THERE…I said it! Some of you are posting for CLOUT!
I know I’m not the only person thinking it. I’m scrolling down my timeline, seeing a series of black squares and supportive posts from accounts I follow and I can’t help but think, “Wasnt this the same girl posting her skincare routine and outfit of the day a couple of hours ago?”.
Yes, it’s important for one‘s mental health to have an outlet. Social media can and is that digital space. So I can’t be the judge and jury when someone posts what I deem to be fluffy nonsense versus something politically and socioeconomically enlightening. I don’t know what they’re doing outside of social media to help the movement. They could actually be doing a lot unbeknownst to the masses.
But I can’t ignore this gnawing feeling that a lot of these posts are performative. Many white influencers have a sudden sense of social justice comradery when their favorite labels and celebrities hop on the hashtag trend. But that’s the whole part of influencing, right? Performing and taking actions to cause a favorable effect on a person, situation, and or environment.
So where do we draw the line?
WITH INTENT. The big question here is this: Are white influencers posting about racism because they hope their participation will play a role in dismantling it and prejudices; or are they posting because their failure to participate may ostracize them from the trendy enlightened club called “Woke Whites” and diminish their online brands and presence? I have to commend white influencers who are posting, re-posting, participating, and listening in what appears to be organic, genuine, and humble fashion.
But I also peep accounts who post and delete because it doesn’t fit your page aesthetic. This season in social justice doesn’t give makeup influencers the license to blackface or blackfish to “make a point”. Please save the fake heartbreak about riots that did not happen on your street.
A protest is not your opportunity to showcase the cute outfit you didn’t get to wear at Coachella…Or pretend to loot-proof shops.
Racism is an institution built by white people, to benefit white people, at the mercy and suffering of black people and people of color. Ultimately, it IS their responsibility to dismantle it. Therefore, seeing white people acknowledge, protest, and donate alongside black people is refreshing. But I do see some people already exploiting their participation in a protest as an excuse to gaslight because they’re “down with the cause”.
Honestly, your music festival was canceled, there’s plenty of Amazon cardboard in your house, and Covid-19 cabin fever is real. I’ve already suffered a micro-aggressive exchange with a donor who blatantly asked me how much money I’ve given to the movement and competitively tried to match their number of arrested friends. Save it. I’m not here for it. It’s perforative. Your self-righteousness has been noted.
So to all of you who are genuine about your efforts we see you and appreciate, but please…get your friends.