Comments on: Intent http://omegamom.com/2008/05/15/intent/ A "good enough" mom muses about alpha moms, adoption, computers, the State Of The World, Internet quirkiness, and the Kosmik All Mon, 08 Sep 2008 04:14:15 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: you know where you are with http://omegamom.com/2008/05/15/intent/#comment-18652 you know where you are with Fri, 16 May 2008 16:54:18 +0000 http://omegamom.com/2008/05/15/intent/#comment-18652 What's interesting to me is that so much attention these days is focused on "intention" as the fulcrum in these debates...which way you lean in concluding whether something is racist or not depends upon whether the person <i>intended</i> to be racist or not. I'm wary of this focus. It only takes into account individual will, individual consciousness, and does not account for institutional racism; that is, for racism that is absorbed into a person's consciousness simply by being a member of a traditionally racist culture, and especially a member of the dominant group, without volition on their individual's part, without awareness oftentimes on their part. I'm not sure it absolves them of being racist, even if they didn't have the conscious intent to be so. What’s interesting to me is that so much attention these days is focused on “intention” as the fulcrum in these debates…which way you lean in concluding whether something is racist or not depends upon whether the person intended to be racist or not. I’m wary of this focus. It only takes into account individual will, individual consciousness, and does not account for institutional racism; that is, for racism that is absorbed into a person’s consciousness simply by being a member of a traditionally racist culture, and especially a member of the dominant group, without volition on their individual’s part, without awareness oftentimes on their part. I’m not sure it absolves them of being racist, even if they didn’t have the conscious intent to be so.

]]> By: Jozet at Halushki http://omegamom.com/2008/05/15/intent/#comment-18650 Jozet at Halushki Fri, 16 May 2008 14:58:16 +0000 http://omegamom.com/2008/05/15/intent/#comment-18650 "It’s interesting that there are honest, intelligent people who do not think it was racist; it promises hope that the "black people = apes" trope is receding into the mists of history. At the same time, it obviously hasn’t, because enough people know the coding to realize it’s offensive and wear things like this for that reason." This is right on the money, if you ask me. (Were you asking me?) It's a strange but wonderful time we're living in when intelligent and honest folks sincerely aren't aware of the coding or even the stereotypes, but yes, does require some patience and an extension of good will from all corners - both in recognizing that some honest and intelligent people really, truly, actually are living in their hearts and minds in some socially-aspired-to place beyond the hurts of the past, and that, really, truly, honestly, they just don't "mean it that way" e.g. calling children "monkeys" because they are swinging in trees and acting goofy, even if some of those children are black, and yet at the same time, being aware that there are still valid emotional triggers for some people, and being open to hearing people out and then begging forgiveness for the offense, even if unintended. We're just living in a gray time of figuring intention...and I know that doesn't answer the question of "how do we get beyond specific words or imagery bringing up the negative and hurtful connotations of the past without continually reinstating them through reminding?" (Was that the question?) I don't see a clear way through - it's a balancing act of good faith for now. “It’s interesting that there are honest, intelligent people who do not think it was racist; it promises hope that the “black people = apes” trope is receding into the mists of history. At the same time, it obviously hasn’t, because enough people know the coding to realize it’s offensive and wear things like this for that reason.”

This is right on the money, if you ask me. (Were you asking me?) It’s a strange but wonderful time we’re living in when intelligent and honest folks sincerely aren’t aware of the coding or even the stereotypes, but yes, does require some patience and an extension of good will from all corners - both in recognizing that some honest and intelligent people really, truly, actually are living in their hearts and minds in some socially-aspired-to place beyond the hurts of the past, and that, really, truly, honestly, they just don’t “mean it that way” e.g. calling children “monkeys” because they are swinging in trees and acting goofy, even if some of those children are black, and yet at the same time, being aware that there are still valid emotional triggers for some people, and being open to hearing people out and then begging forgiveness for the offense, even if unintended.

We’re just living in a gray time of figuring intention…and I know that doesn’t answer the question of “how do we get beyond specific words or imagery bringing up the negative and hurtful connotations of the past without continually reinstating them through reminding?” (Was that the question?) I don’t see a clear way through - it’s a balancing act of good faith for now.

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