This thread is called "Am I calling you a white supremacist?" and it is about reactions to my paper and the ideas in my paper which I push out on social media and essays.

https://muse.jhu.edu/article/755989 

This thread is not a subtweet- I am overtly writing about Classics, secondary Latin teachers, and @ACLClassics. since these dynamics reflect the worst aspects of our society, most of the tweets are general in nature. It applies to more than Classics. 1b/

First off, why are you more worried about what I am calling you than the actual white supremacy that has been mainstreamed in the field? That is your first reaction after you read about slave auctions or a nationalistic, Hitler & Mussolini-reminiscent creed from @NationalJCL 2/

If you are presented with white supremacy, acknowledge it is problematic, but then tone-check and then act like the real offense is an imagined, ad hominem call-out... what do you priorities say about you? 3/

If you are white, & OK enough w/ white supremacy to tolerate it and then center yourself when a white supremacist activity you enjoy is highlighted, that perpetuates white supremacy. You are diverting from an important conversation and making it about you and your image 4/

So, Part 2 of this thread is called: How much white supremacy is too much? (Or Can't we have just a little white supremacy?) Both-sides-ing is almost worse than overt white supremacy b/c you admit it is a problem, and then enable it in suave ways. 5/

If you say "I agree this is white supremacist/ racist," and then caution against action, tone-check, & prioritize white feelings, all while you purport to care about these issues, you are selling a lie that white supremacy is compassionate and inclusive. 6/

Why would you-- a person obviously unbothered and unaffected by white supremacy-- get to set the timeline for addressing it. "We're not ready?" Guess what? You'll never be ready, because you benefit from it. 7/

And, if you are loyal to an organization made up of people you call "good" that is unwilling to address white supremacy, why would you prioritize their timeline over the safety and well-being of your students & others affected by this kind of structural injustice? 8/

You're saying, "The timeline and comfort of the oppressor is the most important thing in this conversation." In the case of Classics, this approach is what kept mock slave auctions alive through 2019 and racist, assimilationist marketing material in circulation even today 9/

So, let's be honest-- working on the organization's timeline means there won't ever be change. And when you're so comfortable that you can ignore white supremacy while knowingly exposing your students to it, you are intentionally furthering white supremacy. 10/

With everything going on in the United States in 2020-- the emboldening of hate groups, the brazen murder of Black people in the guise of public safety etc, who are you to set a timeline for addressing white supremacy? "No rush. I am unbothered by this white supremacy." 11/

11b And if your students are unbothered about this, it is likely because of your endorsement. They learn that these ideas are legitimate. And, if they are wrong, it isn't worth taking action. Radicalizing your white students in white supremacy apparently isn't a concern either.

Who are you to provide cover for the organization and counter the counternarrative by starting a "What we love about this organization that was just exposed for their enabling of white supremacy" thread? Prioritizing image over integrity got us to this point. 12/

Who are you to leverage your privilege to shut down a conversation about effecting change: "I want to offer some friendly push-back here--push back in the sense of let's step back and think about process a little bit." Nope, that's not friendly. 13/

In this example, participants agreed the material at hand was "aligned with white supremacist messaging," but thought emailing the org as too bold & radical: "There's more work to be done here, in my opinion, before you call for these letters to be written" Seriously? 14/

Once we agree it is aligned with white supremacy, your stonewalling, white-fragile timelines, exhortations to consider "the good people in the organization" now become intentional, overt ways you support white supremacy. 15/

No amount of white supremacy in the field of Classics is OK. Once you identify it, you have an obligation to eradicate it-- or, at the very least, you have an obligation not to advocate for its continued presence in the field or minimize its danger. 16/

If you don't see it as white supremacy, or at least have the authenticity to admit you don't mind it, that is bad too. But wearing a mask of benevolence while perpetuating such a dangerous feature of our society is a special form of hypocrisy. 17/

Specific to Classics-- If the only time you take action is out of self-interest, how will you feel when your program is shut down because of the danger it poses? The only reason this has persisted for so long is because Classics flies under the radar. 18/

Do you think your district would have approved of sending children to events where mock slave auctions were held decades after they were deemed a civil rights violation and point of liability in the context of fraternities? 19/

What would your district say about the JCL contests? Innocent fun, or an equity issue because of the gendered categories based on stereotypes? What you are normalizing is not anywhere close to normal for any other content area or context 20/

When it comes time to justify the existence of your program, how will you justify the ways secondary classics has aligned with white supremacy? How will you defend the intentional segregation of our field when it is the subject of civil rights action in adjacent contexts? 21/

Maybe your investment in white supremacy is so great that it is worth it to run that risk. Maybe your investment in white supremacy is so great that the benefit you derive from it outweighs the danger it poses to society.

So, ask me again if you're a white supremacist.

END

PS This thread isn't about whether the field is aligned with white supremacy. The article in the first tweet outlines some ways white supremacy and Classics have converged. That connection is well-documented at @pharosclassics & elsewhere as well.

http://pages.vassar.edu/pharos/