I’d like to discuss one of the most long-standing and ignored oppressions. It’s had a tremendously destructive influence over the centuries and it may just be one of the last taboos we have to overcome.
This hidden killer — because it definitely kills — is when people are accused of racism or sexism.
Being accused of racism/sexism is one of the worst things that can happen to you. The scariest thing is that it can strike on a perfectly ordinary day when you’re living a perfectly ordinary life. It strikes without warning because the perpetrators aren’t exactly interested in telegraphing their vicious blows to potential victims.
Despite the denialism of mainstream media (that paints being accused of racism/sexism as “not a big deal”), those accused face a large number of devastating setbacks. They may experience social ostracism from their peers or even people they don’t know. While this might conjure images of disagreement on the internet for those of us who haven’t shared in the lived experience of accused-racists/sexists (ARSs), it typically involves tremendous amounts of hate and verbal abuse. What is most cutting is that some of the blowback can come from the ARS’s own family and friends. It appears that being an ARS is sufficient to lead people to abandon all sorts of social ties.
The environment of constant ARS persecution is excused by counter-ARs (CARSs) by reference to the validity of their criticisms. Thus the discrimination is made plain and is acceptable enough for CARSs to be blatant about it. In essence, it boils down to a crude variation of the “sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me”. Bullshit. Being accused of racism can lead to various levels of anxiety (up to and including anxiety disorders and PTSD), damage to existing romantic relationships (including breakups and divorces) and loss of friendship. Being an ARSs can also make it difficult to form relationship s, leading to years of undeserved frustration.
ARSs are also discriminated against in more formal circumstances. Being an ARS could place your livelihood at risk. This is testified by the countless ARSs fired when their employers caved to the pressure of naked bigotry. Nor are ARSs equal in the “impartial” eyes of the law. This can especially be seen in matters of family law and custody battles.
Although the media likes to downplay the attacks agains ARSs as the isolated actions of individuals, this is not so. If we look at the perpetrators of racism/sexism accusations (PRSAs), we find a series of coordinated attacks and a well-oiled hate machine. There is a long-spanning network of “comrades in arms” who are willing to descend en-masse once an ARS victim has been selected. Like all witch hunts, PRSA lynch mobs care naught about guilt or innocence but are solely interested in vengeance. The PSRA network is not above preying on women, children and the elderly — there are literally no bounds of decency that they won’t cross. Like the Stasi, PSRAs store an extensive network of misinformation, ready to be wielded against the next victim. Like the Nazis, PSRAs vehemently disagree with any and all ARSs.
The scariest thing is that PSRAs are not some radical Other. They live among us. They work with us, they form part of our extended families. They genuinely believe they’re right. And right now they’re laughing at us because we still haven’t banded together against them. Unless we do, they will get more and more brazen until life is intolerable for decent ARSs of goodwill everywhere. As a famous dog once said:
If you point out racism, you’re the real racist. If you point out sexism, you’re the real sexist. I pointed out a dog, now I am the real dog
— Edcrab (@Edcrab_) March 29, 2013
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