Queen Margaret University logo
    • Login
    View Item 
    •   QMU Repositories
    • eResearch
    • School of Arts, Social Sciences and Management
    • Psychology, Sociology and Education
    • View Item
    •   QMU Repositories
    • eResearch
    • School of Arts, Social Sciences and Management
    • Psychology, Sociology and Education
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    ‘A Golly was simply a toy. End of.’: Inoculation, attention deflection, and attempted puzzle-resolution in contesting racism in online discussions

    View/Open
    Accepted Version (830.6Kb)
    Date
    2019-11-06
    Author
    McVittie, Chris
    McKinlay, Andy
    Munro, Rachel
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Citation
    McVittie, C., McKinlay, A. & Munro, R. (2020) ‘A Golly was simply a toy. End of.’: Inoculation, attention deflection, and attempted puzzle-resolution in contesting racism in online discussions. European Journal of Social Psychology, 50(3), pp. 673-684.
    Abstract
    In producing arguments against minority groups that are designed to avoid accusations of prejudice, speakers routinely deploy two discursive strategies. One strategy of ‘inoculation’ seeks to ward off such accusations, while the other strategy of ‘attention deflection’ directs attention away from the potential target group. Where despite use of one or both strategies accusations arise, the result is a puzzle that needs to be resolved through explanation. Here, in a discourse analysis of online discussions as to whether ‘blacking up’ is to count as racism, we see contributors contest (1) whether absence of intention to offend inoculates individuals from accountability for potentially racist actions, (2) whether ‘blacking up’ depicts toys/characters rather than people, and (3) whether attempted explanations of accusations of racism work to resolve the apparent puzzle that has arisen. Contributors do not reach any consensus. These findings point to the difficulties in attempting to challenge potential racism.
    URI
    https://eresearch.qmu.ac.uk/handle/20.500.12289/10169
    Official URL
    https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2640
    Collections
    • Psychology, Sociology and Education

    Queen Margaret University: Research Repositories
    Accessibility Statement | Contact Us | Send Feedback | HTML Sitemap

     

    Browse

    All QMU RepositoriesCommunities & CollectionsBy YearBy PersonBy TitleBy QMU AuthorBy Research CentreThis CollectionBy YearBy PersonBy TitleBy QMU AuthorBy Research Centre

    My Account

    LoginRegister

    Queen Margaret University: Research Repositories
    Accessibility Statement | Contact Us | Send Feedback | HTML Sitemap