By Dr. Shungu H. M’gadzah
You know in public life, words are everything. They’re chosen carefully—especially when someone is trying to deny something.
So today, we’re decoding the language of political denial and asking:
What does it really tell us when public figures are pushed on the topic of racism?
Watch the video below
🎙️ Let’s start with this quote from Nigel Farage:
“I’ve never directly racially abused anybody.”
At first glance, this sounds like a clear denial.
But listen closely to that one small word: “directly.”
That single word is doing a lot of work.
It raises a difficult question:
Does this imply there’s such a thing as acceptable indirect abuse?
This isn’t accidental phrasing—it’s a rhetorical strategy.
And it wasn’t the only one used.
🎯 The Classic Defence: “Intent”
We soon hear another well-worn defence: intent.
The suggestion is that if something wasn’t meant to be hurtful, then maybe it wasn’t.
That the speaker’s personal motivation somehow overrides the actual effect.
This is a common tactic—one that shifts the focus away from the harm caused and onto the self-image of the speaker.
🔍 So how do we make sense of this?
With a framework that helps us see what’s happening just beneath the surface.
That framework is the Six Stages Framework (SSF).
Created by Educational Psychologist Dr. Shungu H. M’gadzah, the SSF maps out a full spectrum of behaviours and attitudes toward inclusion—from deep denial to transformational leadership.
It gives us the language to name not just overt racism, but also the more subtle ways people dodge accountability.
🧭 A Quick Overview of the Framework:
- Stages -6 to -1: Resistance, denial, and harm.
- Stage 0: Emerging awareness.
- Stages +1 to +6: Recognition, responsibility, allyship, and systemic leadership.
Each stage reflects not just what people say, but how they frame issues of racism and bias.
🚨 Farage and Stage -2: Denial & Deflection
Let’s apply this lens directly.
The language used by Nigel Farage is a textbook case of Stage -2: Denial and Deflection.
Key features of this stage include:
- Focusing on intent over impact
- Rewriting or minimising the past
- Using vague or evasive language
- Seeking to protect self-image rather than acknowledge harm
“Not with intent…”
“Never directly…”
These aren’t neutral phrases. They are strategic deflections, designed to distance the speaker from any sense of responsibility.
As Lord Katz, former Chair of the Labour Jewish Movement, pointed out, this type of defence suggests that harmful, even abhorrent comments somehow “don’t matter.” But they do.
⚖️ The Real Conflict: Intent vs. Impact
This is the core tension the Six Stages Framework makes visible:
- Stage -2 thinking says: “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”
- But growth begins when we ask: “Did I hurt someone—whether I meant to or not?”
The truth is, racism and harm aren’t defined only by malice.
Words and actions cause real damage—even without intent.
📢 Why This Matters
When public figures use these kinds of defences, they do more than protect themselves.
They build what are called “permission structures”—they normalise a way for others to dodge accountability, too.
In doing so, they model a culture of deflection rather than growth.
🌱 So What Does Growth Look Like?
The SSF doesn’t just diagnose the problem—it offers a map forward.
- Stage +1: Recognising that harm may have occurred.
- Stage +2: Taking genuine responsibility.
- Stage +3: Committing to learning and acting as an ally.
It’s a clear journey from being defensive to being reflective.
And that’s the power of the Six Stages Framework.
It’s not about blame. It’s about naming where we are, and giving us all a pathway toward empathy, inclusion, and transformation.
🧩 A Final Question
In this age of public deflection and political denial…
What does real, meaningful accountability actually look like for our public figures?
And how can each of us help shift the conversation—from intent to impact?
🔗 Learn more about the Six Stages Framework and explore tools for reflection at:
👉 www.inclusionpsychologists.com
The “Less So” Method: A Surprising New Approach to Dismantling Your Own Prejudice
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#NigelFarage
