LANGUAGE + RACE

“Black Fatigue” Now Has a Double Meaning Thanks to Racists

We can’t discuss racial justice without agreed-upon terminology

Woman in red blazer lying on a yellow couch | Photo by cottonbro studio via Pexels

Racial discourse in America is a lot like two ships passing at night. Despite the proximity of groups, they are not communicating in earnest. There is no call-and-response pattern. Consider, for instance, within the black community, that “woke” refers to “awareness of racial justice.” Yet, outside of it, the term has become a catch-all phrase to bemoan any progressive policy. Some use it as a slur to diminish Black people in particular. Introducing this new, confounding definition muddles the signal. In the social sciences, we call this intentional distortion of meaning hermeneutical injustice, as it creates a collective gap in understanding that unfairly restricts someone’s ability to convey their experience. There is no reason why two ships passing at night can’t communicate. Those onboard could talk via radio if they wanted. Yet, mismatched meanings of terms make constructive discourse a challenge.

Another example would be racists creating a second meaning for “black fatigue.” Years before some White people began to use the term to express their frustration with Black people and their pursuit of racial justice, the phrase had an official meaning. Mary Frances…