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I am an immigrant and muslim woman of color. I have rarely felt safe enough to discuss my honest opinions in public. If I have felt brave, I am often man-terrupted. Blogging and social media has served as a way for me to vent my frustration and has even been somewhat a form of self-love for me. I rarely felt confident in my own voice in a male-dominated Mosque or mostly white high school. Knock social media all you want, but it is what made me finally feel brave enough to write and speak up for myself. It has given a platform to those who may not have had one to voice their opinions, this can be a good and bad thing. Let's focus on the positive.
Sometimes writing is a much easier way to articulate difficult feelings. I think everyone needs to remember that the social media crusade against man-spreading on public transport was started by women in Turkey. For those of you who reject social media activism, keep in mind that for many women (especially women of color) the safest route to discuss certain issues and topics is online or through social media. Obviously, we wish this wasn't true because social media dialogue is often flawed and can come off as false solidarity. However, this dialogue is better than nothing. If social media serves as an outlet for marginalized groups to express their frustration, I think we should respect that. We should not shame women for speaking out or trying to learn about certain issues. I do agree that we should not adopt a struggle or oppression of another group as our own, that is unethical and minimizes a marginalized group further such as when people use the hashtag #alllivesmatter .
Blacklivesmatter is also a movement and hashtag that started dialogue among the masses about police brutality . Voices that may have not been heard otherwise. The government and police could not ignore thousands upon thousands of voices calling for justice. Social media can be very effective in this.
Freedom of Speech and expression are important components of the Bill of Rights and human rights. However, it would be ignorant to think that this applies evenly and equally to all members of society. I was in fourth grade when 9/11 occurred and have felt incredibly unsafe speaking out about injustices toward Muslims or people of color in public. I have often been told by my parents to censor myself because they fear for their outspoken, brown-skinned, Muslim daughter who is growing up in post 9/11 America. Power dynamics play a big role in who feels safe enough to express their opinions. A rich, upperclass ,Christian, able-bodied, white, straight, cis, male will always feel safer expressing his opinion and have much more of platform to do so. Social media is a way for the masses to hold those in power accountable. This is why many governments feel the need to control access to certain social media outlets in their respective countries.
I agree that on the ground efforts are vital to activism and I think that social media can be a great supplement to it. There will also always be those who contribute nothing more than hashtags when it comes to service, but that is their prerogative and none of our business. Getting the word out isn't exactly bad? It is their Facebook or Twitter, the unfollow button is a handy little tool. When we accuse people of not being "real" activists we are making an assumption about their life and it really isn't our place. Unfortunately, even with activist efforts that go beyond the internet this can not be avoided completely. There will always be those who do not contribute to the work, but put their name on the project. It's unfair, but from personal experience it seems somewhat unavoidable.
It is important to note that it is also difficult to tell what point someone is at on their path to social activist growth. We shouldn't judge those who aren't yet on the same level as us. I think it is a process, hell I'm learning about activism every day. There is definitely a learning curve. Social media has been a big part of the learning process for me. I know that even with certain terminology I haven't always been familiar with the concepts and have made mistakes. The perfect activist is an oxymoron. We should let people learn and grow from their mistakes. We should definitely correct people, especially if what they are doing is problematic and hurtful. I know I've had amazing feminist friends who have held me accountable and corrected me for something I thought was harmless. I value those friends, because I never made those same mistakes again. That is growth, we like growth, we should encourage growth.
Another point is that women are often harassed by men on social media. Comments often include threats of violence , such as rape. I know that I often see terrifying comments pertaining to my religion, gender and race. If those bozos are allowed to spew their hateful vile all over social media, I can spew my "hateful feminist agenda" anywhere I want. MUAHAHAHA. So before you go shaming a woman for being a social media activist, this is something to keep in mind. Please, check your privilege. Share the social media space and don't man-spread all over Facebook. Especially if you are sharing these opinions about disliking social media activism on your own Facebook status. Lolz.
#bacaklarinitopla #yerimisgaletme