LA Times (Opinion): White people have gentrified Black Lives Matter.

Sir_Bumble_Bee · Sep 4, 2020

White people have gentrified Black Lives Matter. It's a problem

When the dust has settled and the TV cameras are gone, will white solidarity with black lives endure? History suggests skepticism.

www.latimes.com

Great article imo. Perfectly captures what many of us are thinking right now.

platocplx · Sep 4, 2020

yeah when you are putting yourself out there instead of just being more of a megaphone(not changing what the message is) they are diluting things.

DominicanPower · Sep 4, 2020

White people ruin everything they touch: news at 10.

wolfshirt · Sep 4, 2020

Is there any way to read this article without the paywall nagscreen?

reKon · Sep 4, 2020

the comments though

reKon · Sep 4, 2020

wolfshirt said:
Is there any way to read this article without the paywall nagscreen?

GitHub - iamadamdev/bypass-paywalls-chrome: Bypass Paywalls web browser extension for Chrome and Firefox.

Bypass Paywalls web browser extension for Chrome and Firefox. - iamadamdev/bypass-paywalls-chrome

github.com

Mona · Sep 4, 2020

was not expecting that picture

JaseC64 · Sep 4, 2020

Mona said:
was not expecting that picture

I'm yeah wtf.

frankenstrat · Sep 4, 2020

That picture is absurd, it's like out of Portlandia or something, which is fitting I suppose.

KoopaTheCasual · Sep 4, 2020

Yo, this is so on point. People are gonna be "upset" by the title, but it has substance.

I brought this up in the Black community thread, but it's super weird seeing how "trendy" BLM has become, that it has even become a defacto signature in Tinder bios. Like..... who is that for, other than making yourself seem "with it"?

Inspector Detector · Sep 4, 2020

Great article, thanks for sharing. I feel this part especially rings true

Anti-racist author and lecturer Tim Wise said he is "cautiously optimistic" about the onslaught of white faces in crowds but also "nervous about what happens when people who really up until May weren't particularly engaged in this issue are all of a sudden 'ready for the revolution.'"

Wise said that while protests can be cathartic, "95% of what needs to happen is not in the streets."

Emergency & I · Sep 4, 2020

At the very least, white semi-frauds are servicing a purpose bigger than their vapidity and hopefully/truthfully learning something in the process. If they're just doing it for the Gram and then forgetting about it then they can get fucked, but if they take away anything and find some agency in understanding/improving a Black American's plight, then it's progress. Middling, not ideal - but it is progress, right?

I don't know. As a white man it's really not up to me to define, but it feels like an incremental step as long as it further fosters equality (which is a long ways off).

Zekes · Sep 4, 2020

That photo holy shit, that's some caucacity. Great article. I'm gonna send it to my girlfriend to pass around to her white friends

Verhai · Sep 4, 2020

This was clear since the black out pics they were all putting up. Absolutely tasteless and turning it into a trend.

Slayven · Sep 4, 2020

You should watch the video that pic is from. She actually protects protestors from being rushed because police don't know how to handle it.

Khanimus · Sep 4, 2020

But they all posted that black square!

CrankyJay · Sep 4, 2020

Here in Washington, where the phrase is plastered on the street that runs perpendicular to the White House, white Black Lives Matters protesters joined Black colleagues in shouting at a restaurant patron who had declined to raise her fist in solidarity. One of the white people there, Chuck Modiano, 50, a journalist, told me: "In the moment, it was hard for me to understand that though she said she supported BLM, she did not raise her fist."

