I've made an interesting observation over the past few months on twitter. Pertaining especially to white women, often in privileged positions. Now I should start by saying that twitter taught me impact > intent. Even if you didn't intend for something to be harmful 1/x

it doesn't mean that it isn't. If someone points out to you that tweet/action whatever causes them or someone else hurt then we need to acknowledge that and apologize. I'm not saying I'm good at this and I'm working on apologizing more. 2/x

But what I notice in the majority of situations that come across my newsfeed is that, instead of people apologizing the situation often goes like this... 3/x

WW: tweets
Someone else, often BIPOC: I think this tweet could cause/is causing harm/has made me upset etc.
WW: well what I actually meant was xyz.
BIPOC: I just would like you to realise this language could be harmful to people
WW: well I didn't mean to harm anyone 4/x

and then they double down in some long explanation of why their intent matters and why they are the victim and why they were actually trying to help etc etc. All whilst not even acknowledging the harm they could have potentially caused 5/x

Would it not be easier to say (and obvs use your judgement here): I hadn't thought about it that way, I apologize for any harm caused. That was not my intent.

Like really? Wouldn't that be 1000x easier. Yet that is never what I actually see.

I don't really have a more detailed analysis of this other than...I feel like it's part of the same way we see white women taking diversity positions and insisting they are the diversity, instead of realising that they are basically second to white men

The only people with more power than white women, are white men. And white women have also historically used their position to inflict more harm on minorities and get away with it because they're women so they are also oppressed.

This is literally why BIPOC get so upset with the j*n h**mstra's of the twittersphere. Not only are you causing harm but you're then inflicting more harm by turning yourself into the victim and refusing to acknowledge you could have any wrongdoing...

I'm sure @itatiVCS has a list as long as her arm of these instances happening and probably more actual insight than I do.