disability
…is legible, coherent, and above all, non-disruptive. And like [[tone policing]], this is ultimately about making some people easier to ignore…
Contents
Tone policing describes criticizing the way someone delivers a message, typically in order to avoid engaging with the content of the message. In that way it is a kind of ad hominem rhetorical fallacy. You don’t want to do this.
Tone policing is most frequently deployed against women, who suffer from the stereotype of being more emotional (and particularly Black women, for whom the stereotype is even stronger). Tone policing is particularly unfair when used against those speaking out against violence and oppression, who have legitimate reasons to feel strong emotions.
The blog Everyday Feminism has some illustrative examples, but for a straightforward one, imagine someone hitting you in the face, and when you say “Hey! Don’t do that!” they reply “Whoa, no need to get so upset. Why can’t we talk about this rationally?” That’s tone policing.