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Originally Posted by PepsiFree
I see what you're saying, though, I don't know if I see evidence of well-thought out, measured, carefully considered speech working any better than just being blunt. It sure feels smarter.
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It has to work better. Anything is a better method of persuasion than insulting someone. The only question is how much better, given that people can now simply bury their heads in the sand and go find a youtube channel that reinforces their pre-conceptions rather than confronting them by talking to smart people who disagree with them. That's the bleak picture.
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I don't think there's a problem with noting privilege, or attitudes and language that are obviously descended from racist or bigoted values, thus, I support Psyche's POV. I agree though that the general painting is a huge problem. Bad elements do not make bad people, and bad people do not make bad groups.
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Suggesting that certain groups of people start out with advantages due to inherent imbalances in society is a reasonable, defensible and provable view. You can bring data to bear on that point. You can then have a discussion about how best to address structural inequality. You can do all of that without calling anyone a racist for not fully understanding your point or for not being totally convinced by the data. There's a difference between "noting privilege", and telling people that their views are invalid because of their gender, or accusing them of being tacitly culpable in some grand conspiracy because of their race.
Basically, the understandable response to all of this is, "well, that's great for you in your office tower, but meanwhile these inequalities persist, and things weren't getting better fast enough. We have to force the issue. Black kids are getting shot by cops, women are being sexually harassed in the workplace and quitting before they can advance far enough to make a dent in the wage gap, and gays are being spit on and dehumanized. There's no
time to "Keep Calm and Trust John Stuart Mill", there's no time for doing things the reasonable, measured way. We have to get in peoples' faces. This has to stop
right now."
I hear you.
I'm just saying that it hasn't worked, it's pretty easy to see why it hasn't worked, and it's actually having the exact opposite effect. If you want to see the world you want to see, you're going to have to change tactics.