To not get the point of “Blackout Tuesday”?

[SachaStark]

Morning.

Just been on my Instagram, and it appears that a load of the (white) interior and beauty “influencers” I follow are posting an all-black square on their feed, and tagging it as BLM and Blackout Tuesday.

So, essentially, they’re going silent on their social media accounts all day, other than this image, to support the BLM movement.

I really don’t get it. Surely, this is not the time for silence? Surely, as white people with significant platforms, they should be USING their voices to amplify black voices to show solidarity?

AIBU to think that this is a poor show of support by social media influencers?

It's virtue signalling. They are afraid they won't look trendy if they don't do it.
What happened in the US is appalling, but it won't be helped by posturing of that sort.

Better to show some kind of support than none?

Yes hashtags and blackout insta posts don't mean much on their own, but you don't know how many people are doing more.

Maybe let's feel a little more optimistic and positive towards each other, or else it's just rolling eyes and scepticism.

@ScruffbagsRUs that website is horrible??

Hi,
The reason why people have been posting black screens on social media sites such as instagram is, to have a day where this mass amount of people think deeper, educate themselves and others about the impacts of racism, past, present and future. With them stopping their own self promotion for a day, they could only post things related to #blacklivesmatter therefore, nourishing themselves and others about the consequences which black people face and how change is NEEDED.

Scruffbags’ link is to BitChute, a site notorious for hosting some pretty unpleasant content. I have reported it.

I have two simultaneous and contradictory views on this:

1. It’s cheap virtue signalling. There is nothing brave about signalling that you agree with the vast majority on something that is ethically clear cut.

1. It’s a signal of support to black people in America who have suffered for literally centuries. A little bit of cheerleading for people who really deserve it.

I think people do it for either reason. The cynic in me thinks it’s mostly the former, the idealist hopes it’s the latter.

I have much more respect for the students at dd’s College who have just graduated and donated the money they’d raised to spend on an event that was cancelled due to Covid, to the Minnesota fund than those in other years who just used it as an excuse to slice.

You're all so bloody cynical. Do you ever think that people may actually feel strongly about this? I think it's powerful too. And better to say something than nothing.

Many of my friends have posted the black square. They are not influencers. I have too. I have 50 followers. I feel very strongly about this and want to mark it.

I have never seen such a miserable bunch of people as mumsnetters.
Why don't you start believing the best of people? Or if you don't approve just stay silent instead of questioning people's motives - which you just can't know from a black square.

I agree

I am very surprised to read this thread