The "How Dare You" Perpetuates Racism?

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Purple Knight
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The "How Dare You" Perpetuates Racism?

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Post by Purple Knight »

Someone recently presented to me the hateful idea that the "how dare you" functions as a blanket permission for stereotypical bad behaviour, perpetuating it. Question for debate: Does it?

The idea is that the Jew has the "how dare you" to cover him if he's called greedy, so he has higher-than-normal social permission to actually be greedy, causing people to have low feedback against stereotypical bad behaviour, and ultimately act it out.

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Difflugia
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Re: The "How Dare You" Perpetuates Racism?

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Post by Difflugia »

Purple Knight wrote: Wed Jul 28, 2021 4:05 pmSomeone recently presented to me the hateful idea that the "how dare you" functions as a blanket permission for stereotypical bad behaviour, perpetuating it. Question for debate: Does it?
It's possible and might form the basis of an interesting psychological study, but as mere baseless speculation it's not really worth considering.
Purple Knight wrote: Wed Jul 28, 2021 4:05 pmThe idea is that the Jew has the "how dare you" to cover him if he's called greedy, so he has higher-than-normal social permission to actually be greedy, causing people to have low feedback against stereotypical bad behaviour, and ultimately act it out.
This "low feedback" argument works equally well when applied to antisemitic bigotry, which we know occurs beyond speculation. If "low feedback" leads to bad behavior, then saying "how dare you" to bigotry is a net gain, at least until there's more Jewish greediness than there is antisemitic bigotry. When we have an insurrection against the Capitol and the common hats are yarmulkes ("!לשנה הבאה בירושלים") then maybe we'd need to rethink the strategy, but until then, I think we're still pretty safe calling out antisemites for what they are.

To be glib, (well, even more glib) this sounds like trickle-down economics: if we allow (or even encourage) known bad-actors to continue unchecked, then somehow the result will be good for the rest of us?
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Re: The "How Dare You" Perpetuates Racism?

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Post by nobspeople »

Purple Knight wrote: Wed Jul 28, 2021 4:05 pm Someone recently presented to me the hateful idea that the "how dare you" functions as a blanket permission for stereotypical bad behaviour, perpetuating it. Question for debate: Does it?

The idea is that the Jew has the "how dare you" to cover him if he's called greedy, so he has higher-than-normal social permission to actually be greedy, causing people to have low feedback against stereotypical bad behaviour, and ultimately act it out.
These days people like to be offended. Using 'how dare you' seems just another way to be offended and, potentially, argue. Rather or not it gives one permission to 'act out' in whatever fashion I think seems a stretch. But people have done stranger things so who knows?
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