Why Posting Black Boxes for BlackoutTuesday, or Hashtags Without Action, Is Useless (Column)
— #BlackoutTuesday was well and truly done for.with solemn captions vowing to stay silent on social media for one whole day. The original idea behind the social media “blackout” came from Black executives Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang, who wanted musicians and businesses to use the hashtag #TheShowMustBePaused in order to shine a spotlight on the Black Lives Matter movement, galvanized by the death ofat the hands of police.
Whatever the original intent was, the endless scroll of squares — particularly those clogging up otherwise useful hashtags like #BlackLivesMatter — quickly became counterproductive, eclipsing crucial information on where to donate and how to tangibly support the cause. Posting a black square on an Instagram feed doesn’t actually help amplify Black voices; it just buries them under performative nonsense.Local TV Got the 1992 Uprising Wrong.
And yet, as protests have burned on across the country, “performative nonsense” has been the order of the day from those trying to signal that they are Good and Progressive Enough to understand. Corporate Twitter accounts tweeted #BlackLivesMatter and heart emojis at each other. Celebrities responded with vague affirmations that things are bad. Democrats drafted statements that tried to balance on the line between sympathy and outright support, but instead stumbled into meaningless word salad.
At the very least, all of the above got rightfully lambasted for being toothless. DeGeneres eventually even deleted her tweet, replacing it with a pledge that she would be donating to several anti-racist organizations.
But an acknowledgment without matching action, or even just a strong and specific point of view, is barely worth the effort. And at some point, especially in the cases of corporations that don’t practice what they preach for PR purposes, using the language of protests for the sake of it is just another way of co-opting the very real pain that inspires movements like #BlackLivesMatter in the first place.
Deutschland Neuesten Nachrichten, Deutschland Schlagzeilen
Similar News:Sie können auch ähnliche Nachrichten wie diese lesen, die wir aus anderen Nachrichtenquellen gesammelt haben.
Why people are posting black squares on social media todayThe movement was created by two women in the music industry to highlight "long-standing racism and inequality," the movement&39;s website says.
Weiterlesen »
Why Non-Black People Need to Speak Up and Actively Be Anti-Racist'If you are not Black and you are not sharing what’s going on and talking about it, to me, you’re sending a message that you agree with whats going on.' —chrissyford implores the non-black community to speak up in times of injustice.
Weiterlesen »
This Is Why Millions Of People Are Posting Black Squares On Instagram TodayMillions of plain black squares are being posted on social media today bearing the hashtag blackouttuesday. Here’s why this is happening:
Weiterlesen »
Police Officer Doesn’t See A Difference Between Black, Light-Skinned Black SuspectsFORT WAYNE, IN—Explaining that his sole concern is serving and protecting his community, Fort Wayne police officer Vincent Turner told reporters Wednesday that he does not see any difference between black and light-skinned black suspects. “As an officer of the law, I am committed to administering justice swiftly and even-handedly, regardless of whether the suspect has dark skin or really dark skin,” said Turner, adding that he has no problem giving a full pat-down to any potential criminal or hauling them down to precinct headquarters in the back of his patrol car, even if they are more of a light mocha color. “When you’re responding to reports of gunshots fired, or sprinting down an alleyway, you’re not thinking about where the suspect falls on the spectrum of African-American skin tones—you’re thinking about doing your job. Heck, the guy could be a very dark-looking Latino, for all I care—I treat every one of them the same. He’s still just a suspect to me.” Turner added that his dedication to upholding the law stems from a belief that all local residents should be able to walk their streets without fear, whether they come from an affluent white neighborhood or a working-class white neighborhood.
Weiterlesen »
Music Industry Observing ‘Black Out Tuesday’ In Solidarity With Black Community In George Floyd DeathThe music industry is observing “Black Out Tuesday” on June 2 in a message of solidarity in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Companies including Atlantic Records, C…
Weiterlesen »
Glossier Is Donating $1 Million to Black Lives Matter and Black-Owned Beauty BrandsThe brand is one of the first beauty companies to openly pledge its support to the Black community amid a nationwide call for justice.
Weiterlesen »