Reddit reviews Race to Incarcerate: A Graphic Retelling
We found 2 Reddit comments about Race to Incarcerate: A Graphic Retelling. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Used Book in Good Condition
Race to Incarcerate: A Graphic Retelling is a powerful book (graphic novel) which is very accessible to all audiences and has sources and citations backing up it's information. It's a must read, really.
Hi there, it looks like you and some others in this thread are having a difficult time distinguishing two different types of discourse, between that of the macro level and the micro.
The macro level discourse uses generalities, grouping different traits, attributes, behaviors, and other sorts of variables into labels that are often binary, such as male and female, poor and wealthy, black and white, etc. Depending on what area is involved, the discourse will grow more specific because the method of grouping is fractal.
For example if you are speaking from a macro level perspective, but specifically about income inequality, your groups will change from "wealthy vs poor" to more nuanced groupings such as "super rich", "middle class" "lower middle class" "working class" "homeless", etc etc.
These types of discussions serve to foster understanding of data that has been collected in large amounts about different groups, and the problematic results of that data.
Problems such as incarceration rates for different ethnic groups varying so widely, rape and sexual assault statistics, unequal income and wealth distribution--these problems must be discussed on the macro level, because the data shows they are systemic, aka not the result of various lone individuals making autonomous decisions. There is not a single bad guy in need of arrest, or one evil-doer who's reign must end. The data shows that the problems are systemic, so we have to talk about them from that perspective rather than an individual or case-by-case basis.
A micro level discourse will specifically be about individual people. If you are talking about a friend, you will specifically mention factors or attributes that relate to them as individuals. This is the most common type of discourse between individuals.
The problem you appear to be having is that you are reading or hearing macro level discourse and interpreting it in a micro level way. Feeling personally attacked is common if you share attributes with the groups being discussed as problematic, and it is not uncommon at all.
Many people right now are having macro-level discussions about various groups and the systemic problems attached to these groups.
As this post suggests, the most common response for people who share attributes with the group being discussed as problematic will be to respond defensively, saying "not all men/white/wealthy are the cause of an issue!"
This behavior is understandable in individuals who lack knowledge, who don't understand that the discourse they're breaking into is not an individual one or a personal attack. That said, it is your job as someone lacking knowledge, when you run into something you don't understand or thst upsets you, to seek understanding and knowledge.
The many thousands of people who begin and continue these macro-level discourses, who make comics like this or who post YouTube videos or create other media to further the conversation, those people are clearly talking and creating and working hard at this discussion for a reason. They are not obliged to stop their discourse and explain it to you, it is your job--everyone's job--to seek to understand the conversation taking place before putting your two cents in.
The rise in violence linked to white supremacy and misogyny we've been seeing is directly related to this sort of reaction; people who share attributes with macro level groups deemed problematic feel offended, scared, angry, defensive. Instead of seeking understanding or realizing that it's not an individual attack or even an individual discussion, they react--often violently. This is, unfortunately, one method by which oppressor groups are self-policing, and how they police other groups.
Here is a reading list for those interested in educating yourself about issues relating to race and gender: