perhaps both?
I wish bigots would just come out and say, ‘okay, we admit, we want everything our own way and want people to do what we tell them because it feels FUCKING GREAT to be powerful and have control over what other people can and can’t do.’
I apologise that I’m grossly oversimplifying the issue and the motives behind people’s actions (I know, I know, ‘imagine people complexly’ etc.), but I have a sneaking suspicion that plays at least a minor role for a lot of people.
I think part of imagining people complexly is recognizing the complex justifications for bigotry and persistence of privilege. I think that inequalities are rooted in the desire for power and the maintaining of that power, which ultimately comes from making others powerless. I would say that you’re evaluation is dead on. Despite the varying types of privilege and the different groups who intend to protect that privilege, I would agree that the central force behind all of it struggle for power.
