Shit (Young, White, Class-privileged, City-based) "Radical Queers" Say to Each Other

[MrSnugglebug83]

Luv it! :)

[MzBUZZKILINGTON]

Way to try to make fun of yourselves and to show that you guys take yourselves too seriously and then pat yourselves on the back for doing so.

[cherryJ0lt]

@rsurgtcineribus @blickblocks Third on the 'I'm from Ohio, where is it that are things like this?' sentiment.

(from the video info) "This also invisibilizes folks who live in rural/non urban communities—where being a guy who is trans might not get the ultra-approval we're taking to task." I would replace non urban with not from certain urban spaces. Columbus is plenty urban and as far as I can tell, there's nothing like this around here.

[RuthyCaroline]

Wow, I didn't even realize that this type of community existed, beyond just vaguely calling it Hipster. Do you people really talk like that? And have serious discussions about the word "history" because it apparently has a masculine pronoun in it? Yikes...what a collosal waste of time.

[reeskyle01]

what's this "check in" business all about?

[Vulcanish]

This made me laugh till I pissed myself. I lived in the West Philly queer snobbery for awhile, thought it was cool until I realized for all the high-minded talk about combating classism and racism and building community, it was actually one of the most excluding, mono-chromatic and cliqueish groups I'd ever encountered. Thank you for pointing out the rampant devaluation of femininity in this culture. And for making me laugh so damn hard.

[sneakymonkeyable]

thank you guys so much addressing this! Im a butch lez, who identifies as female, and I can't help but wonder when it stopped being okay to just be a dyke in the queer community? Its hard when I hear anti-lesbian or sexist (against women) comments coming from people who, most likely at one time, ID'd as lesbians? I love my trans guy friends and don't want them any other way, but there is room for all under the queer umbrella. Isn't this really about internalized homophobia?

[blickblocks]

@sneakymonkeyable The idea that butches are endangered by being "recruited" to be trans men is a pretty transphobic one though. Yeah I agree misogyny from trans men is pretty bullshit. It's pretty bullshit for anyone though. I mean some trans women don't want to have anything to do with the queer community and buy into heterosexism too, so I can sort of see the parallel. These trans people don't owe the queer community any more than any cis heteros do. They don't identify with us.

[parachuteclubbed]

Radical transfeminine people are the invisible elephant in this room. Let's keep them invisible. If we can't do that, let's just strip them of their radicalness and call them conservative and sexless neuter-oppressors.

[JaneUnderground]

I believe that this video accurately sums up the reason that I am still single in the Bay Area. Well done.

[ltbadam]

Can someone explain to me the "She. Don't you mean they?" joke?

[buygreenbananas]

@ltbadam Some people use "they" as a gender-neutral singular pronoun instead of "he" or "she." Does that help?

[jackskellingtonsora]

What did I just watch? I don't understand.

[RandomUserX99]

so you guys are white heterosexuals who are so hip that you are queer? But still date opposite sex? Like a post-modern hipster? Wow, white people are so complicated.

[newandjune]

gay

[thebutch72]

ex. white "radical queer" uniform often including Mohawks = cultural appropriation.

I can just see a bunch of radicals sitting around talking about this over and over again. SOOOO boring.

you guys forgot to add downwardly mobile trust fund kids in the title.

[thebutch72]

having lived in the bay area for 20 years I feel safe to say young white radical queers bug the shit out of me

[rsurgtcineribus]

Where are all these people who only date trans guys? I live in Ohio and I'm lucky if people don't run the other way as soon as they find out. I'd say maybe I need to move somewhere else, except a lot of this scene seems pretty obnoxious. Good on you guys for being able to poke fun at yourselves.

[blickblocks]

@rsurgtcineribus Hey I'm in Ohio too.. *creeping*

[ayearofholidays]

@rsurgtcineribus That's a very common occurrence in the so called queer scene. It's far harder to find a place where people are interested in trans women in a genuine way.

[tacoflavoredpizza]

this video is pretty annoying. i mean i "get" it and i think people who are super into being "radical queers" are pretty ridic/obnoxious too. but like... that's why i mostly don't hang out in that scene and feel alienated by it (even though i'm a young, i guess "radical" white trans dude oakland transplant). spending this much time on making fun of that scene, with this much specificity and seriousness, just makes it seem like you're way invested in it! i just roll my eyes and walk away.

