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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be horrified by the sudden interest in BLM

107 replies

Nellydean21 · 07/06/2020 22:54

Why are there so many threads by possibly white women asking for guidance on how not to be a racist? I am a white woman and have been incorporating anti racism into my job for three decades now. My job is teaching and writing. Is this really news , how the fuck is this so?

OP posts:
TatianaBis · 07/06/2020 23:58

Why is it now or never?

Personally I’d have liked people to have been already awake.

DressingGownofDoom · 08/06/2020 00:09

YANBU, I'm sick of being preached at by virtue signallers who couldn't have cared less about racism last week, and won't care any more than that this time next week.

MintyMabel · 08/06/2020 00:17

It’s also now being taken up by all the big corporations - bandwagon jumping, just like them all displaying the pride rainbow - it's to fit with their target market. Cynical PR.

My favourite was Pornhub’s statement about how they are against racism and support the BLM movement. The twitter responses to them were gold!

MintyMabel · 08/06/2020 00:26

YANBU, I'm sick of being preached at by virtue signallers who couldn't have cared less about racism last week, and won't care any more than that this time next week.

Why must everyone be accused of virtue signalling? I’m sure a few exist and always will, but the vast majority of people likely just care about what is going on and want to show support.

My mum isn’t racist but would never be the kind of person to openly support any cause. This evening we were discussing the protests and she started from the stand point of “I know stuff has happened but the protests aren’t a good idea right now” I started telling her about the kind of stuff that has happened, not just the deaths but the systemic, institutional racism that has happened for a very long time and how it has affected the black comminuted and lead to pretty much every problem people face today. She had absolutely no idea about any of it, other than the stuff that makes headlines today. She was appalled, and agreed that actually, the protests were important despite Covid. She later shared an FB post related to it all, very unlike her. She isn’t virtue signalling, she’s just learned a thing or two tonight and probably wants to let others know about it too. There is a lot of info doing the rounds at the moment, people are learning more about the situation.

MidsummerMurder · 08/06/2020 00:41

there is a lot of bandwagon jumping by thick bastards who are generally clueless, but want to virtue sign

Maybe so, HotPenguin, but I’d rather they jumped on this bandwagon than the racist, facist one. However clueless.

DioneTheDiabolist · 08/06/2020 00:56

What are they preaching to you @DressingGownofDoom?

GinDaddyRedux · 08/06/2020 04:55

@Tianalia

Thank you for posting that video from the black former cop lambasting the protests from black people and the "white privilege/virtue signalling" stuff.

This guy is an example of why the Internet is a depressing place.

He is perfectly entitled to his viewpoint as a black former cop, but his viewpoint is like anyone's, it's deeply imbued with his own personal experience. Yet it will be shared as if "the black man has spoken" as a universal Black-approved critique of the protests.

It isn't. He discredits George Floyd for his admittedly heinous crimes before arrest. He also tries to contextualise his death by saying "only" three other black people died by cop without weapons this year. Then goes on to say he was "resisting arrest" as if that was justification for his death.

It's a typical US police perspective, issued by someone who seems to believe that summary justice can justifiably take place in the field if someone shows undesirable behaviour.

This man on his video rant has decided that because Floyd was essentially a societal undesirable, and perhaps resisted arrest, then he immediately entered into a situation where he rolled the dice with his life.

Unacceptable. I don't care how black this dude is (he looks the same shade as me) or how preacher he sounds, this guy is arguing for a system that defends police that take lives in the field because they can.

InfiniteSheldon · 08/06/2020 05:24

It has a real Momentum to it.

Ohtherewearethen · 08/06/2020 06:16

Surely you ought to be horrified that it's taken a brutal police officer murdering a black man for BLM to have reached a global audience, at last? How on earth you can be horrified that more people are educating themselves about the hideous injustices BAME people face every day is beyond me. BLM not an exclusive club that only life-long, paid for by tears members are allowed to join. Personally I think the more people who are horrified, disgusted and enraged, and the more noise they make about this, the better. Long term, education is the key. How worrying that you are part of that. Would you tell your students that if they didn't understand/grasp the magnitude of it last week then they have no business wanting to learn about it next week? Shame on you.

amusedtodeath1 · 08/06/2020 06:34

I'm not virtue signalling, I've learnt a lot and if I can help translate the language used around the issue to make it more understandable to white people then, to me I'm helping just a tiny bit, when I point out inaccuracies in a person's reasoning, I'm helping just a tiny bit, when I donate to BLM, I am helping just a tiny bit. Should I have been doing it sooner, absolutely I should have, that doesn't mean I won't continue to try and help wherever I think I can make a difference.

zscaler · 08/06/2020 06:37

I’m glad people are engaging but I agree that it’s startling how many people are claiming that they don’t know where to find resources, or need guidance from black people, or don’t know enough about the problem. Black people have been doing work for decades to illustrate the inequalities and oppression they face and yet for some people it seems to have completely passed them by. If they’re only starting now then better late than never, but it’s hardly a badge of honour to only be piping up now to ask ‘where can I learn about this?’

IndecentFeminist · 08/06/2020 06:39

Cause most people are just pootling along. They don't feel actively racist, and don't come across people who are. They have black friends or co-workers and enjoy their company and as such don't think it applies to them. Then something as horrific and 'in your face' happens as this, and they wake up a little. It's no bad thing.

