the problems that come with any hierarchical system.
When the demos is in charge, it leaves the door open for the majority to decide who can be considered part of the demos, and who gets left out.
@Mux Thanks, I'll watch it.
I sometimes get the feeling that when unrecognized minorities fight for rights they have a honeymoon phase of going anarchist, but then as soon as they get just a pinch of rights, they forget all about it and go back to trusting majority rule democracy.
@lulu As a white disabled Jewish bisexual male who is straight presenting, I could not feel more alienated from and oppressed by the group I'm alleged to derive privilege from. I feel like privilege is relative. To a person of color living in the inner city, my whiteness seems like a great privilege; however, living in a 98% white area, my alienation from the community is absolute. I am as alien to them as if I were green skinned. They treat me like an absolute leper.
@owner I think an important skill we haven't mastered in political discourse is to abandon the trauma olympics. Every trauma is infinite for the person experiencing it. My trauma as an autistic queer trans woman¹ is not greater than that of anyone else. The important thing is that all traumas are listened to with compassion.
¹ Also Jewish, but I was born in a place where that gave me privilege and currently antisemitism, which is very real, is the least of my problems.
@lulu Before a democratic government can start protecting a minority, the minority needs to be acknowledged as such. Everything that happens without official acknowledgment is at least rooted in grassroots activism, not bad but also not minority protection in a democracy.
Imo this is the critical point. Trans people are not protected officially in many countries (also Germany) as are undoubtedly a few other minorities.
@lulu I also see this with survivors. There are certain survivors who are protected quite well and they receive compensation, etc. That's not to say it's easy to get compensation, or their life is great, but it's possible. They might have representation that is supported by the state.
And other survivor groups just don't have that, reasons are complex.
@hundertsieben Yes, exactly.
The problem is that there isn't a clear path for reaching the status of an acknowledged minority peacefully.
Trans people are not the last oppressed minority group. The next one to fight for recognition and rights will have to face the exact same barriers.
@lulu The way to reach that status is grassroots activism. I guess you're right, that's really the flaw.
There should be a defined way and some kind of ethics committee to decide on who is a minority group.
They could make suggestions on what laws to pass regarding that group.
I think that would actually work in a somewhat healthy democracy.
@lulu
That means, things are never really getting better. While they do get better for certain minorities, as society changes, new minorities will emerge or join a society, and it will always be that years-long exhausting fight, that does take lives. That really sucks.
@hundertsieben Yes.
What I hate the most about it is when a group that only recently gained recognition and some preliminary access to rights starts producing bigots. Just look at the rise of gay conservatives.
And we already have a Blaire White even before gaining any meaningful recognition or legal protection.
Another problem with grassroots activism is that violence is incentivized within liberation movements. Typically there would be different streams inside the movement, but only the most violent ones are going to succeed. Then, when they gain power, they're likely to develop into oppressive authoritarian movements that go on to oppress other minorities.
In my view, this is true of Zionism, Nation of Islam, Tankies, TERF, etc. It's just how organized violence works.
@lulu hm, I need to think about this, but you might be on to something.
@hundertsieben Grassroots activism involves resistance and it always gets ugly. It's kind of inherent to the structure.
I don't think it's fair or democratic to force disempowered minorities to fight and suffer casualties over long periods of time just to be heard. In some cases, it's not even possible to do so.
I think this is something that must change in the actual system. Somehow the concept of "nothing about us without us" should be codified into law.
@lulu
This is why police in Israel opposes (doesn't authorize, disperses due to fake accusation, etc.) almost any activity that involves Jews and Arabs in solidarity: Personally meeting Arabs can cure the fear Jews are programmed to have towards "the other"
@zvinj Yes, this is very true. It's also the reason why conservatives fight against allowing minority groups to speak with children and call it "brainwashing" / "grooming" / "recruiting".
It's flipping the power relation and treating the oppressed as the oppressor under the myth that the biases of children (which surely come from their parents and social environment) are somehow pure and innocent.