Mona · Sep 4, 2020

CrankyJay said:

OMG lol

Slayven · Sep 4, 2020

Hot take, a certain amount of this needs to happen. Because shit don't become mainstream and normalized with a good chunk of white people accepting it. Does this mean they should co-opt it, hell no. But if they all out there in the streets getting the same rubber bullets and gass, more power to them

nsilvias · Sep 4, 2020

white people turned black lives matter into a lifestyle.

mentallyinept · Sep 4, 2020

Yeah, there's a couple points to address:

1. The game of telephone took over and the meaning and force behind the movement has been diluted and warped to the point that it is palatable to a large swath of people who are part of the problem.
2. Far too many white people are satisfied with the "thoughts and prayers" response that changes absolutely nothing, helps no one, and keeps everything moving. aka the "white moderate problem" of preserving order over justice.
3. The whole reason why any of this came to the attention of white people was social media, and its attention is fickle as shit. There's always another cause, another catastrophe, another tragedy, another untimely death to sound off on and "speak out" about. Especially when one of those issues impacts people that look like you.

To be clear, I say all of this as a "wonder bread"-level white dude.

Wackamole · Sep 4, 2020

Verhai said:
This was clear since the black out pics they were all putting up. Absolutely tasteless and turning it into a trend.

I actually think, other than 'support", that was also to send a message to friends on that particular social media (be it Facebook, Instagram, etc) to show where you stand.
But i agree that some white people seem to overcompensate and draw attention to themselves more than to the actual problem.

Verhai · Sep 4, 2020

Wackamole said:
I actually think, other than 'support", that was also to send a message to friends on that particular social media (be it Facebook, Instagram, etc) to show where you stand.
But i agree that some white people seem to overcompensate and draw attention to themselves more than to the actual problem.

Yeah pretty much. There's better ways to do stuff like that not just what you see everyone do online. People don't take it as genuine they just see you parrot shit you've seen online regardless of how true it is or isn't.

Mr Jones · Sep 4, 2020

I'm really torn on this article.

There is some real truth to white folks who are out on the street because that is what will get them likes and clicks, and what comes down to anarchist larping.

But then there are the allies who stand in between the cops and black folks. The white folks who are still carrying signs and standing in front of government buildings when the cameras are off. The folks who have gotten hit with rubber bullets or gotten their skulls cracked, and still say that black lives matter.

This is real gray to me. I'll take all the help I can get to keep cops from killing folks who look like me.

Servbot24 · Sep 4, 2020

Slayven said:
Hot take, a certain amount of this needs to happen. Because shit don't become mainstream and normalized with a good chunk of white people accepting it. Does this mean they should co-opt it, hell no. But if they all out there in the streets getting the same rubber bullets and gass, more power to them

That's kind of what I was thinking but wasn't willing to say since I'm a white person. A big part of protests is for the voice of the protestor to become heard and for their views to become mainstream. Black lives mattering should be mainstream, that's the norm that the protestors are trying to achieve.

If white people are not supposed to embrace BLM, then what's the point of the movement? A lot of white people definitely have a shallow take on it, or even take advantage of it in order to show off their wokeness / virtue signal / whatever, but making the concept mainstream seems like it should be the goal. Excuse my ignorance if I am exhibiting any.

KoopaTheCasual · Sep 4, 2020

Slayven said:
Hot take, a certain amount of this needs to happen. Because shit don't become mainstream and normalized with a good chunk of white people accepting it. Does this mean they should co-opt it, hell no. But if they all out there in the streets getting the same rubber bullets and gass, more power to them

Fully agree.

It's just that level of nuance is lost on some White people (and even a few Black folk in my circle, as well). We do need their involvement, but they should always know they are guests in the movement, not the pilots.

Wackamole · Sep 4, 2020

Verhai said:
Yeah pretty much. There's better ways to do stuff like that not just what you see everyone do online. People don't take it as genuine they just see you parrot shit you've seen online regardless of how true it is or isn't.

That's true. Personally i have to admit it was good to see that many people at least clearly showing their followers they're fed up with racism. Especially since there is such an alt-right trend on social media. So many people have racist "friends" or family on Facebook, for instance. Of course it's also the absolute least amount of effort a person could possibly go for. Hopefully many people simply donated without drawing attention to themselves.

