My Response to an Aljazeera Opinion article about the #BringBackOurGirls hashtag
The “hijacking” of the hashtag is a problem, yes. But that doesn’t mean the #bringbackourgirls hashtag has failed, or that the problem isn’t being dealt with.
The “hijacking” of the hashtag is a problem, yes. But that doesn’t mean the #bringbackourgirls hashtag has failed, or that the problem isn’t being dealt with.
I was on a site that I normally find otherwise fantastic. It’s a site that focuses on good men- as a feminist I think it’s important to recognize and celebrate men as well as women. Especially when they organize to be better, as we all should. So I’ll link to the site, but not the article, in another post. But it was one of those guest posts that proclaims that if black people just voted more, maybe things like Ferguson wouldn’t happen to us. I find this woefully naive. (Not to mention factually untrue and incredibly invalid for two reasons I’ll get to sooner or later. But please indulge me because it’s important that you follow the logic and data instead of just believing me if you want to make this argument to someone on your own.) It’s naive not just about black people but about all people of color who have a majority population in poverty. And I say that as a person who actively maintains a certain naivete concerning some matters- it’s handy when you create solutions no one believes exists for a living. So why do I, of all people, find this opinion lacking in experience, wisdom and possibly even judgement? First of all, this ignores what the problem is and what the solution is. The problem is that another black kid is dead at the hands of law enforcement. There’s some dispute over whether he was a “bad seed” which is another logical fallacy. No one deserves