[lawnchair_larry]

Worst of all, it pushes non-racists to become actual racists.

If you start attacking people who previously had no problem with you, grouping them as evil on the basis of their physical characteristics, you’re going to get various forms of backlash. One of those is going to be those people seeking support among others belonging to the evil group identity that you carved out for them, and they’re going to push back in kind.

[krapp]

> One of those is going to be those people seeking support among others belonging to the evil group identity that you carved out for them, and they’re going to push back in kind.

I don't think that happens very often outside of the villain origin stories in comic books. A normal non-racist person doesn't react to being called a racist by becoming the biggest racist they can just to spite people.

[lawnchair_larry]

Oh, I don’t think it happens in the common case, no. But it absolutely happens at the margins, particularly among folks who are more predisposed to radicalization. I know that happens.

And racism isn’t binary. You don’t have to be pushed all the way to wearing KKK garb to have some level of contempt or prejudice towards other races. So a great way to avoid this outcome and minimize exacerbating existing tensions is to not engage in more divisive hostility on the basis of their identity. Like the guy she is berating likely didn’t even consciously realize he was white until she made a point of reminding him in the worst way possible. A dumb, counterproductive strategy.

But her behavior is going to make it harder for all other black people to get hired. People who are otherwise not concerned with race or sex at all will see this and then need to convince themselves that she is not representative of most black people. Some will undoubtedly just go with the option that seems like it carries the lowest risk to them personally and professionally.

Personally I would not hire anybody who has a history of trying to weaponize twitter. And being smeared as a racist, like she is doing to Jeff Dean, can be extremely damaging and severely career limiting. He’ll probably be ok, but it’s something that many people can never move past, especially if Vice or Vox or Salon or whatever culture war libel vehicle decides that they can twist your story into a hot hit piece.