.Are you really “woke?” The term is thrown around so often today that I thought I might just ask. Nevermind its exclusivity—the question is, do you fit its most expansive definition?
I hate to ask, it’s just that there are all too many blinders put on activ- ism (which, in 2019, should be truly intersec- tional). So, I guess I’m just wondering, are you truly inter- sectional?
I get it, there are so many things we need to be con- scious of. And, honestly, it’s hard to be knowledgeable about all that we should be knowledgeable about. And, okay, we’re obviously going to identify
with certain issues more than others based on who we are. But hear me out: that’s not an excuse.
There’s activism from an identity perspective, and then there’s activism from a white-washed lens. And the latter has become a little too prominent. There’s become an entire passive attitude to so many activist issues which stems from a lack of attentiveness no unfamiliar and serious issues.
Think about it: When was the last time you interrupted your day to consider the mass ethnic cleansing of Muslims worldwide? I don’t mean watching some Instagram video about it, I mean taking the time to concern yourself with solutions for global (non-white) problems.
When was the last time all your social media feeds were clogged with awareness posts for human rights violations abroad? See, it’s not just you. It’s everyone. We all do it. We don’t mean to, but we do.
The problem is that the idea of global conflicts that affect people on a humanitarian basis seem so detached from our Chapel Hill lifestyle. No matter what, the relateability just isn’t there, so our activism becomes less centered on issues which, systematically, end up losing attention. It’s a vicious cycle which ends up hurting the people who are already vulnerable, despite our general intentions to do the opposite.
As I said, it’s hard to be consistently, universally conscious. Especially when no one is. So I’m not trying to gate keep social justice. I’m just saying, the next time you hear someone talk about an is- sue completely foreign to you, listen. It’s ignorance that’s the most harmful component of false intersectionality.
