Tumbling Like Alice

I know today is Monday and you assume it’s going to suck, but according to statistics, there will be over 5,000 weddings, 10,000 childbirths, and 42 million hugs occurring today throughout the United States. Also today, there will be at least 4 people that will win the multimillion dollar lotteries, 600 people will get promotions at work, and 3,000 people will lose their virginity. There will also be 600 dogs adopted, 35,000 balloons sold, and 800,000 skittles eaten. Plus, the words “I love you” will be said over 9 million times. So again, I know today is Monday and you assume it’s going to suck, but just smile, because according to statistics, it should actually be a really nice day.

(via floricawild)

You’re doing social activism wrong.

I am not a pacifist.
I am kind, friendly, rational, and empathetic. I will shake your hand, I respect strangers, and I love my mother - but I also recognize that on extremely rare occasions a handful of people deserve to get punched in the mouth.

Why?

Because not everyone speaks your language.
So what does that mean?
It means that for all of us keyboard social activists need to understand how to speak a different language.

I have written many times about how when I was young I went through a brief period of aligning myself with racist and homophobic ideals. Since then I have taken a drastic turn in the opposite direction and for the longest time I never thought about why. Why did someone so ignorant make this drastic shift in their belief, turn around, and openly travel around the world preaching tolerance and equality.
Well, I suppose I should begin by telling you what it wasn’t - people yelling in my face telling me I was wrong. The punk and hardcore community in the 90s was militantly politically correct and I had no desire to listen to the screaming faces of the riot grrrl era (and sadly, I missed out on seeing some amazing bands and listening to some incredible speakers.) But it wasn’t until someone who spoke my language got through to me. Someone who wasn’t condescending. Someone who was willing to take the time to listen to my ridiculous rantings yet give me palatable explanations.

So what does that mean?

It means that as a misogynist, the yelling and screaming of feminists wasn’t getting through to me and as a racist, the highly charged rhetoric of anti-racists had no chance of changing my mind. Looking back, I understand why the feminist and the black and the LGBTQ community was/is so mad and upset. If I was treated like a second class citizen for so long and continuously and openly denied my equal rights you’re goddamn right I would be screaming mad. That anger and spite and animosity is completely warranted - but unfortunately, it blurs your message to the ones who need to hear it the most. And most of the time, those people are small-minded, middle Americans who continue to show up year after year at the voting booth to cause real damage.

Reblogging your support of equal rights to like-minded people might seem noble of you when you share that cool looking info-graphic but really, you’re not getting to those who really NEED to hear it. All it does is draw a line in the sand that says, “I think you’re wrong and you’re over there. Well I’m right and I’m over here.” And that is not what this world needs. It needs strong people to cross that line and learn to speak another language.

Tonight on the Grammys, Macklemore got on stage and performed his song “Same Love” in front of the music community and millions of people. And yes, probably half of those watching were racist homophobes with voting cards. Immediately the internet lit up with “white privilege” rants and how the song appropriates gay culture to sell records - and you know what?
It does.
Because let’s get real here - would that same performance been allowed to happen if it was by an black openly trans/lesbian artist? Probably not. Did Macklemore sell millions of downloads off of the passion and lyrical content of the song? Absolutely.

But so what.

You have to understand that no matter how badly YOU ME WE US want equal rights in the world, that it will never come as quickly as we like no matter how hard we kick and scream and stomp our feet all over the internet, nor will it come in the pretty package we think it deserves. Because any significant social change has always been messy and it will never be on our terms but it will happen eventually. What I realized a while ago is that if we want to see any real change, if we want to actually change the world for the better, it doesn’t happen with a series of cool reblogs and it certainly doesn’t happen by not attempting to speak a bigots or homophobes language.

Macklemore’s performance on the Grammys was important because he is palatable. Because your homophobic grandmother isn’t threatened by his appearance. Because he could be the next door neighbor to a community of bigots and he would get entry to their parties because well, he looked like them. Because he looks like he speaks their language and as ridiculous as it sounds, right now, that is what grandma needs to see. That is what middle America needs to see. You know, those people who continually vote to deny rights to other people. And just because you’re upset at the setting at the table doesn’t make the meal any less valid.

Yes, I am just as angry as you about the social inequalities I see in this world. Trust me, there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t want to burn down the internet for all the homophobic, racist, and misogynistic rants, but this isn’t about me and this isn’t about our anger - which I feel so much of the short-sighted pessimistic shame rants are about. Projections of our anger. Which is a by-product of the awful we see in our neighbors but it isn’t what changes the world.

The fact is this - the world IS changing. When I watched the performance I looked over and said, “And a decade ago people freaked out over the Madonna and Britney kiss. A decade before that, people were calling for boycotts of NBC because of Will and Grace. And a decade before that, It was socially acceptable to call people "faggots” in schools and at work. Tonight they married same sex couples on one of the biggest nights on television and Sir Paul McCartney Raised his fist in solidarity.“
As frustrating as the rate of progress is, we are making progress. And sometimes we need to try and see that not everyone sees social activism the same way we do - and that’s okay.
Because the only right way is to try.

And to keep trying.

Tumbling Like Alice

See, that’s what the app is perfect for.

Gah. North and South is so perfect.

You’re doing social activism wrong.