The Unrespected Voice

Last updated on: March 23, 2015 at 10:43 am by Sara Amis

The Unrespected Voice 2015-03-23T10:43:08-05:00 Sara Amis

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Kayford Mountain – Rainforest Action Network

The very first post on Gods and Radicals was “Respectability Politics: Act Like The System So That The System Will Listen?” by Jason Pitzl-Waters. As I was reading, this line leaped out at me:

“The politics of respectability, a term coined by Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, is a tactic of performing compatibility, one of self-policing by oppressed and marginalized communities to gain advancement and acceptance within whatever the dominant culture or system may be.”

I thought to myself, I’ve done that. Not so much as a Pagan, but as a Southerner from Appalachia. I am very conscious of the fact that as soon as I open my mouth, if I talk like where I’m from, people will start assuming things about me. It happens even here in Atlanta but more so when I go anywhere else in the United States. And inevitably, if I stop being self-conscious of people’s stereotypes about those who speak my dialect of English for a minute or two, somebody will remind me….usually by telling me I don’t have an accent like it’s a huge compliment.

The truth is I do have an accent, but I have flattened it considerably in exactly the same adaptive response Jason refers to in his article. I have dropped many dialect words from my vocabulary as well. I did this for years and barely realized it until I got a job working for an electrical parts distributor and therefore started talking on the phone to electricians all over the Southeast. Not only did my accent come back, but I realized that I thought and felt differently. The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis applies to variants within a language too.

My reaction to this realization was an immense sadness. I had lost part of myself. To other people’s stupidity, no less.

I rebel. I reject the stupidity and all of its underpinnings. There’s more to this than people saying rudely oblivious things to me, of course…but I think it is best if you hear what I have to say, in my voice. To that end, I made a recording of a post I wrote about the Elk River disaster in West Virginia last year, “Poison in the Heart of the World.”

I have a Facebook page! Follow A Word to the Witch.

Earth Matters

Pagans in politics

Restorying the Sacred

Previous Post

March 20, 2015

Teaching a Witch, Part 2: Classroom, coven, or apprentice?

Next Post

March 28, 2015 How Magic Works in Real Life

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Book review Earth Matters Earthly Rites Faery thoughts Fur and Feather History of witchcraft Natural Reflections Nature in the News Pagan Education Pagan music Pagans in politics Restorying the Sacred Science & Spirit teaching witchcraft Terminology and Philosophy The Sacred in Suburbia Uncategorized

Select a Month May 2017 November 2016 May 2016 April 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 January 2014 December 2013 August 2011 June 2011 April 2011 May 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What is the largest Oriental Orthodox church by population?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Ethiopian Orthodox Syriac Orthodox Armenian Apostolic Coptic Orthodox