863 - How Tone Policing Is Used to Silence Black Women
Tone policing can be used against anyone. It is frequently used against marginalized people, in part due to unconscious bias. Consider this example: Chris believes that Fran doesn’t have a right to tell Chris what to do because of Fran’s race or gender. For this reason, Chris may try to shift the conversation any time Fran is telling Chris what to do, such as by saying “You seem really angry” instead of talking about the specific issue. According to writer Tess Martin, tone policing is a tac...