Ibrahim X Kendi- "we need to think about the messages that girls are being given"

[Mumofgirlswholiketoplaywithmud]

Just seen a video clip of Ibrahim X Kendi stating:

"it was last week that my daughter came home and said that she wanted to be a boy... Which was horrifying.. for my wife to hear... For myself to hear... And so we're like, ok, what affirmative messages about girlhood can we be reaching her to protect her from whatever she's hearing in our home or even outside of her home that would make her want to be a boy"

I was really encouraged to hear him talk about what girls are hearing as he is a left-wing person and someone who has a massive public platform (the CEO of Twitter has just given him 10 million dollars for anti-racism work).

Do you think that statements like his will become more acceptable to say? (Or do you think that we'll hear him backtrack?)

I suspect many black parents have had to deal with their children becoming aware of racism and wanting to not be black and so can see the parallels between that and the experiences of girls becoming aware of sexism and not wanting to be women. I think both the civil rights movement and feminism can learn from each other, and positive roll models is what things like black history month is all about so it makes sense that the positive roll models are needed for girls as well. Maybe we need a women's history month as well?

Ibrahim X Kendi is deeply racist and dangerous man. He is a leading figure in pushing CRT on America. James Lindsay already pointed out that if any woman or generally any 'terf' would have said these things they would have been crucified but because it is a man and fellow woke he got off.

Saying that, he is basically saying, in woke lingo, "what social contagion is going on and how can I combat it". Very interesting.

Kendi is one of the wokest people on the planet. I've been waiting for ages for one of the ultra-woke to have this happen to their child and for them to have to decide whether to follow the gender identity ideology.

That's the parallel that he was drawing. He wanted his daughter to be able to hear affirmative messages about being Black and being female and no feel like she needs to be anything different.

I hope that he is heard (and doesn't feel pressure to change what he said) as he has a massive platform.

This is the tippiest tip of the Kendi iceberg:

twitter.com/DrIbram/status/1087839635588481025

@janinaduszejko apologies, my reply was to you

That's a really good point Janina I hadn't considered the similarities between the two but now you've said it, it's so obvious.

I recall a number of famous black people talking about saturday schools when they were children, lots have fallen by the wayside now but I think back then they were considered really important for education and self-esteem and building the community. Which is why I think stuff like guides is so important for girls, builds all those qualities that are more encouraged in boys.

Yes- even putting forward the question of "what is making girls state that they don't want to be girls anymore?", is normally taken in bad faith and twisted and turned into an attack on trans individuals, whereas if Kendi can ask it, and it be heard, it will open space for others to be able to ask it without being labelled a bigot.

Ohhh. I’m happy.
Either it will start a great conversation (that we have already been having if anyone had bothered to listen) or he will be piled on and cancelled as a phobe and will rant about cancel culture and free speech.

The third possibility is that Kendi is untouchable, the ideology is unimpeachable, and there'll be an awkward silence and this will be forgotten for the moment.

@nauticant

The third possibility is that Kendi is untouchable, the ideology is unimpeachable, and there'll be an awkward silence and this will be forgotten for the moment.

I did fear that. Well at least it's out there, unless he retracts his statement (I don't think that he will as he's pretty uncancellable).

One interesting aspect is there's been a developing narrative that's been unquestioningly accepted in some corners that BLM and the gender identity ideology are closely related and wholly complementary. Well, perhaps people will start to ask questions.

@nauticant

One interesting aspect is there's been a developing narrative that's been unquestioningly accepted in some corners that BLM and the gender identity ideology are closely related and wholly complementary. Well, perhaps people will start to ask questions.

On a local level, in my own community, Black leaders in BLM are sometimes at odds with the larger groups, specifically on tactics and focus. Local BLM groups care about Black teenagers being abused by racist police and care about getting police officers better vetted and either out of the public schools or make highly scrutinized hires for public schools (eg hiring local police with community trust and education background). Local BLM groups focus on memorial sites and peaceful protests and advocacy on city councils. I would argue that the BLM criticism I see in the international news is quite different than how they are represented and viewed in their communities.

That sounds reasonable, thank you for your insights.

I think that it is a strange world where this statement could be seen as controversial: that we should explore possible systemic factors which would cause girls to want to not be girls. It's good that the question is out there and Kendi is widely respected by people who wouldn't go near eg. A book like Abigail Shrier's

I wonder if Kendi unknowingly stepped from his woke Race universe into the woke parallel universe of gender ideology.

I think Kendi, when seeing there was a potential harm to his daughter, unthinkingly applied common sense forgetting that one is supposed to apply intersectionality to everything and as a result has gone completely off piste.

I don't know who Ibram Kendi is, went off to look on Twitter.

A little tiny bit of muttering about his being transphobic, but for the most part people are moving swiftly over it. Men can say what they want, of course. Being the more rational sex. It's only women who get cancelled.