THIS IS NOT CRITICAL THINKING

I was so pissed by a comment on this thread I thought I'd post a little blurb about it for you all without giving the original commentator much chance to defend herself.

I'm going to do this as gently as I can. Claiming to engage in critical thinking about race because you read blogs by people of color is...really clueless.

Look. Reading the writings of people out side of your own group, whatever that may be can certainly be an eye opening experience. I had no idea about a lot of the deeper issues of the Asian American community until I started checking out blogs by Asian Americans. Same thing with people with disabilities, trans gender people, black people, native americans, latin@s. I've got an arsenal of verbal weaponry to use to combat the injustices done to minority groups (including women of all colors and pathways). I have learned so much from these people willing to share their struggles and I will always be grateful for it.

But.

You NEVER, on someone's blog say, "See, I'm on this blog and I like to dissect commercials therefore I AM thinking critically about race!"

That's just not what you do. That makes you sound really clueless. Reading blogs on autism doesn't mean I'm ready to get up and "fight" autism like it's some sort of virus to be cured. That's only part of the work, not the whole damn thing. You're not doing the writer or yourself any favors, you're not doing the world anything unless you get out there and ACTIVELY ENGAGE.

I don't particularly care what you do, whether it be cussing out your friends or writing pissed letters to congress but do something. Blogging certain does open you up to a new world of information, but what are you going to do NEXT?