Cancel Performative Activism
There’s something I find deeply irritating about the people who boycott versus the people who don’t and it’s not the people who don’t boycott.
I completely respect the amount of strength, lifestyle changes, and integrity it takes to cut something (or someone) off. Sometimes there are things bigger than your favorite Starbucks order or your go-to products from Target.
The problem I have is people who boycott in a way that feels pretentious, self-righteous, and performative toward those who may not be doing the same. It sets this tone of: “I’m doing something good because I’m a good person, and if you don’t, you’re a bad person.”
As social creatures we do have a responsibility to show up for one another.
However, we don’t get to decide or judge what someone else’s social responsibility looks like. There are countless struggles happening on a personal, local and global scale.
~~~~
If a single mother of two wants to grab a latte and cake pops for her kids just to ease some morning anxiety before carpool because finding a location that isn’t Starbucks is too inconvenient, let her. If someone shops at Target because they don’t have a car and that’s the closest store, let them. We should absolutely promote awareness of what’s going on in the world so more people can stand together. What makes it contradicting is when folks tear others down for not doing so.
That mentality divides the community we claim to want.
How can we expect unity when we’re too busy judging people we don’t even know?
I find all the outrage and performative activism exhausting. Let’s face it: nobody is 100% ethical. Nobody is a good person all the time. Especially not someone who feels so superior that they need to judge, question and critique the next person.
An example of this can be seen in one of my favorite shows, A Different World.
~~~~
The character, Kim is studying medicine and at some point in journey, her family is unable to afford her education. She works hard to maintain a job, receive financial aid, and grant scholarships. She later on discovers the funding came from Apartheid (A system of institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination in South Africa from 1948 to the 1990s.)
When she realizes this, she debates whether or not keeping her scholarship is worth it.
Many activists on the campus were outraged with Apartheid and its role in funding certain programs within the school. It’s important to note if you dont know, A Different World is a show about Black college students at an HBCU. This made it that much more of a complex situation.
One character, Julian disagrees with the thought of Kim keeping her scholarship.
While the character Whitley, a good friend of Kim’s insisted she keep it.
She then went on to remind Julian that he didn’t have financial aid supporting his education because he didn’t need it. She recognized the social responsibility she, himself and others had but she also knew she was in no position to tell another person what theirs was. Kim was on the path to becoming a doctor.
What better way to support others around you than to treat their health needs?
If you’re curious, Julian does soften as the campus comes together and is able to see both sides of view. They found a compromise to ensure that moving forward all of their funding would be ethical and supportive of African and Black people. Also, Kim does not keep the scholarship but many others did.
It said a lot about Kim as an activist but the fact stands true:
You don’t get to police someones social responsibility when you are not in the same position as other people.
~~~~
It’s easy to sit on a high horse when you are highly privileged.
I’m all for community, standing together and fighting for the right causes; but I refuse to attack people who are on the same playing field as me just because I did some small act of solidarity.
Half of the time, people lose the plot with boycotting.
Yes, it can slow down companies, make them lose money and potentially help prevent them from causing more damage. That doesn’t mean the problem is solved or that you “fought the good fight.” Some companies keep going, they find solutions and they pivot.
~~~~
Boycotting is more of a collective response and a demand for better, but it doesn’t always stop the problem. You want to be a good person and help the world? Start from where you are right now.
What are you doing for the community you’re already a part of?
How do you treat the people you work with? Your family? Random people you meet on the street?
How do you respond and treat people that don’t identify in the same way you do?
~~~~
I remember when I was making money delivering for Doordash and barely had enough to pay rent. I still took my ass to the food bank twice a week to give to those who had less than me. I even gave out water to folks living on the street during the summer. So I find myself mildly irritated with people who convince themselves that they’re such a good person simply to make themselves feel better.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I’ve unlocked the secret to being a “good person.”
I often question whether I even am a good person because I see the ways I’ve fallen short.
~~~~
I volunteer with animals but I’ve also forgotten to tell my cat I love him before I leave for the day. I volunteered with children but I also said the best part of being single is returning the kids. I’ve volunteered at food banks but at times I’ve refused to give someone a dollar because I didn’t feel like it that day. Prior to becoming a full time writer, I worked in community with unhoused people and people who use drugs; but I’ve also had conflict with coworkers and wasn’t always right. I have friends now who say I’m kind, supportive and honest, but I’ve had friends in the past who deemed me as self absorbed and immature. My sisters feel loved by me now, but I wasn’t always the best sister and I don’t call as often as I should.
So,
Am I a good person because the people in my inner world value me and I show up for community in real time?
Or am I a bad person because of past mistakes and my refusal to cancel my Hulu subscription due to my love for Abbott Elementary and my need to finish watching Scandal?
~~~~
That, is subjective. I may not be good or bad. I’m real and true, doing the best I can do.
I’m not here to tell you whether you should or shouldn’t boycott. I’m a firm believer in leaving the world a better place than we found it. Working on ourselves because we should always want better and because it serves as a love language to those closest to us.
We should stand up for the voiceless. We should protect minorities. Y’all better listen to women, especially Black women. We should go to protests, city and neighborhood community meetings, town hall hearings and educational trainings. We should vote. We should find organizations that align with our values and show support. We should educate and empower ourselves so we can do the work to invoke real change. We should do whatever is in our individual power and resources to show up and bring as many people with us as possible to create the domino effect in the world.
We should not applaud ourselves for doing so. Does a fish get applauded for swimming?
If folks keep pointing fingers like the Spider-Man meme, we will never move forward.
And that’s exactly what they want.