[McNazzD]

@tacoflavoredpizza im in the same boat. agreed. super pretentious.

[McNazzD]

@tacoflavoredpizza agreed. same exact boat.

[beckrs01]

this is great! as a young white radical queer, i appreciate this a lot. noticing where I laugh and where I couldn't, and got mad, is super useful in figuring out what parts of these political IDs and philosophies ARE useful, and what could go, or be improved upon. Also evidence from the responses, makes me think of how hard we get on ourselves and each other in radical political communities. we are all trying for a better world, and doing the best we can. humbling for me to remember that.

[jonyjrslm]

From comments below I surmise that "trans" is short for "transition" - this does not seem very descriptive to me - everyone is in transition from something (at the very least, from younger to older!) - I suspect you must be referring in particular to transition regarding sexual preference, but again, there are so many possibilities that it doesn't convey much information - maybe that's an important part of the basic idea?

[Atemporal]

@jonyjrslm uh no. It means either transsexual or transgender usually the former. I invite you to read the Wikipedia articles on these subjects.

[pearlpillows]

"I have been thinking about capitalism all day" ha! THANKYOU for poking fun at yourselves and for calling out white transmasculinism in our communities. It is not transphobic for a white transguy to call out other white transguys yo!

also: nice accessibility with the captioning <3

[ElisaBikes]

SO right on. The 'she/they' pronoun thing has happened to ME personally!

[FromUnderTheRock]

very funny....and this is why I want to live in the city (non-trans hirsute middle age male craving outsider status)

[blickblocks]

You had me ROFL at the 3 "I mostly date trans guys"! I would like to see more of an intersection about race in this one though IE lack of POC. BTW I'm trans and queer and didn't find this transphobic. Let's face it, a lot of cis white radical queers value transness (specifically masculine f2m or m2f) as an authenticator of radical queerness. This is in itself transphobic! Not every trans person wants to fight kyriarchy with their identity.

[dwmichel]

@likestruth p.s. they id themselves in the comments section you troll :P

[dwmichel]

@likestruth because i am a trans woman, that's why. and i'm not sorry if that offends you. and yeah, i'm against fetishizing trans men. but hey. trans men DO have privilege. it's called masculine privilege. look it up. also, give whipping girl a read while yr at it. educate yrself, fool. i'm tired of transmasculine people denying their privilege. snoooore.

[yrbabuena]

@dwmichel Oh, please. How about acknowledging the real privilege of being raised male in this society and then having the patriarchal arrogance to claim you are female and oppressed as a "woman."! As if you have lost all the male privilege you were raised with!

[blickblocks]

@yrbabuena Holy shit, seriously? Listen, a huge operator in privileging people is that they don't have to think about their privilege. Think trans women don't think about their ability to access male privilege prior to coming out or transition?

[yrbabuena]

@blickblocks If you are referring to men so misogynist, so privileged and arrogant they claim to be women, no, of course they don't think about it one bit. Not.one.bit. None of them get it. Ever: inherent to their decision.

If they did, and had any clue about their privilege as men, they wouldn't be so disrespectful, sexist, and woman-hating as to presume to claim one whit of understanding of what it is to be female, to be molded from birth by female oppression: which they aren't.

[blickblocks]

@yrbabuena Good job making blanket statements and ignoring individual's real life experiences, as well as intersectional oppression. Let me guess, you'd think a poor black trans woman is privileged over a rich white cis woman because she wasn't born externally female? That she is misogynist, privileged, and arrogant? Sure.

[yrbabuena]

@blickblocks 1st of all, this is sidestepping the issues. And "externally female"? Science fiction! And anyway, he would be privileged as a man, having male privilege over her, & in plenty of instances, HAVE privilege she does not. Example, if he doesn't pass as female, he's safer in an alley at night: she's more likely attacked. Even if he passes, he's socialized to defend himself better. If he demands trans only space, people are more likely to honor it than women-only space.

[yrbabuena]

@yrbabuena He's socialized as a male to have a *right* to defend himself, to a degree that most women are not. Women aren't even supposed to ACT like we distrust men around us, when walking down the street, in case we are "unfairly" making assumptions about a man! *sniff, tear drop*

[yrbabuena]

@blickblocks One can't roll all those issues into one neat assumption about privilege. THAT would be making a blanket statement. He has privilege as a male. She has privileges by ethnicity and wealth. Those privileges serve them differently in different situations. See below.

