I cannot believe the level to which RaceFail'09 has escalated. It is so utterly ridiculous and off point by now that I can't even articulate my reaction
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I'm still working out how I feel about all that's gone down.
I do have to say, it has to be easier to detect racism in other's attitudes and actions than in one's own, and be in plausible denial about one's own unconscious attitudes.
I think what most upsets me that that there was a perfectly good teachable moment at the start of the kerfuffle and it's gotten bulldozed over and forgotten as this has expanded to a clash of online cultures and customs, et cetera.
Not to defend anybody, but "when one discovers one is a racist" is exactly where people are talking past each other in this discussion.
And - from my observation - much of this is a generational difference about what racism means.
For the older, entrenched SF writers it means: "Klan/lynching/George Wallace/Redneck hatred." That's the whole of the meaning.
For the younger folks who were exposed to all kinds of cultural/feminist/black studies approaches it means: "Beneficiary of institutional, historical and cultural bias."
I don't know why that's so hard for everybody to see, but again and again I see people talking past each other in this discussion. They're using the same words but not the same language at all.
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I do have to say, it has to be easier to detect racism in other's attitudes and actions than in one's own, and be in plausible denial about one's own unconscious attitudes.
I think what most upsets me that that there was a perfectly good teachable moment at the start of the kerfuffle and it's gotten bulldozed over and forgotten as this has expanded to a clash of online cultures and customs, et cetera.
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Reply
And - from my observation - much of this is a generational difference about what racism means.
For the older, entrenched SF writers it means: "Klan/lynching/George Wallace/Redneck hatred." That's the whole of the meaning.
For the younger folks who were exposed to all kinds of cultural/feminist/black studies approaches it means: "Beneficiary of institutional, historical and cultural bias."
I don't know why that's so hard for everybody to see, but again and again I see people talking past each other in this discussion. They're using the same words but not the same language at all.
Reply
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