An emergent social norm punishes accusations of racism, not racism itself

Evidence

What is also increasingly clear is that there seems to be an emergent norm against making accusations of racism (Augoustinos and Every, 2007 ). As Goodman and Rowe ( 2014 ) show, when it comes to the Roma, accusations of racism on discussion forums are met with criticism, and a distinction is made between ‘prejudice’ and ‘racism’. Blaming Roma (Gypsies) for their own predicament may be seen as prejudice, but not racism. Moreover, people accusing others of racism are perceived as closing off legitimate debate and curtailing freedom of speech (Goodman and Burke, 2010 ). However, generally, blaming Romani people for their own predicament is considered acceptable. The acceptability of blaming the victim seems to be tied to the idea that the Roma (Gypsies) are unlike any other group. Ordinary members of society, as well as elites, work on the assumption that the quality and nature of prejudice varies with the perceived worth of the target group. — Cristian Tileagă, The Nature of Prejudice, 523

Categorization

• XREF: Relates to the reversal dynamic in Naqvi’s Home Boy and the post-9/11 accusation-sensitivity of The Reluctant Fundamentalist. — connects to: Anti-racist gym communities tolerate racist incidents when social bonds outweigh the offense — Amit Singh, “Carnal conviviality” and the end of…, 81; Cordial racism legitimizes inequality by refusing to name race as its cause; Etiquette-based political silence can conceal racist views from public scrutiny — Nina Eliasoph, Avoiding politics: how Americans…, 295
• SEED: Article angle: ‘the norm against calling out racism’ — how accusation itself became the sanctioned prejudice, and what it means for public discourse.