The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that a key factor in the inability of centrists and those on the right who consider themselves "well-meaning" to understand how dangerous things are now can be boiled down to a solipsistic failure at pattern recognition.
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Take the phenomenon of White People Calling The Cops On Black People For Basic Shit, for instance. You'd think such stories would unequivocally point out a pattern for others to avoid, but they keep happening because each new individual assumes that THEIR case is DIFFERENT.
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Beyond failing to recognise their impulse to act as racist in the first place, they sure as hell don't recognise that acting that way contributes to a *pattern* of racist behaviour - how can they, when they firmly believe they're acting as individuals with no systematic bias?
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I've encountered this phenomenon over and over again in online conversations: you point out a pattern of actions, and people try to "counter" the existence of that pattern by saying, in essence, "Well, look - here's other stuff that happens that ISN'T part of that pattern! HAH!"
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And it's like, dude. Do you not understand how patterns WORK? Maybe it's just that I'm married to a set theorist, but goddamn, this is some kindergarden shit. The fact that those individuals whose actions make the pattern didn't coordinate it all DOESN'T STOP IT BEING A PATTERN.
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End of conversation
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