After a hotly debated Wednesday night and a calmer Thursday morning, I responded with erinya's point that I had yet to respond to the most important points she had made. I replied with the following, which she felt answered not only what she wanted to know but what other people were asking of me and were not getting. I am sorry I was obtuse last night: I felt like I was trying to fight a fire with a thimble. I thought if I pulled out what I said to erinya, the other people who thought I'd come down with a case of the stupids would see it, too.
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That organized feminism has failed women of color--I didn't answer it because all the evidence you, unusualmusic, karenhealey, and delux_vivens show, what I saw for myself on Feministe, what I saw in the comics blogosphere when Cheryl Lynn ended up abandoning the feminist segment--I am already convinced that it in fact has.

My own experience has taught me that dealing with organized feminism over long periods of time is like dealing with other groups--a clique will rise to the top which will place its agendas over those of anyone else, and will convince the bulk of the membership that theirs is the only way to go. You are frustrated at getting white feminists to listen? I submit this is why. They are on the same track that brought them to power. They don't see that they need to adapt to changing times and changing memberships. And let's face it, the charges of the WOC have been an issue within organized feminism since its conception. The WOC are right.

I can't order the WOC to call themselves feminists, any more than I can order feminist organizations to stop being idiots and look where the future stands. To stop talking white privilege and ignoring the tremendous issues and needs of our sisters of color. I can and do say the WOC are right. They are not being heard. And I certainly can't blame them for quitting.

How can I ask the WOC to stay in organizations that treat them like shit? I didn't. Why should I ask them to? I don't. I would just hope that they would say, sometimes, that the issues they fight for are feminist ones, because it would be nice to keep the banner flying. But if they are so angry with select groups of people that they don't want the word in their mouths . . . ::shrug:: I can't ask them to do something when they have been ignored so badly, even though I hope they remember the principle and not the idiots who claim to represent all of it.
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I am not perfect. But I really try not to be an asshole. WOC have serious grievances that aren't being addressed. I have also been reminded that in my list, WOC, transgendered, and gays, I entirely overlooked disabled women, so I am feeling like even more of an asshole. But I am an asshole who still believes that ideally feminism should address the concerns of all of these women, and I will keep working toward that end. I hope all of you will, too.