What I Learnt Today: 11/04/2022

Politics of Respectability: Rooted in critical race theory, the politics of respectability was introduced by Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham to characterize Progressive-era norms of self-regulation and self-representation directed simultaneously at other black people and whites, who required “justification” that blacks were worthy of their respect (1994, 196). More broadly, it refers to efforts to hold marginalized people to hegemonic standards of so-called propriety. Michelle Smith (2014) writes, “On the one hand, like all democratic politics, respectability politics seeks to realize collective aspirations whether grand (justice, equality, full participation) or pedestrian (balanced budget, community policing,
bike paths). On the other, respectability politics evince a distinct worldview: marginalized classes will receive their share of political influence and social standing not because democratic values and law require it but because they demonstrate their compatibility with the ‘mainstream’ or non-marginalized class”

The term “greenwashing” was coined in 1986 to refer to companies that exaggerate a commitment to the environment,13 “faux corporate responsibility” was coined in 2011 to refer to firms that misrepresent a
commitment to social responsibility,14 and most recently, “woke washing” has come to refer to appropriating language of social activism into marketing campaigns.

The ouroboros or uroboros (/ˌjʊərəˈbɒrəs/[2]) is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon[3] eating its own tail. The ouroboros entered Western tradition via ancient Egyptian iconography and the Greek magical tradition. It was adopted as a symbol in Gnosticism and Hermeticism and most notably in alchemy. The term derives from Ancient Greek οὐροβόρος,[4] from οὐρά oura 'tail' plus -βορός -boros '-eating'.[5][6] The ouroboros is often interpreted as a symbol for eternal cyclic renewal or a cycle of life, death, and rebirth: the snake’s skin-sloughing symbolizes the transmigration of souls. The snake biting its own tail is a fertility symbol in some religions: the tail is a phallic symbol and the mouth is a yonic or womb-like symbol

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