BossAttack · Sep 4, 2020

Eh, I really don't get the point of the article especially when that white lady was protecting protestors. I don't give a fuck about "co-opting," this ain't a piece of art or some cultural food that needs protecting from dumbass whites. This is a political movement. I don't give a fuck whose marching or throwing up signs as long as it leads to actual change.

If future whites want to claim they were always on the right side, well whatever as long as we aren't being killed by the fucking police.

Chikor · Sep 4, 2020

I definitely saw some of it around here, It wasn't too bad at the beginning, but once streamers started showing in in those protests, they quickly started to make it about themselves, because that's what streamer do.
That CHAZ shit was mostly done by white people.

But I think the main driver of co-option and gentrification of BLM has been the Democratic party. The mayor has been running astrotrufed protests trying to co-opt and defang those protests for a while now.

Sidebuster · Sep 4, 2020

I do think these protests have evolved a bit into protests against fascism unintentionally with how the responses from the government and police have been. Though I haven't heard anybody actually say so (might just be my observation). I imagine that'll only be more true as we head towards November.

King Kingo · Sep 4, 2020

I think opinion pieces like these are necessary to ensure that the original intention of the Black Lives Matters movement remains intact.

Volimar · Sep 4, 2020

Slayven said:
Hot take, a certain amount of this needs to happen. Because shit don't become mainstream and normalized with a good chunk of white people accepting it. Does this mean they should co-opt it, hell no. But if they all out there in the streets getting the same rubber bullets and gass, more power to them

Agree with this. It's white attitudes that need changing. Over all I think it's a positive, but white people need to know when to listen.

Deepwater · Sep 4, 2020

Black lives matter is dead, we need to get back on Black Power and see how many are still on board

Deleted member 11413 · Sep 4, 2020

Chikor said:
I definitely saw some of it around here, It wasn't too bad at the beginning, but once streamers started showing in in those protests, they quickly started to make it about themselves, because that's what streamer do.
That CHAZ shit was mostly done by white people.

But I think the main driver of co-option and gentrification of BLM has been the Democratic party. The mayor has been running astrotrufed protests trying to co-opt and defang those protests for a while now.

I mean they literally did that kente cloth stunt in congress so you are absolutely right.

Cotton McKnight · Sep 4, 2020

Slayven said:
Hot take, a certain amount of this needs to happen. Because shit don't become mainstream and normalized with a good chunk of white people accepting it. Does this mean they should co-opt it, hell no. But if they all out there in the streets getting the same rubber bullets and gass, more power to them

Same thought here. Nothing is going to change if it's just one group of people, well unless that one group of people are far-right-wingers happy to cheat the system to change to a fascist state.

If we're going to have white people out in the streets, we cannot co-opt a movement, we can show solidarity and support.

HStallion · Sep 4, 2020

I'm not black so I'm an outsider in that respect but I'd feel white people getting "involved" with BLM if its even the most surface level of attempts is better than them congregating around white supremacy, fascism and so on. Obviously there is nuance to be had here and some people are not doing it for the right reasons but I'd rather people have BLM in their tinder profiles than anything supporting Trump or the GOP. Let's yank the overton window back to the left a bit.

Vex · Sep 4, 2020

Slayven said:
Hot take, a certain amount of this needs to happen. Because shit don't become mainstream and normalized with a good chunk of white people accepting it. Does this mean they should co-opt it, hell no. But if they all out there in the streets getting the same rubber bullets and gass, more power to them

I....

.....agree. Fuck me.

Aurongel · Sep 4, 2020

I've photographed and attended a large number of BLM events here in Austin and anecdotally while I do see the occasional white girl/guy clearly there taking narcissistic Instagram photos, the VAST majority of white attendees are acting in good faith on behalf of black allies. While I'm not disagreeing with the article's stance on these terrible people co-opting the message of BLM, I do however question how significant their role is and if it's appropriate to map their actions to white attendees as a whole.

