Kallee Weisel- February Post

"- Know that survival is not an academic skill. It is learning how to stand alone, unpopular and sometimes reviled, and how to make common cause with those others identified as outside the structures in order to define and seek a world in which we can all flourish. It is learning how to take our differences and make them strengths." - Master's Tools, Audre Lorde

The way I interpret this and why I also love this quote so much is because Lorde is stating that being different or outside the norm is something that is okay, something someone shouldn't be insecure about or try to change. Lorde through out her entire piece discuses how different and how much of an outsider she felt like when she was put in situations where the majority over powered the minority. She is so key in the idea that taking the anger you feel or the insecurity you feel and turning those feelings into energy to make a difference.

In this case as we know Lorde is set in a room with a large group of white, straight women. Her being an African- American, Lesbian she already felt judged but as she got to talk to these women more and see their perspective on things or their perception of her. Lorde began to get angry with how they were treating her or talking to her. Solely basing their opinion on just from her differences. This is something many face day in day out. Where as they live their lives being who they are, they are judged, judged for being different, for being a minority. Often we feel angry, annoyed or offended towards peoples judgement but Lorde chooses not to have those feelings negatively affect her. She uses them to gain energy, and power to instead of sitting in that anger she tries to take action and make a change. I enjoy this quote as well as this piece because of this idea. And the idea that we as people need to stop judging each other based on what we have heard about our culture or stereotypes. We need to begin to actually get to know one another and not take the easier routes.

Lorde's piece felt as though she articulated thoughts that I have had floating in my mind and put them on paper with her own story which made those ideas so clear and relate able. She puts her ideas and feelings on paper and shows us how we can combine the two to make changes for the better.