14151016:ESB said:
A show of solidarity matters, makes a measurable difference and influences discourse. The existence of this thread is one example of this. Millions of people who have never before spoken publicly about these issues are doing so for the first time. Does that make them hypocrites and their actions meaningless?
I guess I'm a little confused as to what your expectations are. You can't expect that everyone who posted a black square to Instagram will wake up the next morning as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. reincarnated. There are different levels at which people engage in these issues, and the simple expression of a position, or of solidarity with a position, is the most basic level. Even if someone posts something about anti-racism once in their lives, and never again, it's still an improvement over the baseline.
For me an argument about "virtue signaling" is a nonstarter. Everyone, consciously or not, makes public displays intended to demonstrate good character or moral correctness (as they see it). At the end of the day, it's nearly impossible to judge whether or not someone does something because "they really feel that way," or because they're "just trying to look like they feel that way." Everyone signals virtue. You signal virtue by calling out people who you think are signalling virtue. Unless you want to point out specific, explicit instances of hypocrisy, like "You posted a black square on IG, but you're also a card-carrying member of the KKK," I don't see much use in complaining about virtue signalling.
I've seen a lot of these posts in the past few weeks ("16 year old white girls post black squares to Instagram. Congratulations, racism is now over.") and have been trying to make sense of them. At the core of this issue, I believe, is mean spirit towards earnest people who are trying to make a difference. We cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the good. While posting a black square on Instagram may not "change anything" in the world, it still has a measurable effect, and it's better than nothing.
I know this is hard for some people to believe, but for some people even the mere fact of posting a black square to Instagram was a contentious move that inflamed conflict among family & friends, inspired conversations and pissed off more than a few racists. There are still a lot of people out there who can't even bring themselves to mutter the words "black lives matter" even in the most basic and unpolitical of contexts.
A show of solidarity to what?
I don't mean to sound facetious. What are people showing solidarity to?
Is it just for George Floyd? Literally everyone believes that what Derek Chauvin did was wrong. He should go to jail for a very long time. There's no one, with a measurable impact on social discourse, saying what he did was justified.
Is it for the protests? It's literally written into law that peaceful protests are lawful. But then the same question goes for the protests.
So what's the black square for? If not for signaling virtue?
Is it for the rioting and looting? If it is, then I do not support the square. I don't support that which is illegal.
Is it systemic racism? There is no evidence of a system in place to target and oppress black people. Not in any legal system, at least. Discrimination laws strictly forbid discrimination. The statistics also show that policing doesn't show a system against black people. There are many sources on this. There's also a higher percentage of black police officers than compared to black people in society. And what are these people who are kneeling in front of black activists and apologizing for racism doing? They obviously aren't racists! There are Seattle businesses recommending that their white employees undergo training to recognize their white privilege. Is Seattle a bastion of racism? If it is, that's news to me. Or these actors and actresses that are doing their apology video. What are they apologizing for? I guess Kristen Bell is a red blooded racist.
Is it for the removal of historical figures and statues? Did Germany remove the concentration camps? Should they remove the concentration camps? I find it very problematic to wash our history clean of it's wrongdoing. History repeats itself. We need it in order to learn from it. I would rather a statue be removed and placed in a museum than destroyed.
Are people standing in solidarity for the poverty of black communities? Well, that one sounds more justified. I actually support that. There were people out in the social spheres that were posting about getting out a voting. It was a primary day. I 100%, no question, think EVERYONE should go vote. It is your civic duty. Go vote. Yes, post voting related posts. Now, while people can vote, they can only vote in their communities. Most of my voting life was spent in North Dakota. As of last year, ND is tied for the lowest rate of unemployment. We voted in people who did well for the state and for the communities. Is it my problem that Chicago votes in total garbage government leaders that are corrupt? It's actually not, and I can't vote there. I'm sorry, but if you keep voting in people that do nothing about poverty in your area then that's your problem. Maybe I should start posting calls for the people of Chicago to vote in better leadership. I'm sure that will go over well.
So what is the show of solidarity for?
To your other point- I have no expectations. I don't get the point of it in the first place. What's the difference between posting a black square for black people or a yellow square for Asian people? Oh, but that's racist. Well, what color would I use then? And what am I supporting? Where's the square for human trafficking? Where's the square for the oppression of women in Muslim counties? Because that's actually systemic. Where's the square for the wild increase in suicide?
"JAHpow, do you post about those things?" Nope, I'm Switzerland on social media. I use my insta as a portfolio for my photo work. But I'm not about to signal virtue for what I do do here.
My issue is that these people in my feed post once and happily disregard everything else. "Oh, well, one issue at a time then, right?" Don't be naive.
I get your argument, and it has its merits. And I don't want anyone to assume that I think that you shouldn't be allowed to post a black square, because I believe that you should have that freedom. However, I'm incredibly upset with the hypocrisy of all of this. (Which you mentioned examples- there are videos of models in the street getting their photos to show they were "a part" of the protests, there's looters interviewed on camera saying they don't care about George Floyd, only about getting what they can without getting caught, go look at blue checkmarks and see how many have a continued presence of "solidarity", or the kid who called out Dave Portnoy for not posting a black square- "Bro it's just a box just post it." And yet that kid didn't post the "box". I could keep going, but it's 1am)
Answer my rhetorical questions if you want, but now you get where I'm coming from.
