The other thing I perhaps should have brought out, which that radio piece reminded me of, is the asymmetry of the reasonableness test. The penniless person might be accused of pretending to be rich, but the reverse situation is more or less unthinkable. The Arab might be charged with rape because of pretending to be Jewish, but it ain't going to happen the other way around - and so on. Reasonableness is defined in such a way as to systematically favour those in positions of privilege and power.
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Date: 2010-07-25 09:45 pm (UTC)The other thing I perhaps should have brought out, which that radio piece reminded me of, is the asymmetry of the reasonableness test. The penniless person might be accused of pretending to be rich, but the reverse situation is more or less unthinkable. The Arab might be charged with rape because of pretending to be Jewish, but it ain't going to happen the other way around - and so on. Reasonableness is defined in such a way as to systematically favour those in positions of privilege and power.