Serendip is an independent site partnering with faculty at multiple colleges and universities around the world. Happy exploring!

You are here

Response to slipping

Porkchop's picture

The title of Emily's essay helped me to think about what slipping into something more comfortable means. When I hear that phrase in the context of speaking politically, I interpreted it in this way: finding other words that are more comfortable, which in the end cover up the same thing that other words are also saying. I think it's okay to slip and to accidentally mis-speak, and I think this paper is implying that our expectations of others can't be so high that they will never ever misspeak; the implication is that when one does misspeak, they own up to the mistake and the "slip".

I noticed heat with the word 'greet'. Because this word describes the way someone encounters racism, it seems more like a daily encounter because a greeting is something that happens often and by many people thorughout the day - but a greeting is typically welcomed. In this context, it seems like the presence of a confederate flag is welcomed, although I understand why the word is used. It is showing how often racism occurs, how casual it can be, and how it is not as hidden as people would expect.