Indifference and…algorithms?
In “Our Indifference is Keeping Us Stuck in Cycles of Racism and Division” Benjamin Sledge explains eloquently how indifference to entrenched racism perpetuates it. It’s a case I’ve made but one that benefits by exploration from many different perspectives and I enthusiastically recommend Ben’s take on the subject.
Ben begins with a story about his personal experience on the receiving end of prejudice. He acknowledges that this is far less than that experienced by Black people but uses the insight to make the case that compassion is expressed in action. Using this reasoning, the boundary of racism doesn’t stop at not making racist statements or actions. The argument that “I’m not racist because I don’t actively oppress anyone” is unsound. Racism includes the indifference and inaction that permit harmful acts and systemic bias to continue.
It’s a thoughtful and challenging essay intended to provoke self examination. It reaches for our deepest sense of compassion and justice. It aspires to rise above the lip service and casual hate that pervades the Internet.
Then Medium’s recommendation engine lobs memetic grenades at it. On the day I read the post, this is what Medium presented below Ben’s essay as “Related reads.”
The only one of these that is arguably related is the post about alleged anti-white racism and it’s only relation to Ben’s piece is that makes the exact opposite argument. Generally “related” leads to similar stories because the recommendation engine correlates positive ratings. I doubt few people would rate both of these pieces highly. This might be a case where the recommendation engine is at least smart enough to tease out that the two articles are on the same spectrum, even if at opposites sides. Point to the recommendation engine on this one but only reluctantly.
After that it becomes difficult to understand in what way any of the other recommendations are related. There’s the introductory post by Blondilox in which she gives an overview of her journey overcoming debilitating health issues. Nothing wrong with the post, in fact her story seems compelling after a casual glance, but hard to see how it is related to Ben’s analysis of racism. Was there nothing more relevant to racism available to recommend? A “slow racism day” over at Medium HQ? That’s tough to believe.
There’s a post about aerial combat in Africa related because…what? Because Black people in the US are now “African American” and the linked post discusses events in Africa? Because our racial conflict in the US should escalate to include air combat? Even if Medium’s recommendation sees parallels between racism in the US and Africa’s genocidal war, to be related the linked article should discuss that connection. This one talks about the combat effectiveness of jet aircraft. As off-topic and potentially offensive as this recommendation is, it doesn’t come close to winning the prize, though.
The post about penis size got recommended why? Because Black guys are so well endowed that penis size belongs in any discussion of race? Apparently the recommendation engine not only knows about this racist stereotype, it perpetuates it. (Contrary to popular belief, a bias that favors an oppressed class doesn’t reverse the oppression. It merely emphasizes the distinction that defines the class. That it portrays the oppressed class in a favorable light while emphasizing the defining criteria doesn’t make it benign.) Medium should be embarrassed and frankly a bit ashamed suggesting that the topic of penis size belongs in a serious discussion of US racism in relation to #BlackLivesMatter and police shootings.
And maybe that’s part of the problem. As Ben points out, indifference to racism perpetuates it. There’s nothing more indifferent than an algorithm and no algorithm seems more indifferently yet offensively racist at the moment than Medium’s recommendation engine.