Spring-Loaded · Sep 4, 2020

Won't speak for anybody else, but I'll BLM being trendy over it being considered taboo.

This time last year, I heard pushback against making a general statement of anti-hate and inclusivity ahead of a local event (one that attracts racists each year) because "it might rile them up and out people in danger." Bringing up issues that affect black people often felt frowned upo

Now I see a couple of those scared people with BLM signs in front of their buildings. Even if it's merely performative, it helps to reinforce and spread the message. It's heartening to see "BLM" and "ACAB" (or similar sentiments) in a bunch of twitter handles and on pickets signs at protests because because it really seemed like the former made uncomfortable even those I thought to be on the level, and the latter sentiment was actively shouted down.

Even if it's from a lot of poseurs and opportunists, that display of support becoming so prominent is still important, and a lot of it has to be genuine. It's way better than feeling completely alone, that's for sure.

Powdered Egg · Sep 4, 2020

Chikor said:
I definitely saw some of it around here, It wasn't too bad at the beginning, but once streamers started showing in in those protests, they quickly started to make it about themselves, because that's what streamer do.
That CHAZ shit was mostly done by white people.

But I think the main driver of co-option and gentrification of BLM has been the Democratic party. The mayor has been running astrotrufed protests trying to co-opt and defang those protests for a while now.

Amen. The Democratic Party is part of this co-opting, they arguably co-opted the Black rights movement in general. When they shit on leftists, they are also shitting on a majority of Black American historical figures because this tepid kumbaya Democratic Party really isn't our history for most of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Just this year we had Bill Clinton openly shitting on Stokely Carmichael and telling us negros that John Lewis did things the right way. Joe Biden just condemned riots in PA and like an asshat wrongly invokes MLK the following sentence. Obama swoops in and misguides the NBA players into going back to playing while only getting concessions that are primarily concerned with putting the Democratic Party back into power in the short term- Stadium voting for only the 2020 election instead of permanent, support for Nat'l and local elections where I'm sure no money will be allowed to go to left-leaning candidates, and all these vague "advocacy for public engagement , for police reform, for justice reform" blah blah blah. These brothers don't know who Angela Davis is, Michelle Alexander, Elaine Brown is still alive... fuck there are plenty of local activists and contemporary writers they could have heard out. The NBA is on our side, while the Devos family owns the Magic and Betsy is taking a chainsaw to education.

Even the original March on Washington was co-opted by the Democratic Party and their crew of "Good Negro" ministers, according to Malcolm X. Its all so fucking disappointing, just nothing but token progress in my lifetime. Its always increments for us while they keep money flowing upwards into white hands.

krazen · Sep 4, 2020

Slayven said:
Hot take, a certain amount of this needs to happen. Because shit don't become mainstream and normalized with a good chunk of white people accepting it. Does this mean they should co-opt it, hell no. But if they all out there in the streets getting the same rubber bullets and gass, more power to them

Im on this line. Are there issues involved in co-opting movements? Yeah, look at the tasteless Breonna thirstrap memes. But people weren't motivated to make the political push against police brutality because it was an issue they were related to only by second hand at best. Now when their son comes home disfigured because a cop used the pretence of peaceful protests to bust some heads maybe the math will come out a bit different.

Powdered Egg · Sep 4, 2020

I'm all for white folks being out on the streets, even though some are doing extra shit.

LMAO @ the picture used. Like some of ya'll pointed out, if every non Black had stayed home the stormtroopers would have crushed skulls and swept it under the rug by now. Months later shit is still poppin'.

just_myles · Sep 4, 2020

According to a June poll, 45% of white people surveyed found racism to be a "big problem." By early August, that number had fallen to

This last bit is concerning.

zer0blivion · Sep 4, 2020

Deepwater said:
Black lives matter is dead, we need to get back on Black Power and see how many are still on board

If BLM stood for Black Liberation Movement, I'd still be on board.

