September 16, 2016 - 16:48
Vivian O’Bannon
Jodi Cohen
Emily Balch Seminar: Changing Our Story
September 16, 2016
Passivity: Another Agent of Slippage
In modern society, people consciously understand and accept racism. Some make an effort to avoid being outwardly racist, others do not. But there are people who are not innately racist; they never intend to oppress or hurt others and they believe in racial equality. However, mistakes happen. These mistakes occur because society attempts to counteract racism through punishment. When someone makes a mistake, they learn not to make that mistake through fear of reactions and consequence. Unfortunately, this fear does not teach people to stop making insensitive comments – they subconsciously find loopholes to make these intended comments whilst avoiding offense. Because we are taught NOT to do something, instead of taught TO do something, we learn to be more discreet, quiet, subtle. We say things, unsure of whether or not they are politically correct. We are not taught how to be racially correct, we are just taught to avoid being racially incorrect.
Slipping, a term coined by Emily Elstad, encompasses the mistakes that reach from blatantly racist to ignorantly insensitive to mildly rude. People subconsciously and accidentally perpetuate racism because they are taught to make comfortable assumptions. This can cause them to make racially ignorant, insensitive, and incorrect comments. It is nearly impossible to correct racism, but there are many ways to correct slippage. People become aware of the impact of their statements when others react; if there is no reaction, the mistakes are not realized or rectified. These comments and statements and ideas subsequently become valid and acceptable. With this in mind, walking away from conflict promotes passivity, and actually supports slippage. People avoid confrontation because they don’t feel comfortable. Not only is the perpetrator of slippage subconsciously falling into a comfortable habit, but the victim has the choice to slip into something more comfortable by walking away from confrontation.
Ursula Le Guin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” portrays passivity in a heroic way; the townsfolk make a moral statement by leaving Omelas. However, through the lens of “slippage”, choosing to walk away is somewhat selfish. The deserters decide not to confront the situation; although they preserve their own morals by opposing the wrongdoings in Omelas, they do not make an effort to correct and teach their fellow citizens. As the only members of their society to stand up for what is right, they are responsible to do so in a way that could improve the situation for everyone. By walking away, they do nothing but save face. These people are not perpetrators, but they are not victims: they are bystanders who witness slippage and choose to walk away for the sake of their own comfort. Just as one slips into more comfortable habits to cover up racially incorrect actions, when bystanders walk away from a difficult situation, they give up a learning opportunity for the sake of their own comfort. This extension of “slipping” covers and rightly criticizes acquiescence. Correction is not just the responsibility of the perpetrator. When someone slips, they must recognize, account for, and learn from their mistake. Since a mistake is often only recognized after the provoked reactions, someone must reprimand the offender. The victim, or person being offended, will not always be present nor will they always feel comfortable fulfilling this role. Therefore, in a situation where the victim does not correct the offender, bystanders take on responsibility.
Le Guin’s short story reveals the counterpart of slippage: passivity. However, it also shows slippage by the perpetrators. The people of Omelas demonstrate slipping when justifying the decision to lock up the young child. They convince themselves that the child “[…] is too degraded and imbecile to know any real joy. It has been afraid too long ever to be free of fear” (Le Guin 4). This way, the townspeople diminish their guilt and redefine their crime. The slippage at work is naiveté; in an attempt to avoid guilt, the people of Omelas found a more comfortable way to accept their wrongdoings while still committing a heinous crime.
Slipping takes many forms and can be corrected by the perpetrators, victims, or bystanders. People slip into something more comfortable when they cover up the true implications of their statements and actions, and also when they back away from conflict. “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” shows that slipping can occur when innocent people consciously allow more slipping to manifest.