Yeah that makes sense. The version of that I’ve seen seems to be an insecurity about being a bad person (or perceived as one). So seeing people care and do activism causes cognitive dissonance between the self image of goodness and the reality of inaction + privilege. Otherizing and demeaning the offender is an easy defence mechanism. Really strong effect in Mormon/evangelical culture ime.
If that’s more accurate to you, if you’re out organizing and working with marginalized people, that feeling seems largely vestigial, then.
Regardless of the source, I think it’s still worthy of examination and deconstruction. But hopefully it diminishes with direct action experience (even if it’s working at a food bank or something, if your current orgs aren’t ready for direct action).
Also reading about successful revolutions helps on both an emotional and rational level, for me.
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Yeah that makes sense. The version of that I’ve seen seems to be an insecurity about being a bad person (or perceived as one). So seeing people care and do activism causes cognitive dissonance between the self image of goodness and the reality of inaction + privilege. Otherizing and demeaning the offender is an easy defence mechanism. Really strong effect in Mormon/evangelical culture ime.
If that’s more accurate to you, if you’re out organizing and working with marginalized people, that feeling seems largely vestigial, then.
Regardless of the source, I think it’s still worthy of examination and deconstruction. But hopefully it diminishes with direct action experience (even if it’s working at a food bank or something, if your current orgs aren’t ready for direct action).
Also reading about successful revolutions helps on both an emotional and rational level, for me.