W poszukiwaniu skazy. Migawki z procesu samowykluczenia

In the chapter Towards the Taint. Flashes from the Self-exclusion Process, Romana Kolarzowa took Goffman’s concept of the stigma as a point to look forward into analysis of the current phenomena of homogenisation and uniformity. The Author argues that mainstream narration, emphasising thesis of “liberalisation of culture”, does not allow to present the real set of the social phenomena. Such analysis shows that Goffman’s stigma got much broader in practical significance, while losing the direct connectivity could be associated with objective states (addiction, jury sentence). Therefore such processes are contradiction for the mentioned narrative order: the culture does not become “more liberal” like as: less oppressive for diversity, but instead strengthens repression processes and builds strategies for passing the stigma onto individuals. Thus a new procedure is created, according to Kolarzowa, called self-stigmatisation and self-exclusion. Later in this chapter Kolarzowa discusses further into the “must-have” strategy as not only belonging to the fashion world but also present in any area, ideas and ethics spheres included. For example the author shows the constraint for possession, the correct interests, beliefs or aesthetic preferences. Important part of Kolarzowa’s argument is pointing out an identification which is the norm with statistical majority preferred in such strategy and its social consequences. As an author argues the goal of such new “statistical normativisms” is exclusion of any (potential) minority in each part of social space; therefore elimination of originality, also. A significant element of Kolarzowa’s diagnosis is pointing out two depreciation (and selfdepreciation) mechanisms of attitude, beliefs, behaviours (et cetera) recognised as the minority. They no longer are acceptable as weird, curious or just strange. Instead they become identified with abnormal and recognised as hostile and dangerous. Therefore with easy they've been assigned with negative reasoning (hate) and purposes (destruction).