Fair Weather Activism
Fair Weather Activism
It has happened again. Another person of color was killed by a police officer. Another situation that is exactly like all the previous events. The result was as always outrage, and horror at the fact that something that tragic could still happen. That something like that could happen in a nation where we are all free. This is America, the home of Martin Luther King, Freedom, Crystal Meth, and apple pie. So how could this happen? How could we have come so far and yet still so be in the ice age? Well, maybe not the ice age. Still, when you look at it at least from the outside you do have to ask is it still really like this? And the answer to that is apparently yeah. So, what do you do? Forget about it, and act like it ain’t your problem? That wouldn’t be right so you act. And acting for many of us is supporting the oppressed, a good and noble thing. But there is a problem, a big annoying problem. That issue is for many that support is only temporary.
The thing about a crisis that I find so antagonizing vexing is the inconsistent support that comes with it. When there is a hurricane and the levees break there is an outpouring of awesomely compassionate support. There are telethons
where fucking Whoopie Goldberg makes a few calls and ends up pulling a couple of million dollars out of her ass along with a jar of peanut butter and an Oscar. Late-night talk shows shame the government agencies that weren’t proactive enough to respond in a timely fashion.
Monologues, long ones that last as long as the universe is wide, is recited that while filled with humor are chalked full of sappy empathy. It’s a time where it almost seems as though the entirety of humanity had all snuggled down together to spoon. It’s a warm feeling that makes everything seems purposeful. But then like all moments in our society, the dutchess of York are photographed snorting a line of coke off a jockey’s dick and our collective heads turn. Trump claims that Hillary, Stalin, Elvis, and Bigfoot are all running an adoption, sex, and organ trafficking ring out of a fucking woodshed, and we get more enraged by the vilify of that claim than the equal rights of our fellow citizens. We get distracted and if the flames aren’t burning, and the tear gas isn’t blinding us while we try to watch the nightly news then we just don’t consider it’s anymore. And that is the problem. And that is where I have to ask a question. If you care so much now, will you continue to when the pot has stopped boiling over?
In a crisis like this honesty is the great uniter and divider. When the ugly face of institutionalized racism is exposed, it is the frankness of our neighbors, friends, and family as well as strangers that are supposed to challenge and alter it to something more friendly and accepting. Yet at the same time, this honesty has taken on a more unrealistic, fair weather and almost fake tone that can be almost insulting. When the days and weeks following are filled with and excuse me for saying this, white people, prissy and privileged white people posting quotes from Martin Luther King or Elie Wiesel, it wears you out.
When every tweet from people who are now all of a sudden woke is a horrifying acknowledgment that their white privilege keeps them safe, as important a realization as that maybe is also just noise. Yes, I said that right noise, fucking noise.
Those exclamations are nothing more in some instances than the equivalency of a child playing with an air horn. I say that because despite the importance of this there is one very significant aspect that is missing from this support. The thing that is missing from the support is follow-through, and when I say that I don’t mean going and showing support in person. That makes sense at this time where being an ally is all the rage. Now, what I mean by follow-through is staying engaged when the focus on the issue blurs, and people’s heads are turned in another direction. The follow-through I’m talking about is the action still taken when your whiteness helps you forget the wrongs that are still being committed by institutionalized racism. If you really want to be an ally, and you really want to show that you’re not racist then do the work for change when it’s not popular. That is the point of activism. Activism isn’t choosy when it comes to putting in the work.
A perfect example of this is the NRA. What I mean by that is that the NRA is great as a political activist group, it’s members are on top of every aspect of their causes. Understand that they do have the money to lobby, but in no way does that do the group any Kind of justice when it comes to where and how they weld their power. Adam Winkler, a professor of constitutional law at the UCLA school of law, explained it better in a 2018 article for The Guardian. In that article titled Why is the National Rifle Association so powerful? Winkler said:
“The NRA is not successful because of its money. To be sure, it is hard to be a force in American politics without money. The NRA has money that it uses to help its favored candidates get elected. But the real source of its power, I believe, comes from voters,”
The point is that it doesn’t matter when, or where. It doesn’t matter how popular or trending the issue may be. Those who are supporters of the 2nd amendment, those who are members of the NRA will come out to fight because they believe, and that means they will be there. They won’t just pop up posting and then fading away until the next threat to their beliefs comes about. They just go. And that is my point. If you are right now going to be supporting groups or ideals like BLM then you should do so even when it’s not going to be a flare that is being used by everyone to signal the need for change. If you want to make change then it shouldn’t only be worked on when batons are being beaten against shields, or when ”I can’t breathe” becomes an intricate part of Facebook profiles. It should be done because it the right thing to do. If not then it’s worthless.
So I’ll ask, no I’ll challenge anyone who decides to take up the mantle for a cause, stick with it, and don’t give up. The only way things have progressed, or have been remodeled is with continued focused work. That means volunteering, protesting, contacting your local and state representatives, and voting (yeah I said it). Voting, you heard right. All those things need to be done, but more importantly, done when the issue isn’t the flavor of the month. So, please if you care, care all year round.
Well, I hope that you enjoyed. Remember to comment, express you thoughts, and give me a piece of your mind. And just keep in mind that the next time your sipping your morning cup of coffee, waiting for that white flash followed by that mushroom cloud, just remember we did this.
Till next time
LouFord
Bibliography:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/nov/17/nra-gun-lobby-gun-control-congress
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