let's talk about twitter activism for a second (a thread)
i want to clarify that what I'm addressing is not genuine irl activists using twitter to further a cause. I'm talking about those whose activism is mostly restricted to twitter/social media and they largely apply this to their fandoms.
firstly, twitter by design is not meant for nuanced, productive conversation. character limits, follower only replies, seeing what others like, comment, rt etc. creates a space where it's very easy to agree with value judgements, and very hard to disagree or offer criticism.
these days, most twt activism is bad faith. this means that instead of pointing out a problem to encourage someone to fix/grow from it, the point of "calling out" is to silence that person and kick them out of that space.
in some cases, this can be appropriate. there's only so much educating you can do. but the problem is that twitter doesn't differentiate between ignorance, microagressions, bigotry and online abuse when it comes to their reactions. they are all functionally treated the same.
another issue is that of the ethics olympics. twt activists want to be the most socially correct, most ethically perfect. instead of centering the conversation on the perceived wrong, it instead becomes a game of 'i am a better person than you and you need to know that'
twitter activists assigned themselves the power to determine who is wrong and who is right. power structures are natural in any large group of people. but what else is natural in any group? a game of Chinese whispers.
context is removed, old tweets are dug up, screenshots are circulated and quote tweets are rampant until the offender is forced to do something. if they deactivate they are ridiculed for being cowardly and not addressing the situation.
if they address the situation in a tweet or a short video, they are called disingenuous and are only doing it because they got cancelled. if they make a longer video about it, they are self centred, narcissistic and are beating around the bush.
there's no winning. once you do something 'wrong' on twitter, you're finished. because the point of this vicious activism isn't actually activism, is it? it's a performance. it's the same thrill you get from watch comedy central roasts.
being on the 'good' or 'right' side also gives you a free pass to do a lot of things. death threats, doxxing, bullying, verbal abuse, slurs and more are all okay in the name of the good. after all, what the offender has done makes it worth it.
there's also identity politics involved. "uplift POC voices". which voices? POC aren't a monolith that have the same opinion on every social matter. "I am x, y and z, therefore my opinion is more valid than yours". oppression olympics is the name of the game.
this rotten, vicious form of activism ruins what actual activism is meant for. it antagonises the people you're meant to educate, and what good does that do anyone? how is this a net positive?
the next time you jump on the bandwagon, please consider why you're doing what you're doing. have you actually read up on the issue at hand, or are you just doing it because someone you follow told you to do so? is there any more context to the situation? how bad is it actually?
misunderstandings happen. have a conversation. and if it's draining you mentally and emotionally, just block them.
also this!!!
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