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?

This is my point @Cam77, how many posters who post a black square simultaneously vote for fundamental structures of inequality to remain the same.

Only my dd has turned up to online class today at college. Everyone one else has decided to go on strike. One is mixed race, everyone else is white.

@Comefromaway

Yes that is how strikes work, regardless of skin colour. What are you insinuating?

But that’s my argument, @littlejalapeno, that merely posting a black square, and then silencing yourself for a day is NOT being “actively” anti-racist, because it’s one of the most passive and frivolous things to be doing right now.

I would quite like to hold social media influencers to a much higher standard than just a day’s silence (which, let’s be real here, essentially constitutes a day off from their “job”). They could be highlighting the accounts of black activists, or posting example of black poetry they’ve read, or sharing the articles and books that they have used to inform themselves about systemic racism.

I think most of them just fancied a day off. It would be nice to hope that they will step back and look at their actions every day and how systemic racism is, but I don't hold out much hope.

I think it says more about those who don't post. Being silent is being complicit.
Giving space for other voices to be heard today is the right thing to do.
Lots of people have also posted links in their bios to help people find more info about how they can help.
I also think criticising people who are showing solidarity with this cause says a lot about you as a person.
✊🏿✊🏼✊✊🏽✊🏾

@Comefromaway gosh it’s such a shame you think so little of your DC and their peers...

Perhaps it would be a good thing to discuss tonight?

I went to protest the Iraq war when I was her age along with my peers. We understood what we were doing.

I find it quite ironic that you state that, “Being silent is being complicit”, in defence of Blackout Tuesday, @SoberCurious (which is correct, it absolutely is complicity), as this is the point of the thread: some social media influencers are deliberately silencing themselves, only posting the black square, when they could be using their platforms to raise black voices and strive for social change.

I remember telling my then 8 year old daughter about racism and how people were treated differently purely due the colour of her skin. We'd been watching a film set in southern America during the segregation era. She was incredulous as in her little, multicultural world it was something she had never come across. Nevertheless I felt it important for her to know about it.

Ten years later and the world has gone backwards. To be honest it probably never really progressed as much as we thought it had in the US but the UK is rapidly going the same way.

People are angry, and rightly so. I've seen countless white lives matter and all lives matter posts today (one from a black person which astonished me) and they just don't get it. I sort of wish the strapline had been black lives matter too as that possibly gets the meaning over better although to a certain extent you can't educate stupid. But we can try.

But I do feel there are a lot of white people who are jumping on the bandwagon because they think it makes them look cool or makes them feel better about their white privelege.

@frazzledfatty
Yep.

What needs to happen is for that officer to get 25 years (if that is the max) and his colleague(s) to also get sentences.

No more soft sentences for US cops.

Then we need those found guilty of assaulting protestors (not to mention reporters and journalists) to also receive severe punishments. Some of the assaults on reporters have been outrageous.

Then to vote out Trump in style in November. Everyone needs to rally around Biden, who is a very average politician (is he past his best mentally) and a bit of a dick from the clips I've seen. But he isnt Trump, who is actually looking increasingly deranged and downright dangerous.

Much of the rest apart from those two points is just hot air right now.

Most of them have been doing that the past few days @SachaStark. Today they are stepping back to let those who live it and experience it be heard. How many prolific influencers over here are black? I'll give you a clue, not many. Today their voices aren't important, but their show of solidarity is.

Ultimately, the value of a gesture is directly related to the jeopardy it involves.

I don't follow influencers. I thought the blackout stemmed from the arts (music/dance/theatre) community who were taking a step back and withdrawing their music etc in protest.

Then to vote out Trump in style in November.

Worth looking at how Nixon got his second term ...

@littlejalapeno

The people I know posting black squares are doing it out of solidarity with the Black community and to protest the murder of George Floyd by a police officer.

That’s it. People don’t want to be silent and complicit but actively anti racist. Yes we are doing this online, because it is more visible and direct than going into the streets.

It’s not about you or your comfort or opinions. If you “don’t get it” educate yourself. Don’t be cynical and say “oh they’re just virtue signalling” like you think a mass acknowledgment that a policeman murdering an innocent man is wrong is a virtue instead of the most basic standard of expectation??? You are not coming off well here.

I’m so glad you posted that

My daughter has an IG page for her hobby.

She posted a black square on her feed this morning. She knows she’ll never truly understand, but she wanted to stand up and be counted. She wanted to stand in solidarity.

I'm not very good on American history (although thanks to Hamilton the musical I can probably tell you everything about that era! I'll have to read up on Nixon.

It beggars belief that the US could go from the wonderful, intelligent, president that was Obama to the misogynist, racist, egotistical, deluded one that is Trump.

Yep it's just virtue signaling. Obama's Facebook post on the other hand, that is worth sharing everywhere.

It beggars belief that the US could go from the wonderful, intelligent, president that was Obama to the misogynist, racist, egotistical, deluded one that is Trump.

Kennedy to Nixon just missing out the LBJ interregnum.

A lot of the last push for civil rights happened under LBJ too.

@Comefromaway you’re probably not wrong, but perhaps they will be influenced by seeing so many people acting in solidarity and might try to educate themselves or be more aware as a result. I would hope so anyway.

Interesting point about the “too” I see what you mean but it probably doesn’t quite sound as assertive as it needs to that way.

It’s interesting how much people are talking now, and being actively silent by posting a black square as opposed to complicity silent by just going about life as normal. I think it’s clear what either action represents too. I hope it affects really change. I’m not so naive as to think it’s just don’t to Instagram, it’s called slacktivism for a reason after all. But america is in the worst mess right now and they have to get out of it by siding with justice for the wronged.

Yes, Tootle, very very wise words from Obama.

@memememoi

Also, POC is not the appropriate term to use here. It's BLACK

I thought that POC, wasn't to be used at all?

I wish there was a guide for white people. I would never want to offend anyone, but am terrified I will say the wrong thing in all innocence.

It's pointless as far as I can see.
I will happily stand shoulder to shoulder with anyone to fight an injustice, I just cannot see how these blackout tiles are of any use. "Here I am on Instagram showing my support." It stinks of bandwagon jumping. This stuff goes on every single day and yet it's only something horrific happens that people actually stop and think oh yeah, this is still a thing, best get on social media and shout about it for a couple of weeks. Makes me sick.

Person of colour is the phrase of choice that is used by probably the majority of black and other minority people I know in the theatre community. Maybe because there is a lot of cultural influence from the US. I don't know. But it is definately used here in the uk

Would it make you feel less sick if people didn't bother?

Virtue signalling at its worst.

My local neighbourhood FB page has banned posts for today in “solidarity”. So I can’t post to ask for advice and local recommendations re accessing respite care for a terminally ill relative. The policy will make not an iota of difference to the problem of police brutality and racial inequality.