It's not at all unusual for some members of an oppressed group to police other members of the oppressed group. (I'm thinking here of stories I've heard about some Blacks chastising others during the civil rights era, and about how FGM is largely carried out by women on younger women.) A person who has made peace with their role in the system can feel threatened by anyone who questions the system because it calls into question *their* choices and sacrifices, and of course, there's "the devil you know" too--many people fear and resist change even if that change might be to their benefit, because uncertainty always comes with it.
no subject
Date: 2007-09-14 07:47 pm (UTC)