Nepenthe · Sep 4, 2020

This was inevitable in any movement where white people would finally get on board with black folks. White people are needed, at least, to physically shield us on the front line and make the case that our injustice is a universal burden But yeah, that woman in the photo is on some fuckshit to me.

RastaMentality · Sep 4, 2020

All the BLM flags on California houses months before they vote against affordable housing for the 10th time on the ballot lol white people

frankenstrat · Sep 4, 2020

zer0blivion said:
If BLM stood for Black Liberation Movement, I'd still be on board.

Ditto on that. After learning about how the FBI treated the Black Panthers it's impossible not to be.

Deleted member 4346 · Sep 4, 2020

It's important to distinguish between the kinds of empty white ally-ship we see from corporations and sports leagues, House reps in kente cloth, and symbolic trash like "I wore a tshirt" or streamers and celebrities on-board for clout, versus the white people who have been on the front lines of demonstrations taking beatings, rubber bullets, tear gas. Some of whom have been murdered by pro-police fascist groups. And the uncomfortable truth- that there are been some white folks who have been better allies to us during this time than some of our own, and I'm not talking about just on the right.

We gotta keep the heat up, make sure that the movement isn't co-opted and diluted. That's the only path we see real change. We haven't gotten anything yet but empty promises, some old statues pulled down, names changed.

Powdered Egg said:
Amen. The Democratic Party is part of this co-opting, they arguably co-opted the Black rights movement in general. When they shit on leftists, they are also shitting on a majority of Black American historical figures because this tepid kumbaya Democratic Party really isn't our history for most of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Just this year we had Bill Clinton openly shitting on Stokely Carmichael and telling us negros that John Lewis did things the right way. Joe Biden just condemned riots in PA and like an asshat wrongly invokes MLK the following sentence. Obama swoops in and misguides the NBA players into going back to playing while only getting concessions that are primarily concerned with putting the Democratic Party back into power in the short term- Stadium voting for only the 2020 election instead of permanent, support for Nat'l and local elections where I'm sure no money will be allowed to go to left-leaning candidates, and all these vague "advocacy for public engagement , for police reform, for justice reform" blah blah blah. These brothers don't know who Angela Davis is, Michelle Alexander, Elaine Brown is still alive... fuck there are plenty of local activists and contemporary writers they could have heard out. The NBA is on our side, while the Devos family owns the Magic and Betsy is taking a chainsaw to education.

Even the original March on Washington was co-opted by the Democratic Party and their crew of "Good Negro" ministers, according to Malcolm X. Its all so fucking disappointing, just nothing but token progress in my lifetime. Its always increments for us while they keep money flowing upwards into white hands.

This. All this right here.

Also, I gotta say, the ad's slogan "We're listening." They're telling on themselves. Don't just listen, fucking change this shit. They always use passive voice when talking about law enforcement violence on black people. Look at some of these statements that have been put out, by Dems no less (Republicans are a lost cause so not even any sense in mentioning them). They won't condemn police. They are scared to.

Commander Quackers · Sep 4, 2020

Mona said:
was not expecting that picture

Edit: redacted considering the pics origins

Slayven said:
You should watch the video that pic is from. She actually protects protestors from being rushed because police don't know how to handle it.

Mulligan · Sep 4, 2020

Slayven said:
Hot take, a certain amount of this needs to happen. Because shit don't become mainstream and normalized with a good chunk of white people accepting it. Does this mean they should co-opt it, hell no. But if they all out there in the streets getting the same rubber bullets and gass, more power to them

I disagree. It didn't need to happen, but it was going to happen in this system. It's been obvious that business and the status quo are willing to say the right things and do PR stunts in, "solidarity," to keep their power and to also capitalize on a righteous movement, while also keeping the oppressed pacified.

LA Times (Opinion): White people have gentrified Black Lives Matter.

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