#BlackOutTuesday

[SimonMac]

While I applaud and would never discourage anyones choice to make a protest or statement, can anyone tell me how changing your social media profile to all black does anything to change that which needs to be changed? Isn't it just slacktivism

[d000hg]

While I applaud and would never discourage anyones choice to make a protest or statement, can anyone tell me how changing your social media profile to all black does anything to change that which needs to be changed? Isn't it just slacktivism

KUATB

[TheCyclingProgrammer]

Not taking part in it - not because I think there's anything wrong with it per se, just that it doesn't feel like I'd be helping with anything by doing so and therefore doing it anyway would be - and I don't normally like the term - virtue signalling. That's just me though - I'm not accusing anyone else of virtue signalling if they think by doing it it will actually achieve something. I suppose in some ways it might be reaching out to people who this might have otherwise passed by and getting more people talking about the problem of racism is a good thing.

As ever I think this is one of those things that started out as a good idea, with a slightly more nuanced aim than "everybody post a black square on social media with a hashtag for a day" but people will always latch on to these things in a superficial way without diving any deeper. I guess the same can often be said about most forms of slacktivism. As far as I understood it was supposed to be a way of the music and performing arts communities to take a day of reflection.

It may have had an unintended side-effect too:
https://twitter.com/ajplus/status/1267818945089695750

[d000hg]

I do find it odd that people in other countries are protesting - I saw a huge one in Amsterdam for instance. What and who exactly are they protesting? In the US it at least makes sense to protest their police/government.

[TheCyclingProgrammer]

I do find it odd that people in other countries are protesting - I saw a huge one in Amsterdam for instance. What and who exactly are they protesting? In the US it at least makes sense to protest their police/government.

Strangely enough, racism doesn't stop at the US border.

[ladymuck]

It's not just a protest - it's also showing solidarity.

I do agree, though, that using the hashtag and putting up a black instagram square actually achieves nothing (much like clapping on Thursday evening or chucking a bucket of ice water over your head).

You have to actually *do* something.

[d000hg]

Strangely enough, racism doesn't stop at the US border.

They're protesting American racism though.

[NotAllThere]

Strangely enough, racism doesn't stop at the US border.

Yeah - but Yanks are really good at it. My daughter was discussing racism in the US with a fellow student. She said a few things the other student didn't like about virtue signalling etc., so he told her to check her "white privilege".

She then pointed out to him that she isn't white.

[darmstadt]

They're protesting American racism though.

I think you'll find a lot of people are also protesting against racism in their own countries, this was just a catalyst. It's like the clap for carers basically started in Italy and grew worldwide...

[d000hg]

I think you'll find a lot of people are also protesting against racism in their own countries, this was just a catalyst. It's like the clap for carers basically started in Italy and grew worldwide...

I think they're just jumping on whatever the current bandwagon is. Set your profile picture black, share a couple of "isn't racism bad" memes, job done.