Performative Activism is not Activism

Just before you read this, I just want to let you know that I am deeply effected by the brutality and systematic racism that has been happening in the US and around the world for centuries. And when it comes to the persistent flooding of social media in awareness posts and activism, I think it’s important. Really. I think that this will be a catalyst for a cultural reset and I am so proud of our generation for standing up for what they believe in so vehemently and unapologetically. 

I haven’t said anything on social media yet. Not because I’m being apolitical, or because I’m choosing to stay silent about it. But just because I’m still trying to decide what to say?! I am increasingly aware of my privilege and my place in society as a white person and I worry anything I say will come off as insensitive or ignorant, as I will never be able to truly empathise. 

But I just see so many people lazily reposting things that other people have posted, and I know that it’s so necessary to the movement and the overall sense of awareness, but it just makes me angry that, in knowing those people personally, they don’t truly share the values they are presenting, and are instead using it as a way to positively reinforce their personal image in the eyes of others. It is privilege beyond privilege. Privilege that, in being publicly acknowledged, is being abused, to flatter superficial self image. This is performative activism at its peak, and performative activism is not activism. 

But it’s all so contradictory and challenging, because it is those people reposting those facts, and statistics, and “we can do better!”s, that are helping along this cultural reset. So I don’t know… Tell them to keep reposting? To keep sharing? Because all that is definitely significant in helping the movement against police brutality and violent racism, but there are deeper seated issues of casual, everyday racism that will only resurface after all this is over, all because that white girl you knew from high school reposted something about her privilege but then continued to take demeaning selfies with the asian tourists at the harbour and carelessly laughing at her neighbour’s Indian accent. 

Just because you aren’t an American police officer brutally murdering POC, doesn’t mean you aren’t part of the problem. Please make an effort to support your local minorities. Please stop engaging in casual racism and start reflecting the words you are sharing online.

You’ve entered the solution online, now make a start offline too.