[blickblocks]

@yrbabuena The fact that you refuse to respect someone's pronouns even in this hypothetical instance shows me that you are not willing to respect and consider an individual's lived experience either. Why are you using "he" and "him" when we are talking about a trans woman?

[MazyLoron]

O.o so much jargon! it's exhausting... not to mention classist

[blickblocks]

@MazyLoron Actually I didn't think there was much jargon at all.

[HipsterFriend]

@MazyLoron There's nothing classist about using precise language when talking about gender, sexuality, or anything else. Anyone with access to a free library or internet cafe with computers can find this information.

[ayearofholidays]

@MazyLoron It can be, but new words are necessary to describe how people actually are, and not just using descriptions someone else gave us. We would be in a cultural dark age if we weren't allowed to define ourselves.

[tymoe417]

Yeah. You have to deconstruct identity, not focus on making more pointless ones.

[tifdynamite]

awesome.

[Jeanette8456]

This video is so like the RAD QUEER SCENE. Other than Whiteys identifying as White, no one *actually* talks about race.

[tranarchy000]

this is really funny. ok and all the people commenting need to like calm the fuck down.

[tsungsha]

Why don't we have a gender neutral term for history/herstory? If we simply convert it to herstory that's still favoring one gender.

[ChivalrousGent]

@tsungsha History IS gender-neutral.

Just because it's got "His" in doesn't make it male-oriented. Are anti-histamines really misandric pills to help deal with hayfever?

[yrbabuena]

@ChivalrousGent @Not-remotely-chivalrous-gent: The reality is, HISTORY is almost entirely male-oriented. It takes intentionally re-telling history from womyn's perspectives (which have far less been recorded b/c womyn were not allowed school/literacy, let alone valued enough to be written about by male historians.) So there is a legitimate place for the word "herstory" as intentional re-telling of the past through feminist womyn's lenses.

[ChivalrousGent]

@yrbabuena - Heaven forbid I might disagree with someone about semantics or etymology; that would clearly make me unchivalrous.

I beg to differ re. deliberate female exclusion from history, and the need for a specific female-lense retelling. Whilst I agree that much of history focuses on men (1) that's down to the patriarchal world that has existed - women simply didn't wield sufficient influence to be historically notable, unfortunately

[ChivalrousGent]

@yrbabuena (2) SOME women are covered, on the occasions where they have wielded history-worthy influence - Elizabeth II, Marie Curie, Joan of Arc, Cleopatra etc.

I should also reiterate that my point was not that placing a greater emphasis on female-oriented 'history' is bad or nonsensical, just that the etymology for history is not "His Story" - meaning there's no need to create a new word given it's gender neutral. Surely "Female History" would be better than some contrived neologism?

[yrbabuena]

@tsungsha In fact, men very intentionally socialize and intimidate women into backing off from our pursuit of equally-defined society (from both women's and men's full participation and perspectives) by constantly complaining they are being treated unfairly whenever women gain even a smidgen of ground toward equality. It's intentional guilt-tripping & MANY men say they know women are easily manipulated into falling for it. B/c womyn are socialized to apologize for even existing.

[laetaris]

I've spent enough time in the bay to know that this is a documentary, not a satire.

[theillustratedgirl]

Y'all, it's a play on the super popular Shit girls say, shit being culturally acceptably synonymous with stuff, not poop. And secondly, yeah, a lot of ridiculous white queers say stuff like this all the time. It's funny. It's ridiculous. It gets a little tiresome. The makers of the video clearly don't mind making fun of themselves...for being white, class-privelaged, "radical queers." Chill! Also, why is every single suggestion video small wayne or immature currency?

[keepyourtoeson]

@theillustratedgirl "small wayne"

"immature currency"

[ArchJessieValentine]

I've never dated a trans guy, but maybe I should start...

[craigistheman101]

i know transmasculine-centrism is a real problem. but this doesnt address it, i only makes you look transphobic towards transguys.

