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> If more people are afraid of ostracism, that suggest ostracism has increased (even) faster than progress on racism and sexism, and that doesn't sound like it
by lapcat 3y ago
> If more people are afraid of ostracism, that suggest ostracism has increased (even) faster than progress on racism and sexism, and that doesn't sound like it can go on forever.
Ostracism is progress on racism and sexism. It's society pushing back against them.
This is a very long war. Wars are ugly. If you think that racism and sexism will just go down quietly without a fight, well, that's not how it works. When they feel most threatened, that's when they'll make the most noise.
- vintermann 3y ago> Ostracism is progress on racism and sexism. It is absolutely not. Ostracism is - at best - a means towards the end, of ending racism and sexism. One of many. It may work, or it may backfire. > This is a very long war. If you can't tell the difference between the means and the goal, it's not just a long war, it's a classic forever war.
- lapcat 3y agoTo put it more precisely, I could have said that ostracism is a sign of progress. In large part, ostracism is neither a "rational" means nor a goal: it's an emotional reaction to what the ostracizer views as unacceptable behavior. But it's still a sign that the tide is turning in society.