The label ‘racist’ wounds Scandinavians by threatening their kindness-based identity

Evidence

‘Racist’ has become a ‘deadly word’ – to borrow a metaphor from Favret-Saada (1980). It pierces the heart of the well-meaning Scandinavian whose cherished identity is that of world champion of all that is kind and good. Norway, the richest of the Scandinavian nations, is the most generous dispenser of aid to the developing world (measured per capita), and its humanitarian organizations have a long and venerable history. These are just some of the indices of an ethos that places a very high value on kindness, goodness, and charity. Add that belief in the equality of all human beings, irrespective of gender, age, and other factors, undergirds Scandinavian societies, and it is more understandable why ‘racist’ would strike so hard. — Sherene Razack, Casting Out, 275 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: The accusation of racism triggers identity crisis in Norwegians committed to a kindness ethos.; Norwegian anti-racism as defined identity forecloses acknowledgment of actual racism. — Sherene Razack, Casting Out: The Eviction of Muslims…, 278; Norwegian self-image as anti-racist makes the racism accusation deeply destabilizing — Sherene Razack, Casting Out: The Eviction of Muslims…, 275 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• The accusation of racism triggers identity crisis in Norwegians committed to a kindness ethos. #corroborates (0.97)
• Norwegian self-image as anti-racist makes the racism accusation deeply destabilizing #corroborates (0.96) — Sherene Razack, Casting Out, 275
• Recognition in the racist gaze makes subjects alien to themselves #complicates (0.72)