[ReggaeNin]

itc butthurt gender tourists

[42mins]

Coming from the bubble of a liberal women's college, I really appreciated this video. Thanks for posting. Sharing it all around. And hey! This is the first "shit --- people say" that actually treats more than one group identification! Made me smile. :)

[dannidanni]

@42mins the only group id i saw was... queer. white and queer. young white queers who are financially comfortable. where's the other group identification?

[42mins]

@repairsitself In the context of the "shit --- people say" meme, labeling everything being said as "shit" isn't insulting, though I could see how you interpret it that way. However, unless you're willing to problematize calling anything people say "shit," I don't see how you can defend your position.

[LikesTruth]

also. What exactly do the over educated, who spend more time in their respective academic bubbles suggest a trans person use, if they are trans. Finding "trans" problematic (which actually IS a word) is the height of snobbery and is trans-phobic.

How should a trans person identify? Please educate me. I haven't had the privilege of spending my entire youth in school, so please enlighten my non white non privileged, minimally educated ass.

[repairsitself]

@42mins The word "shit" is not the issue. The point of the meme, particularly in its post–"shit black girls say to white girls" incarnations, is that the things being said are annoying and/or problematic. The video therefore implies that to say "I am trans" is annoying and/or problematic.

[pomolikewhoa]

You Tube Activism= FAIL, but a funny video. Would have enjoyed it more sans ridiculous disclaimer.

[pomolikewhoa]

Should also point out, this isn't pomolikewhoa but their moderately technologically challenged partner who's not sure how/why pomolikewhoa showed up here. Oooops...sorry honey!

[saucissonetbeurre]

@pomolikewhoa isn't the disclaimer part of the joke? Nobody is that precious in real life.

[pomolikewhoa]

@saucissonetbeurre the disclaimer I referred to has been deleted and replaced with a considerably less ridiculous one...

[marlowegirl]

I love it and then you went and said "herstories." yet more shit radical queers say.

[djshiva]

When do I just get to be a dyke again?

[ahwoooga]

I can't wait until it is socially acceptable within the queer scene to identify as less-privileged ethnicities. I gotta get me some of this irony.

[NamelessQueer]

LMAO!!!!

[BVicius]

Isn't it sort of ironic that it has SUBTITLES? ( and that I really appreciate that it does?)

[blickblocks]

@BVicius Accessibility!

[blaksun29]

!!!! Perfect

[hobbocamp555]

jeez, everyone getting upset this is just a little thing directed DIRECTLY towards you! and look you are all falling for it! it's a stinkin joke! ahahahaha, missing the point! you have to be able to laugh at yourselves. there are so many videos of stuff like this like the stuff white people say or stuff black mothers say, and they all have an offensiveness of the same calibre! or maybe if you don't get it, you dont deserve to laugh!

[LikesTruth]

@hobbocamp555 Actually most of the people who don't find this funny aren't at all like the people in this video, but those who have had to endure their BS. Also, they don't do a very good job of turning the lens on themselves. It appears more self congratulatory than self critical. If they were being purposefully trans phobic (which I doubt) while adding the disclaimer at the end for inclusiveness, then it would be ironic at best. It is ironic, but not purposefully, on their part.

[sassyqueer]

for how much emphasis your description and title placed on age, race, and class, little to nothing was said about it. the only thing I saw tackled was transmasculine-centrism and that was done in a really stanky manner. really? rather than actually examine the root sexism that leads to devaluing of transfeminine (for lack of a less binaristic term) folks, you're just going to scoff at trans identity as a whole?

[laurfrancois]

so you called out some of the elitest & snobbery ways you behave through your daily interations Only to end with you patting yourself on the back for it. That honestly doesn't suprise me.

[LikesTruth]

@laurfrancois Yeah. I'm not surprised either. They probably did it for fear that someone who actually has an awareness of enduring that kind of "snobbery" would put out a video first and actually point out how elitist they really are. But I guess I can't really expect people so used to pointing out the so called "shit" of everyone else to do a good job of pointing out their own. I am hoping someone who has had to suffer these people puts out a real video. Then, I'll be laughing.

[perihelion27]

Hilarious video. Some of the people commenting need to learn to laugh at themselves.

[LikesTruth]

@perihelion27 It was actually more self congratulatory, than funny. If it were actually "hilarious" than maybe more people would be laughing. It doesn't look like they actually have a real awareness of their privilege. Just more evidence of the snobbery. Similar to false modesty, it doesn't pass the sniff test. Perhaps people who actually have to put up with the privileged over educated white queer youth could do it much better? *That* would probably be "hilarious."

