Whenever I would question the whiteness of these spaces and how strategies didn’t take race into account, I would be met with uncomfortable silences. The last time, at a nationwide movement-building workshop last April, I was asked, “Well then, why are you even here?”
This shit. It reads like something out of a Robin DiAngelo piece. Selectivized anonymous anecdotes designed to stir the pot.
From my other comment: "In the UK we have Extinction Rebellion, which is worse than useless because it’s totally unwilling to make any link between climate change, capitalism, and global inequality. They try to be apolitical or neutral on every other issue and treat climate change like it can be addressed in a bubble. It’s fundamentally in conflict with a leftist view of how the world works."
Do you agree that this is a problem with many climate activism groups? If so, why are you assuming that this particular instance of a person complaining about that is being made in bad faith? Given that the person's solution is join an org that's "working together on how to link anti-racism and inequality in climate justice", and not "buy my book and training courses", I'd make the opposite assumption.
Do you agree that this is a problem with many climate activism groups?
If I was actively engaged in a few climate groups, I could probably say one way or another. As it stands, the organizations I've participated in that were even somewhat productive tended to be focused on the work at hand (which tended to be overwhelming and preclude time for this kind of bickering). Any organization where people were complaining about getting cut out of a photograph or marginalized as a speaker was one I'd bow out of reasonably quick. The Coffee Party - some lib shit I dabbled in back in 2010 - felt like this. Just everyone asking to be seen and heard. Nobody giving a shit about the politics of it all.
Given that the person’s solution is join an org that’s “working together on how to link anti-racism and inequality in climate justice”, and not “buy my book and training courses”, I’d make the opposite assumption.
"Don't join their group, where I'm not in charge, join my group where I am in charge" isn't activism, it's self promotion.
I'll admit, maybe I'm just reading this shit wrong and I've got a cynical chip on my shoulder. But it feels like they're spilling a bunch of ink to say "Please clap".
To check I'm understanding, what are you calling performative identity politics BS?
This shit. It reads like something out of a Robin DiAngelo piece. Selectivized anonymous anecdotes designed to stir the pot.
From my other comment: "In the UK we have Extinction Rebellion, which is worse than useless because it’s totally unwilling to make any link between climate change, capitalism, and global inequality. They try to be apolitical or neutral on every other issue and treat climate change like it can be addressed in a bubble. It’s fundamentally in conflict with a leftist view of how the world works."
Do you agree that this is a problem with many climate activism groups? If so, why are you assuming that this particular instance of a person complaining about that is being made in bad faith? Given that the person's solution is join an org that's "working together on how to link anti-racism and inequality in climate justice", and not "buy my book and training courses", I'd make the opposite assumption.
If I was actively engaged in a few climate groups, I could probably say one way or another. As it stands, the organizations I've participated in that were even somewhat productive tended to be focused on the work at hand (which tended to be overwhelming and preclude time for this kind of bickering). Any organization where people were complaining about getting cut out of a photograph or marginalized as a speaker was one I'd bow out of reasonably quick. The Coffee Party - some lib shit I dabbled in back in 2010 - felt like this. Just everyone asking to be seen and heard. Nobody giving a shit about the politics of it all.
"Don't join their group, where I'm not in charge, join my group where I am in charge" isn't activism, it's self promotion.
I'll admit, maybe I'm just reading this shit wrong and I've got a cynical chip on my shoulder. But it feels like they're spilling a bunch of ink to say "Please clap".
Maybe I didn't read that part, but I didn't see where they said "join my org instead"