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Not to be a bitch, but I take this as seriously as virginity pledges.
Because the people that engage in this behavior either (1) don't realize that there is anything wrong with it or (2) are more concerned with surface displays to make them feel better (and innocent) than to actually examine and change their behavior.
Look, it is SO EASY to post this statement and keep it moving and do nothing else. It's akin to an influencer's Instagram black square. We don't need this. We need HELP.
Think about how easy it was for Ellis to use the internet to pose as a champion of women. If he hadn't been publicly addressed he'd have posted that image along with the rest of you. Or maybe some other trite message.
The very real truth is that there is nothing you can post or any blanket statement you can publicly make that means anything in comparison to DOING THE WORK. And doing the work is SO EASY that it is frankly infuriating that you are not doing it.
But you don't get any accolades or likes from it. There's no new number next to a heart when you give the hard stare to a dude who makes a rape joke at Barcon. No thumbs up when you give your editor a heads up about the behavior of a person on your creative team.
But you do get rewarded for nodding and going along when your editor says a female creator is "difficult." When you laugh at the viciously offensive joke of a popular creator who can get you "in." That's why you'll post a statement and continue to let things slide.
No spine. No heart.
I mean, black men in comics can be irritatingly dismissive and paternalistic at times, but I know if any dude tried to put hands on me or make a joke about abusing me in their presence that dude would have a MOST unpleasant evening.
Which is an issue in itself, I suppose? An idea that women should be quiet and relegated to the back. Considered in need of protection. Rooted in old machismo. But it is LEAGUES better than being seen as prey.
Listen, it sucks--but there is no one-time statement you can make to make women see you as trustworthy and good. You let the bad apples sit for so long that the whole barrel smells and nobody wants to go near it. It's going to take your repeated ACTIONS to fix.
And not just on Twitter. In the office. In emails. At cons. Everywhere. Until people know that is who you are as a person. By default. https://twitter.com/JohnBoyega/status/1274829450027372546