[perihelion27]

@LikesTruth

Hilarity is subjective. You can't declare something to be unfunny if people find it amusing.

I never said it passed any sniff test. It's amusing to me because it's true. And yes, I do think they are patting themselves on the back in the end, which just authenticates the issue even more.

[LikesTruth]

@perihelion27 Uhm, excuse me, but I *can*, and will, and do, "declare" (your word not mine) it to be "unfunny" (your word again) as I count as "people" too (even though, I am not white, over educated and privileged). And even if I were alone in that sentiment, which I am very clearly not, I can still say it isn't funny. What gives your "declaration" more validity than mine? You just said yourself hilarity is subjective. Since when does subjectivity hold a greater truth.

[LikesTruth]

@perihelion27 Some people find racist jokes funny. So does that mean I am not "allowed" by your standards to "declare" them to be "unfunny" simply because some people find them "amusing?"  Also, I never said *you* said it passes a sniff test. *I* said it doesn't pass the sniff test. And while they pat themselves on the back, they miss their own point. They were good all right. Good at being trans-phobic and self congratulatory.

[perihelion27]

@LikesTruth

Yeah, and in my opinion, them missing their own point makes it funnier. You don't. Okay.

[perihelion27]

@LikesTruth Wow, no—that's exactly my point. Something can be funny to me, but not funny to you. That's the subjectivity.

Do whatever you want. I get that it's not funny to you. Fine.

[vanmoore2006]

@perihelion27 sorry guess since mommy and daddy didn't pay for me to go liberal arts college I guess I never learn laughing about people's genders is funny. Thank good nice we have you nice white, upper class well educated people to tell us "we" need to laugh at ourselves. so where exactly is this old black butch in this vid? oh right, I don't exist according to your definition of "you".

[perihelion27]

@vanmoore2006

Okay, wow. First of all, you don't know anything about me.

Second, I think it's the people in the demographic that the vid represents who need to learn to laugh at themselves. Not trying to define anything; not telling you to laugh at yourself.

[perihelion27]

@vanmoore2006 If you'll take a look at what I originally said: "Some of the people commenting need to learn to laugh at themselves." Some. I'm sorry if you felt that was directed at you; it certainly wasn't.

[TheRachelusername]

hey, I appreciate what you were talking about! xoxo

also, i laughed out loud when you dumpstered a tea kettle. so on.

[00010887]

Why use the moment the queers showing some humor and self-criticism to pile on the hate? All the things you're saying are what they're trying to wrestle with, in a cute and engaging way.

[dwmichel]

Hah! Notice how there's NO trans women in this space. Yep. "Queer communities" = trans masculine people and cis women.

[Buddyleigh23]

@dwmichel. Well, that's just not true, but ok...the internet makes it easy to go unnoticed I guess.

[Buddyleigh23]

in re: to there being 'no transfeminine' people here, watching this video and participating in this conversation.

[LikesTruth]

@dwmichel How do you know there weren't any trans women included? And not all trans men are privileged. Perhaps the poly trans men. Because apparently, we're not good enough unless we're willing to be sexually available to everyone with a fetish for trans people. I've never diminished my poly friends way of life, but I get a little sick of them thinking they are more evolved than I am because I'm not into having sex with more than one in any given time frame. Been there, done that.

[SJofDecatur]

...herstories, histories, t-stories, queerstories, all stories...

[Dhoomra]

i have no idea what yr supposed to be making fun of, or how this is a parody. What is anti-lesbian about this?

communities of resistance?? what are you resisting? and how are you resisting it?

...i dont think intentionally misspelling a word counts as resistance.

[EverSilent1]

OHEY PORTLAND

[NiqGryphon]

@vanmoore2006, I'd proably rather hang with you too.

[PaulVermeersch]

I love the jargon-laden apology for jargon at the end. Was that intentional?

[tobyk2007]

LMFAO

[hotlikearazor]

How about you add examine the racist bulkshit that's uber prevalent in the "radical queer" community. Failure to address it in this video an in the community at large is another shining example of a larger problem. Adding radical into a title doesn't make it such. Gotta be about it too.

