False Equivalency Is Erasure

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Making comparisons is an effective method to gain a person’s empathy. We make comparisons or equate two separate things to help those who lack our experiences gain a better insight by finding an experience common to them and similar to our own. An example would be when a white woman gaslights a woman of color we ask them to reflect on what they did and how it is similar to when a man gaslights them.

However, there is a point where making an equivalency falls short and can be damaging. Whether that is the intent (as is often discussed) is irrelevant next to its effect. Frequently the issue is that the similarities drawn between two items surface level or simplistic similarities deny the broader scale of one item over the other.

Here’s some recent and/or typical false equivalencies.

Jordan Peele Won’t Cast White Male Lead

Photo by Peter Lewicki on Unsplash

One of the most recent was the response to Jordan Peele’s statement that he doesn’t see himself cat a white male lead in his movies because he’s “seen that movie”. Now so many people are ranting, “Imagine if a white person said they wouldn’t cast Black people”. This is a false equivalency because what we are talking about here is…