Read on Twitter
Obviously social media platitudes are mostly worthless. But in an industry w/o a union or any form of creator representation, ppl posting something in solidarity like this is at least the tiniest *visible* unified front we can start with. https://twitter.com/jeremyhachat/status/1275473108137361411
To use the BLM black square as an example (b/c critics are): when you’re scrolling through social media and it feels like everything sucks and everyone is shit, seeing those squares from ppl I wasn’t sure would post them helped show me that more ppl care than I had thought.
I would hope that most ppl would step up in a real situation if they saw someone being harassed/groomed/exploited/assaulted. I know I have, and would again. But for some, maybe the small act of this pledge is the “concrete” affirmation they need to remember to step up?...
...like when you write something down to commit it to memory. Idk. I’ll take that, if so.
There are also a lot of young and/or new creators looking to break into comics who are here on twitter following creators they admire the work of. I think a wall of blue pledges might help show them that many of us are committed to marking a safe & welcoming environment for them.
In my early conventions I was blissfully unaware of the privilege cloud I floated in on. Nobody bothered me, I got to show my work and sell my stuff w/o anyone preying on me.
Today I read the account of the woman who had her first Thoughtbubble ruined by the guy who thinks he’s famous because he mashed up two existing characters and then more talented people won an Oscar for it. I don’t want ppl to go through what she did.
I’ve tried to use the small profile that I have to amplify the voices of the women who are sharing their stories. I see this pledge as a (very) small way of showing that I/we have their backs.
Maybe they spot one of us in a crowd when they’re being creeped on at a convention or other industry gathering, they remember seeing this pledge and they feel like they can come find some safety/power in numbers.
Anyway, I think ppl are right to be critical of EVERY platitude and call out where they’re deficient, but it’s also a fine line between that and just being a Twitter contrarian. When you have a better idea of how to show power in numbers I’ll do that too.
