First, thank you for carrying on a rational discussion about this topic.
>>I would say it is obvious that a social justice group, being composed primarily of minorities and their allies, cannot oppress people, since they don't hold enough power in society to do so.<<
They can, in any context where they have control. For example, the wombyn-born-wombyn argument has kept a number of people out of the Michigan Women's Music Festival, Dianic covens, and assorted other events.
I quit going to WisCon because I got tired of watching women pick on men and transfolk, liberals pick on conservatives, people of color in the Carl Brandon society hassle every not-dark-enough person who walked in the door, the transfolk party on the party floor get hassled for playing music like everyone else was ... it was just pathetic. As if half the attendees had decided, "Hey, we're actually in control of this space. Now WE get to fuck over the people we don't like!" Culture FAIL.
There's a very strong, very widespread temptation for oppressed people to become oppressors when they gain power. It's how they've been treated; they tend to think of it as normal. But it doesn't work very well, regardless of who is on top. Resisting the temptation is very difficult.
>>Now the question is, okay, so what, exactly, are these sexual privileges? That is, how are asexuals discriminated against?<<
Well, some are obvious. There is a social expectation to get married and have children. If you don't, people tend to pester you; this isn't as strong in mainstream America as in some other cultures, but bad enough. Marriage is highly privileged -- it gets you tax breaks, makes it easier to buy a house and get other persk, etc. It's a sexualized union; there isn't a nonsexual version available to people who wish to function as a permanent social unit. (I'm in favor of different types of marriage and social union, but sheesh, the mainstream can't even figure out that gay marriage is beneficial.) So if you're not married, you also have a devil of a time with designating someone to handle emergencies if you are incapacitated; hospitals are bitchy about visiting; lawyers yawp about inheritance and wills. All the problems homosexuals have because they can't marry also apply to asexuals who don't marry. You shouldn't be pressed into a sexualized situation just to function in society.
Then of course there are gems like corrective rape, which is the violent end of the "You just need to have sex with the right person" argument. It happens to homosexuals; it can happen to asexuals. Anyone can be raped, but some folks have extra risk factors that conventionally sexual people don't.
All of this is damaging to society as well as to individuals, because diversity is strength. If it weren't, it wouldn't be there. Ecosystems are strongest at their most diverse; in a society, diversity boosts problem-solving ability. So trying to stamp it out weakens a society.
We don't need EVERY human being to have sex and make babies. It's a GOOD THING if some people are concentrating on some other major life goal. They may put extra resources toward someone else's kids and/or tackle a different project altogether. The same evolutionary benefits of homosexuality apply to asexuals too. It's not a bug, it's a feature.
Thoughts
>>I would say it is obvious that a social justice group, being composed primarily of minorities and their allies, cannot oppress people, since they don't hold enough power in society to do so.<<
They can, in any context where they have control. For example, the wombyn-born-wombyn argument has kept a number of people out of the Michigan Women's Music Festival, Dianic covens, and assorted other events.
I quit going to WisCon because I got tired of watching women pick on men and transfolk, liberals pick on conservatives, people of color in the Carl Brandon society hassle every not-dark-enough person who walked in the door, the transfolk party on the party floor get hassled for playing music like everyone else was ... it was just pathetic. As if half the attendees had decided, "Hey, we're actually in control of this space. Now WE get to fuck over the people we don't like!" Culture FAIL.
There's a very strong, very widespread temptation for oppressed people to become oppressors when they gain power. It's how they've been treated; they tend to think of it as normal. But it doesn't work very well, regardless of who is on top. Resisting the temptation is very difficult.
>>Now the question is, okay, so what, exactly, are these sexual privileges? That is, how are asexuals discriminated against?<<
Well, some are obvious. There is a social expectation to get married and have children. If you don't, people tend to pester you; this isn't as strong in mainstream America as in some other cultures, but bad enough. Marriage is highly privileged -- it gets you tax breaks, makes it easier to buy a house and get other persk, etc. It's a sexualized union; there isn't a nonsexual version available to people who wish to function as a permanent social unit. (I'm in favor of different types of marriage and social union, but sheesh, the mainstream can't even figure out that gay marriage is beneficial.) So if you're not married, you also have a devil of a time with designating someone to handle emergencies if you are incapacitated; hospitals are bitchy about visiting; lawyers yawp about inheritance and wills. All the problems homosexuals have because they can't marry also apply to asexuals who don't marry. You shouldn't be pressed into a sexualized situation just to function in society.
Then of course there are gems like corrective rape, which is the violent end of the "You just need to have sex with the right person" argument. It happens to homosexuals; it can happen to asexuals. Anyone can be raped, but some folks have extra risk factors that conventionally sexual people don't.
All of this is damaging to society as well as to individuals, because diversity is strength. If it weren't, it wouldn't be there. Ecosystems are strongest at their most diverse; in a society, diversity boosts problem-solving ability. So trying to stamp it out weakens a society.
We don't need EVERY human being to have sex and make babies. It's a GOOD THING if some people are concentrating on some other major life goal. They may put extra resources toward someone else's kids and/or tackle a different project altogether. The same evolutionary benefits of homosexuality apply to asexuals too. It's not a bug, it's a feature.