Social Cops

Lately, I've been writing about the ethics of social norms, mostly with respect to language and grammar. But also social norms around making arguments, what people can say, the subtle and not so subtle tone policing in academic circles, respectability politics, twitter. 

I think about this post by Freddie deBoer all the time

The irony of our vibrant and necessary police reform movement is that it’s happening simultaneously to everyone becoming a cop. I mean everyone — liberal, conservative, radical and reactionary. Blogger, activist, pundit, and writer, obviously, but also teacher, tailor, and candlestick maker. Cops, all of them. Cops everywhere. Everybody a cop.

 Read the whole post. It's great. 

There is a deep tension within seemingly progressive circles. In some ways, it's just the paradox of toleration. But I think there's more to it. Being a cop makes people feel powerful, it's a way of exercising domination over people. That's true of the cops, but it's also true of social cops.