PERFORMATIVE ACTIVISM AND WHAT IT HAS DONE TO THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT
By Rocio Estrada
El Rodeo Staff Writer
El Rodeo Staff Writer
George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, these are just a few of the names of black victims lost to police brutality. These victims are the reason why the world is protesting right now. Not only have all 50 states joined together to end the systematic oppression of people of color, especially black people, but the world has joined in as well.
The United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Ireland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Israel, Sudan, Canada, South Africa, Brazil, New Zealand, and Australia have all had protests supporting the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement in honor of George Floyd. Countless television networks and shows like Nickelodeon and Sesame Street have released statements supporting this movement. Restaurants and manufacturers have also joined the movement, for example, Ben and Jerry’s, who released a rather long statement showing their support. However, what are the people doing to show their support?
Many have gone to protests, signed petitions, and/or donated to funds. However, not everyone can go to protests or donate. Some don’t have the financial liberty to donate. Others can’t go to protests because of coronavirus or other concerns. What many people have done is participate in performative protesting.
Performative protesting is when people post on their social media how they are protesting, but don’t do anything. An example of this would be people going to protests simply to take pictures in front of crowds and damaged buildings before going home, tagging people on their Instagram stories and posts to “show solidarity” with the BLM movement, and most recently, participating in #blackouttuesday.
#Blackouttuesday was supposed to be a movement in which non-black supporters refrained from posting for a day, or to post a black picture to allow black people to help each other find resources for protests and petitions. The problem with this is that many people just posted a black square with the hashtag #blacklivesmatter. This led to the hashtag containing many pictures of black squares instead of resources, which was counterproductive. Instead of amplifying black voices, people drowned them out.
The only reason people participate in performative protesting is so that they aren’t seen as racist. Instead of helping the movement, these performative protestors just slow down the movement. Such “protestors” would include members of the Kardashian/Jenner family, with individuals like Kylie and Kendall Jenner tagging each other on their Instagram stories to show their support, instead of donating to movements to end the injustices of people of color, especially black people.
Not all celebrities are doing this though. Some like Harry Styles, Timothée Chalamet, and Ariana Grande are marching along black protestors to try to bring actual change. Overall, the whole tagging people in stories or posting black boxes doesn't help. If people aren’t able to attend protests or donate, there are plenty of petitions to sign and share. There are also plenty of videos depicting police brutality that need to be shared. Instead of using a hashtag to drown out black voices and using the protests and riots as an “aesthetic” background to photos, people should research how to help the Black Lives Matter movement.
The United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Ireland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Israel, Sudan, Canada, South Africa, Brazil, New Zealand, and Australia have all had protests supporting the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement in honor of George Floyd. Countless television networks and shows like Nickelodeon and Sesame Street have released statements supporting this movement. Restaurants and manufacturers have also joined the movement, for example, Ben and Jerry’s, who released a rather long statement showing their support. However, what are the people doing to show their support?
Many have gone to protests, signed petitions, and/or donated to funds. However, not everyone can go to protests or donate. Some don’t have the financial liberty to donate. Others can’t go to protests because of coronavirus or other concerns. What many people have done is participate in performative protesting.
Performative protesting is when people post on their social media how they are protesting, but don’t do anything. An example of this would be people going to protests simply to take pictures in front of crowds and damaged buildings before going home, tagging people on their Instagram stories and posts to “show solidarity” with the BLM movement, and most recently, participating in #blackouttuesday.
#Blackouttuesday was supposed to be a movement in which non-black supporters refrained from posting for a day, or to post a black picture to allow black people to help each other find resources for protests and petitions. The problem with this is that many people just posted a black square with the hashtag #blacklivesmatter. This led to the hashtag containing many pictures of black squares instead of resources, which was counterproductive. Instead of amplifying black voices, people drowned them out.
The only reason people participate in performative protesting is so that they aren’t seen as racist. Instead of helping the movement, these performative protestors just slow down the movement. Such “protestors” would include members of the Kardashian/Jenner family, with individuals like Kylie and Kendall Jenner tagging each other on their Instagram stories to show their support, instead of donating to movements to end the injustices of people of color, especially black people.
Not all celebrities are doing this though. Some like Harry Styles, Timothée Chalamet, and Ariana Grande are marching along black protestors to try to bring actual change. Overall, the whole tagging people in stories or posting black boxes doesn't help. If people aren’t able to attend protests or donate, there are plenty of petitions to sign and share. There are also plenty of videos depicting police brutality that need to be shared. Instead of using a hashtag to drown out black voices and using the protests and riots as an “aesthetic” background to photos, people should research how to help the Black Lives Matter movement.