6/ So in terms of capacity to disrupt racism as cognitive technology, online = between town and country. BUT a lot more room, so net plus.
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7/ The reason spelling-bee racists seem so funny is that their very choice of target marks them as living in uncool part of online world
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8/ So prediction: social media will eventually eliminate racism via ephemeralization, because on the social graph isolation is atrophy
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9/ Which isn't to say humans will turn into saints overnight. We'll still be star-bellied sneetches.
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10/ But race as central part of social identity has been disrupted. Racists today seem *technologically* odd like people who use land-lines
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11/ Once you know 1 person of given race personally, even if only online, and enjoy relationship, it's basically impossible to be racist.
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12/ Which means ultimately, it's rather cruel to laugh at spelling bee racists: they are digitally isolated, technologically obsolete.
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13/ Where racism is threatened, such as urban areas, it might react violently, but this is more like taxicab drivers rioting against Uber
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14/ As LBJ found out in 60s, gains against racism results in pent-up violence being released as people sense detente failing, but net gain
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15/ There *is* such an outlet online as well: explosive reactionary fringe blogging. But closing ranks on social graph is death by isolation
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if anything, the capacity to adopt hip, unracist stances has a substitution effect on structures that get depoliticized.
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and that's why I think online culture will disrupt, possibly displace at least high school. Age 14-18: learn online, local mentor
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it seems to me that as power has become less corporeal but not less intense, so will psychosocial proxies of power (e.g. racism) …
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… Sure racist _sentiments_ may wane, but that says little about racist structures— cf. an increasingly segregated public school system.
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(witness the de-politicization of ‘inequality’ from class warfare to system dynamics)
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, people will find some other ism to differentiate themselves. Your thesis may not lead to complete elimination.
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,Racism may die but some other ism will rise. isms have to change with time.


