Don't look at the comment section.

This has become the collective campus response whenever a Spectator article comes out, especially one about minority groups, racism, classism, or sexism. This reaction allows us to avoid the emotional trauma that comes with the triggering and derogatory comments. Many of us are frustrated, hurt, and outraged that a "prestigious" and "progressive" school like ours could foster such hateful and abusive sentiments. Even if they commenters only represent a small population of students and alumni, by launching abusive and micro-aggressive commentary, the anonymous writers undervalue the work that campus groups and individuals do to tackle social stigmas. This, in turn, contributes to the fostering of hate speech that contaminates platforms of online engagement and defeats efforts to have a productive dialogue.

On Feb. 16, Spectator published an article highlighting the CU Sewa's events: the #emBODYSouthAsia photoshoot and "Transnational Feminism in South Asia: An Embodiment of Contradictions." These events were hosted in an effort to bring attention to the gendered experiences of South Asian women. However, a series of comments on the article made us feel as though many missed what we were trying to articulate about feminism. The comments reflected deeply concerning agendas that promote rape culture and reinforce white supremacy. To the folks who challenged those derogatory comments, we commend you for your effort to stand up and refocus this conversation. The ignorance expressed in the comments section is all the more reason to host events that continue to challenge our social dialogue about feminism and understanding of gender equality.

Rape culture is reinforced every time someone says something like:

Framing rape as "regret sex" makes it sound like a choice. This detracts from evaluating the act as a crime and holding perpetrators accountable. Such comments scream "red flag," since some commenters may be sharing spaces in our classrooms, dining halls, and residences. By placing campus rape in quotes, the commenter mocks and belittles the experiences and efforts of campus rape and sexual assault victims—like Emma Sulkowicz—who are fighting for accountability and policy changes that address the very roots of rape culture.

Many women face day-to-day micro-aggressions, such as cat-calling, slut shaming, and job discrimination. The Internet has, unfortunately, created a similar platform for harassment, but with the added benefit of anonymity. Comments that focused on the physical appearance of Sewa members reduced these members to their bodies; the increased focus on their bodies resulted in a lack of attention paid to their voices. An example of cyberbullying, this also parallels the street harassment that many women face on a daily basis and is precisely what the #emBODYSouthAsia photoshoot addressed. Objectification has a new platform: social media.

Women have been fighting for equality for generations; furthermore, transnational feminism and activism have strong historical underpinnings. First-, second-, and arguably third-wave feminist movements have been dominated by privileged, Eurocentric white women—many of whom have had access to a platform from which they could voice their opinions and agendas. While white women face social, political, and economic inequalities, we must not ignore the struggles of women of color, who face institutionally ingrained challenges due to the intersectionalities of their identity (i.e, race, gender, class, and sexuality). Sewa's events carved out a space for self-identified South Asian women of color to challenge the feminist dialogue controlled by white women.

Comments like those above work toward the erasure of marginalized people, by denying them their history and agency and instead focusing on a colonial and imperialist mindset. The fight for equality is not uniform, and we must avoid perpetuating a vicious cycle that reinforces the oppression of certain groups while enabling others to advance.

Creating safe spaces is a way for groups to mobilize and voice their struggles. By reclaiming space, we can transform domains of privilege into sites that cater to a multitude of identities and experiences. What Sewa would like to see is not only the fostering of healthy conversations in safe spaces, but also a push to challenge these dialogues. However, this kind of dialogue can only be healthy and productive if honest and respectful language is used, participants are given an equal voice, and resources are provided to educate and empower.

The authors are organizing members of CU Sewa, a social justice and service group based on the universal Sikh value of sewa, selfless service.

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