Trevsadick · 08/06/2020 06:45

Yanbu. I say that because the majority are vitrue signallers, who dont actually really care.

They are doing it for likes, to be seen as woke, to be told they are amazing.

They did know it was there before. But it wasnr as in their face. It didn't serve their interests before.

Obviously, some people are doi g it for the right reasons. Their heads were buried because of other things that have been going on. Globally and in their own personal lives. They want to do the right thing and quietly go about it.

I am glad these people have realised whats happening. If this movement wakes a few genuine allies up and makes a few people realise, we need their support long term...then its been successful.

We need more and more people to understand the issue and go about making changes in their own lives.

We don't need 'i am a white ally.....like my post if you believe black live matter and are an ally too'.

StealthPolarBear · 08/06/2020 06:53

What I find odd is how the story was in the news for about two or three days before it took off. I even started a thread on it which had a handful of replies. Then all of a sudden everyone noticed and was horrified. Why weren't they horrified three days earlier than they were?

Ylfa · 08/06/2020 07:03

It’s never too late to fight for what’s right.

FarquarKumquatsmama · 08/06/2020 07:04

Hi OP,
Firstly, I’m so glad you are not my teacher. Your attitude is really exclusive and would probably make me feel anxious and ashamed to admit I didn’t know something.
Furthermore, I am one of the people you are referring to I think. Despite living in various places around the globe during my life, including one place where I was a minority; founding a refugee charity and being in a mixed race relationship with an African for a while now, I’ve realized that I was, until this point not actively anti-racist. So I am taking steps to change this. How can this be ‘shocking’? HTH

EnthusiasmIsDisturbed · 08/06/2020 07:21

Well done pat on the back for you op

Many are coming to an understanding of what white privilege is. Not something that is obvious and so ingrained in many mn’s lives they’ve not had to think about it

Redleathertrousers · 08/06/2020 07:23

YANBU OP. I was this having this exact conversation the other day. Like where has everyone been living? Under a rock? It's great that people are "opening their eyes" but good grief how ignorant must people have been before?

Quickerthanavicar · 08/06/2020 07:28

Is not wanting to be more informed a good thing?

CtrlU · 08/06/2020 07:30

Racism has been around for decades but it’s certainly not “horrifying” to see people finally opening their eyes to what’s happening in the world and not just what’s personally affecting them.

WhenAllsSaidandDone · 08/06/2020 07:31

To those harping on about the 'latecomers' and people's 'ignorance' on this issue, I'm sure you know everything there is to know about things going on in the world? You're not ignorant about any issues at all are you? You're active on all of them? No blindspots whatsoever, hmm? Rather than arrogantly shaming the slow learners, latecomers, slow-to-realise-and -wake up, rather than patting yourselves on the back for knowing what others didn't know, you might want to educate yourselves on every single issue as well so as not to ever be new on a scene....oh wait, everyone is new to something at some point. Ah well, that's life isn't it? Not a novel idea at all.

WaitingForSeptember · 08/06/2020 07:34

People are bored and frustrated by the lockdown and are taking their anger out on "racists" because it's more tangible than raging against a virus.

Especially in the states - the mass unemployment created a pressure cooker among poorer (mainly black) communities & the George Floyd incident was the spark that set them off.

It's unfortunate that ethnicity and poverty are so entangled there as I think the focus is misplaced - reducing economic inequality would have a much greater impact than reducing racism.

The underlying problem is the US delusion and obsession around social mobility - it's seen as acceptable to blame people for their poverty and expect them to sort it out themselves.

leckford · 08/06/2020 07:35

The protests/riots/criminal damage/et should not be happening whilst in the middle of a pandemic. How long before there is hysteria about a second wave of the virus killing people who went on the large marches in London?

Alienating ordinary people by violence and criminal damage does not endear them to normal people.

amusedtodeath1 · 08/06/2020 07:39

The thing is I genuinely didn't realize how bad it still was in our new PC world. The way people talk about racism, LGBTQ, Trans issues, made me believe we had changed. My 16 yo's experience of high school had me thinking things were a lot better than in my day. I was lulled into a false sense of security that we really were better than that these days.

Turns out I was wrong, so here I am figuring out how we put our money where our mouths are, iyswim.

BamboozledandBefuddled · 08/06/2020 07:42

@Trevsadick

Yanbu. I say that because the majority are vitrue signallers, who dont actually really care.

They are doing it for likes, to be seen as woke, to be told they are amazing.

They did know it was there before. But it wasnr as in their face. It didn't serve their interests before.

Obviously, some people are doi g it for the right reasons. Their heads were buried because of other things that have been going on. Globally and in their own personal lives. They want to do the right thing and quietly go about it.

I am glad these people have realised whats happening. If this movement wakes a few genuine allies up and makes a few people realise, we need their support long term...then its been successful.

We need more and more people to understand the issue and go about making changes in their own lives.

We don't need 'i am a white ally.....like my post if you believe black live matter and are an ally too'.

This says it all. The outpourings on SM seem to me to be the new 'Be Kind' - it's a bandwagon to jump on. I expect this to last as long and have as much effect as 'Be Kind' did.
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