Originally published at perigee's WordPress Blog. Please leave any comments there.

There is a meme going around toward the idea that we should not be silent about our feelings and reactions to Racefail 2009 and our lessons learned.

How do I put this?

• I am no stranger to the idea that speaking out and getting as many opinions as possible is a good thing. When done in a way that is not compelled and completely freely done by volunteers it can be an effective way to establish that a certain phenomenon or feeling is more prevalent than is generally suspected. Great for issues where silence=death, and yes, there are a lot of those, racism and its effects certainly one of those issues.
• I am also no stranger to the idea that this sort of thing can get out of hand. When a social movement has enough power or leverage to do real town-meeting type shamings where folks get called out and humiliated for all to see, where apologies and capitulation are not just convinced but compelled, where loyalties are sniffed out and undesirable ones are extinguished, where friends, families and extended families are deemed unsuitable by the mob and sundered.
• Oh? We are doing loyalty oaths now? That’s wonderful! And how do we think that will work out for us?
• Witch hunts? No, we were never guilty of that! Pshaw!
• I have until now called myself an individualist antiracist, because I’ve been getting really uncomfortable with the direction the main antiracist activism crowd has been going with respect to anger and the search for justice and recompense and not been comfortable calling that part of the movement my allies. I think I’m going to have to sadly call it a day/month/year, and find something else for me to call myself. At this point, I feel that the main body of antiracist activists is to varying degrees becoming guilty of abuse of the power to be heard that they have recently gained and I am ashamed to call myself a part of the movement. So I will not.

I have some things to say to individual parts of the constituents of Racefail 2009.

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