Read on Twitter
I was about to post some super insightful (
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🙄" title="Face with rolling eyes" aria-label="Emoji: Face with rolling eyes">) remark on FB about the latest state-sanctioned violence, but I didn& #39;t.
Instead of my usual "find problems with everything I might say so say nothing", I& #39;m gonna try to unpack why it& #39;s so thorny. 1/infinity
Instead of my usual "find problems with everything I might say so say nothing", I& #39;m gonna try to unpack why it& #39;s so thorny. 1/infinity
The desire to post to my FB bubble was the off chance that some of my "I& #39;m not racist but..." relatives would see it. But I& #39;m aware that I won& #39;t cure them of their racism. So more than actually change minds or start a dialogue, my post would be mostly virtue-signaling. 2/NaN
Here are the steps:
1) read an insightful tweet.
2) put my own spin on it and write a post draft.
3) think of counter-arguments.
4) question everything.
5) retreat and see more twitter insight leading me to
6) examine my shitty reasons for posting. 3/?
1) read an insightful tweet.
2) put my own spin on it and write a post draft.
3) think of counter-arguments.
4) question everything.
5) retreat and see more twitter insight leading me to
6) examine my shitty reasons for posting. 3/?
(Currently questioning this whole thread idea...)
So anyway, number 5 refers to this tweet.... https://twitter.com/keshawnrants/status/1265909213626339328?s=20">https://twitter.com/keshawnra...
So anyway, number 5 refers to this tweet.... https://twitter.com/keshawnrants/status/1265909213626339328?s=20">https://twitter.com/keshawnra...
... followed by this one.
Honestly, still questioning this thread. Who the hell cares about my internal struggle? What gives me the right to comment? 5/end_of_thread https://twitter.com/keshawnrants/status/1265909996686135296?s=20">https://twitter.com/keshawnra...
Honestly, still questioning this thread. Who the hell cares about my internal struggle? What gives me the right to comment? 5/end_of_thread https://twitter.com/keshawnrants/status/1265909996686135296?s=20">https://twitter.com/keshawnra...
Corollary: what gives me the right to stay silent?
The larger point I hope to pull out of this morass is that there is no right thing to say, no right reaction, because there is no neat solution. Sharing our outrage on socials is fine. Thinking that = "doing something", nope.
The larger point I hope to pull out of this morass is that there is no right thing to say, no right reaction, because there is no neat solution. Sharing our outrage on socials is fine. Thinking that = "doing something", nope.
Instead, there is a difficult, fraught, challenging struggle for justice that we either participate in or don& #39;t. There is no answer to "how can white ppl fight white supremacy" because there are a lot of answers. And "is this FB post morally good" is the wrong question... 7/0
Some good posts would be to show solidarity and offer support. But that feels empty and performative on socials.
Another option is to amplify black voices, which is fine and good, but also not enough. I get to retweet and move on with my day, disconnected and unaffected. 8/*
Another option is to amplify black voices, which is fine and good, but also not enough. I get to retweet and move on with my day, disconnected and unaffected. 8/*
All options are fraught. So what? Keep trying. Keep listening and learning. Keep failing. Don& #39;t let failing stop you.
So today I decided to air my internal anxiety as an alternative to silence, an antidote to "not saying the right thing". 9/eternity
So today I decided to air my internal anxiety as an alternative to silence, an antidote to "not saying the right thing". 9/eternity
Yes, like most white people I only think about this shit when there is a new tragedy, and only say anything when the tragedy is large enough (as opposed to the steady stream of tragedies), and nothing I say will stop nazis or cure racism, and my motivations aren& #39;t pure. 10/i
