4 ms·
I speculate that many, if not most, of the abstentions were whites who were there to help, but in light of the organization's goal of increasing black power, wa
by thyrsus 7y ago
I speculate that many, if not most, of the abstentions were whites who were there to help, but in light of the organization's goal of increasing black power, wanted on this occasion to cede power to black members. I highly doubt that they "didn't care".
- WorldMaker 7y agoAn abstention intentionally says that either outcome pass/fail is fine, whichever the remaining majority decides. While "didn't care" may be harsh descriptor for that, it's also not factually inaccurate. But you are correct that it can also represent "I'm not capable of making this choice" or "I should not be culpable in making this choice", which often is far from "didn't care" in emotional intent, even if the recorded vote was "did not lend explicit support to either outcome".