Exactly.
Accountability makes people feel feels sometimes, and that's"s okay and good, actually.
Other examples: white tears, the tears of the complicit, and the tears of those who have experienced predictable consequences for their actions but never performed accountablity.
Accountability makes people feel feels sometimes, and that's"s okay and good, actually.
Other examples: white tears, the tears of the complicit, and the tears of those who have experienced predictable consequences for their actions but never performed accountablity.
https://twitter.com/b0ytits/status/1363352476674482177
One of the most predictable responses to holding a white person, especially a white cis woman, accountable for racism is tears.
It is-- consciously or not-- a tactic to de-center the people who they caused pain and re-center whiteness and white feelings.
It is-- consciously or not-- a tactic to de-center the people who they caused pain and re-center whiteness and white feelings.
I've also seen sooooo much "but they already suffered consequences for their actions" in left community from folks and for folks who did harmful shit and faced legal/carceral consequences.
Like, during Occupy one guy closely affiliated with our encampment placed a bounty on the head of the DA, getting us *international* coverage that furthered fed attempts to paint us as violent terrorists.
Whether it was a joke or not, it directly endangered us.
Whether it was a joke or not, it directly endangered us.
He ended up in prison, did zero restorative action when he came out, got welcomed back with folks feeling a whole lot of angry feels about talk of him performing restorative accountability.
Because, folks felt bad he had been incarcerated.
Because, folks felt bad he had been incarcerated.
And I've seen it in antifascist community, where folks who were complicit in the bad behavior of a bad actor get defended because *eventually* that bad actor burned them, too, and folks feel bad for them.
Pity is not an acceptable substitute for accountability, folks.
Pity is not an acceptable substitute for accountability, folks.
When we let accountability slide because it's uncomfortable or because we empathize with or pity the person being held accountable, we do our movements a deep disservice.
And, in my experience, we most tend to empathize with/find excuses for the folks with the most privilege within our communities, because that is how we are conditioned.
Feels are not a reliable barometer of fault or culpibility.
Feels are not a reliable barometer of fault or culpibility.
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