[repairsitself]

K, I get that you're calling out transmasculine-centrism (which is an actual problem), but this comes off as kinda transphobic. Someone just saying they are trans counts as "shit"? Meh, that doesn't sound like a call to pay attention to other people and issues, it sounds like you resent people just for /being/ trans and male/masculine.

[tarynskott]

@repairsitself you mean trans* right

[LikesTruth]

@repairsitself Sounds that way 2 me too. Extremely trans phobic. I wonder what would be considered non problematic. What would be deemed appropriate? Though it seems given the answer 2 u, everything spoken should be deemed "shit" and/or "problematized" ( I hate that term. My elite meter goes off when I hear it) And since when is being "trans" such a huge privilege? Being fetishized by some isn't a privilege. Being poor isn't a privilege. Neither is worrying about your safety.

[DaimonSadi]

@repairsitself I think the issue they are talking about is so many people being fashionably LGBT and such. Like "queer" girls who only date guys. You're not a lesbian then. And that's okay. But, don't lie in a strange attempt to be cool.

[Pterofied]

The repeated clip of that one person saying "I'm trans*" is really going over my head. Are otherwise privileged people not allowed to identify as transgender now?

[vanmoore2006]

"Let's continue to build inclusive communities of resistance while remembering our many herstories!"

hahahaha let me finish laughing my gay black ass off. This boring old butch lesbian will take hanging out with those trans dude you whine about any day over your self-important selfs anyday.forget the lens, get a freaking mirror.

[vanmoore2006]

interesting that in a video that was billed as against transmasculine-centrism you end up both fetishizing, trivalizing and demonizing being trans and focusing on transmasculinity, perhaps that's some radical queer irony, I'm too boringly homosexual to get. You forgot all the racist, classist comments you also say all the time but I guess those aren't as easy targets as the trans folks who are sick of you thinking they are your appendages.

[sineadriotgrrl]

@vanmoore2006 I couldn't have said it better myself, right on my friend, right on!

[LikesTruth]

@vanmoore2006 Thanks for saying what I was thinking......lol@ "get a freaking mirror" No doubt. I get so tired of people who have the privilege of a college or university education, spending years learning supposed new ways of thinking and then coming out and being critical of people who didn't have the privilege of their education. Apparently the people they criticize are supposed to draw the same conclusions as they do through what??? magic? Oh, that stank of privilege.

[ThePowerGayJG]

LOVVVVVVE THIS!!!!!! So trueeee

[MistressNovak]

I may have to revisit IDing as a lesbian if *Radical Queer* has gotten this sanitary...

[Buddyleigh23]

Your logline for this video sounds awesome. Your video itself is trans-phobic. I don't think you've done anything to address transmasculine-centrim...it only feels like a stab in the back from the only 'safe' community we have. Better luck next time...

[dannidanni]

Hey, so yall only mentioned racism once in here. I KNOW yall are all post-racial and shit, but hey how about turning the lens on your progressive liberal racism?

[LikesTruth]

@dannidanni Beautifully said. "post-racial".....fucking hysterical. Sounds exactly like what a white liberal queer who spends more time in university halls than in real streets would say (and protesting with all their buds, doesn't count as being in the 'real streets"). Now there's some real shit they say: "post racial" and "problematize" (blech)

[uppitywhores]

Just saying a massive THANK YOU for using captions. I wish we'd thought to put them on ours.

[missblissxe]

This should have started with someone yelling "WHOA!? TRIGGER WARNING!!"

[twucian]

women loving women loving women loving cats. women loving women, that's where it's at! (i do identify as gender queer this decade, but I was born a lesbian.)

[EntirelyTalia]

<3

[sinistralwing]

this is like 95% of the SJ community on tumblr

[mackenziedrake]

Wow. I'd forgotten how tiresome youthful self-absorption really is. Thanks from a member of the over 50 non-trans born this way and okay with it lesbian who doesn't live in SF fringe!

[ladylady959]

Wow. Pretty sure I was snubbed by one of the folks on an online dating site recently. Happy to be a non-hypocritical femme working class lesbian at the moment. That doesn't live in the mission.

[OldJackProduction]

yeah, and when is the movie coming out...this needs to go big...for the sake of the people.

[brownstargirl]

fuck to the yes.

[dlhoratio]

check. check. check. mate. Love this.