From time to time, my late stepmom used a saying she apparently learned from her dad. She’d say, “Throw a rock over a fence and the dog you hit will holler.”
The crude aphorism alludes to the notion that a defensive reaction to an accusation suggests an admission of guilt. For instance, if someone calls me a racist I can simply shrug off the allegation, because I know I don’t value one race over another.
However, the axiom my stepmom used indicates that someone who is truly racist, and who perhaps is attempting to cloak the racism, would likely use a defensive reaction as a show to others in an attempt to disprove the claim. Who knows if the hollering suggests anything other than disbelief?
There is a way to test the hypothesis. Suppose I post a short blog entry in relation to today’s Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action. I suspect that the hit dog—in this case, the bigot who supports identify-based policies such as diversity, equity, and inclusivity—will holler.
To be clear, when I use the term “bigot,” I’m referring to a person who is obstinately or unreasonably attached to a belief, opinion, or faction, especially one who is prejudiced against or antagonistic toward a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular group.
When I refer to “affirmative action,” I use the description of one source that suggests:
Affirmative action, also known as positive action or positive discrimination (British English) involves sets of policies and practices within a government or organization seeking to include particular groups based on their gender, race, sexuality, creed or nationality in areas in which such groups are underrepresented — such as education and employment.
“Positive discrimination” is discrimination nonetheless. To be exceedingly clear, in a blogpost entitled Kafka Trap, I stated:
It is my sincere hope that the Supreme Court will soon reverse the anti-Civil Rights Movement doctrine that is affirmative action. I cherish the thought of a society that can aspire to judge on the basis of character and merit rather than identity and bigotry.
Today, the Supreme Court ruled against bigoted affirmative action in regards to educational settings. Uniquely, the Court opinion stated:
Far from advancing the cause of improved race relations in our Nation, affirmative action highlights our racial differences with pernicious effect. In fact, recent history reveals a disturbing pattern: Affirmative action policies appear to have prolonged the asserted need for racial discrimination.
And now that the rock has been thrown, I’m ready for the holler.
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Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW
References:
Enriquez, A. (2021, October 25). Q. How does fair use work for book covers, album covers, and movie posters? Penn State. Retrieved from https://psu.libanswers.com/faq/336502
Franey, J. and Laco, K. (2023, June 29). Supreme Court outlaws RACE as a factor in college admissions in major affirmative action ruling: Justices vote 6-3 to rule Harvard and UNC programs unconstitutional [Image]. Daily Mail. Retrieved from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12247191/Supreme-Court-ENDS-race-based-affirmative-action-admissions.html
Hollings, D. (2023, May 11). Catering to DEIA. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/catering-to-deia
Hollings, D. (2022, March 15). Disclaimer. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/disclaimer
Hollings, D. (n.d.). Hollings Therapy, LLC [Official website]. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/
Hollings, D. (2023, June 24). Kafka trap. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/kafka-trap
Sangal, A., Vogt, A., Kashiwagi, S., and Meyer, M. (2023, June 29). Supreme Court guts affirmative action in college admissions. CNN. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/supreme-court-decisions/index.html
Supreme Court of the United States. (2023, June 29). Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College. Retrieved from https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/20-1199_hgdj.pdf
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Affirmative action. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affirmative_action