1.12.08

Phrase-- ought we never to make use of such terms?

On page 123, Butler discusses the labeling aspect of our culture. "the argument that the category of 'sex' is the instrument or effect of 'sexism' or its interpellating moment...., does not entail that we ought never to make use of such terms, as if such terms could only and always reconsolidate the oppressive regimes of power by which they are spawned".

This phrase tells informs that while there are labels for objects and people we can't let the word influence the way that we view an object. In classes that I have taken in regards to race, it is come about in the same way. It can be important that we recognize differences in people and their cultures and race but it it crucial that we don't let those images become the representative feature. Instead, we should look past the label of 'what they are' and focus on who they are, and what they bring to the table. If we limit ourselves to only see what the words and labels allow us to see, then we are not seeing the world and the people in it for what they really are.

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