The high cost of false accusation makes discrimination targets cautious, not oversensitive

Evidence

The pain, anger, or disempowerment which discrimination often causes targets to feel are strong incentives for careful examination of an event before judging it discriminatory and taking action, the latter often at the risk of retaliation. Nelson’s story is indicative of hesitation and strategic timing of his response for fear of victimization. — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 1496

Categorization

• XREF: Mirrors research on whistleblowing and the asymmetry between cost of false alarm versus cost of missed signal — here applied to racial judgment.
• SEED: A short piece contrasting ‘oversensitivity’ narratives with the retribution-based caution actually governing discrimination claims.