such a well-written take on something most of us are sensing, but just can’t put our fingers on. the genocide has really shook some of us awake to the realities behind supposedly progressive activism, and its sad that most of us feel like the only thing we can do is share links to donations-that-go-to-the-affected and share revolutionary banners on ig stories while actual people die. take the shaun king tour thing for example- what in the actual world was that. even though it seems utterly unbelievable, this type of exploitative selective activism isn’t new at all. take what happens during pride month or ramadan or eid each year for example
This is so apt and timely. It speaks to the capitalist model of charity that is so exhausting to witness- a sweatshirt and a pat on one's back. I've been struggling to articulate this and appreciate your words all the more for doing so ♥️ Thank you
This is the first post I’ve read from you, and the second post I’ve read on this app, and I absolutely love love LOVE the way you describe everything I have been feeling and thinking about these past few weeks. We have used culture as a selling point to make more money not realizing that money is the root cause of evil. I respect your choice of words so much and adore the way you tied the whole piece together. Although, I would’ve really loved it if you brought back the Beyoncé point you made in the beginning at the end to really seal the deal. Overall, wonderful piece and I can’t wait to read more! ❤️
Wonderful - a lot of the supposed resistance is definitely feeding into the larger capitalist machine. I am interested, though: what does recognizing each other beyond capitalism look like in concrete terms? As a philosophy, it's understandable, of course. But as something that actually affects change, how does one go about fueling the resistance project? By donating to aid organizations that operate outside of capitalist agendas? Or avoiding those campaigns that are clearly hypocritical in nature? What if a campaign IS capitalist, but its messaging is consistent? Is the evil capitalism or the hypocrisy of capitalism? Is it problematic if someone is benefitting off someone else's pain or is it problematic if their values don't match their actions? And more broadly, considering that we live in a largely capitalistic world, is it our duty to resist capitalism or to use capitalism in service of other kinds of resistance (if that kind of distinction can be made at all)? I don't have any easy answers for these questions - but would love to know your take on them!
Thank you so much for engaging with my work. Agree that there are no easy answers to any of these qs, except that I definitely do feel that capitalism itself is what needs to be abolished. Am reading Ruth Wilson Gilmore's illuminating essays on abolition these days, and may write a follow up to this essay which explores some of these questions you're highlighting esp with regards to how we can recognise each other beyond capitalism and the culture machine x
Thank you for making me think deeper about all this.
Thank you for reading Aneeqa! xx
such a well-written take on something most of us are sensing, but just can’t put our fingers on. the genocide has really shook some of us awake to the realities behind supposedly progressive activism, and its sad that most of us feel like the only thing we can do is share links to donations-that-go-to-the-affected and share revolutionary banners on ig stories while actual people die. take the shaun king tour thing for example- what in the actual world was that. even though it seems utterly unbelievable, this type of exploitative selective activism isn’t new at all. take what happens during pride month or ramadan or eid each year for example
Thanks so much for reading and engaging with my work! xx
This is so apt and timely. It speaks to the capitalist model of charity that is so exhausting to witness- a sweatshirt and a pat on one's back. I've been struggling to articulate this and appreciate your words all the more for doing so ♥️ Thank you
Thank you for reading! xx
brilliant, amna
Thank you for your mind and words ❤️
This is the first post I’ve read from you, and the second post I’ve read on this app, and I absolutely love love LOVE the way you describe everything I have been feeling and thinking about these past few weeks. We have used culture as a selling point to make more money not realizing that money is the root cause of evil. I respect your choice of words so much and adore the way you tied the whole piece together. Although, I would’ve really loved it if you brought back the Beyoncé point you made in the beginning at the end to really seal the deal. Overall, wonderful piece and I can’t wait to read more! ❤️
Wonderful - a lot of the supposed resistance is definitely feeding into the larger capitalist machine. I am interested, though: what does recognizing each other beyond capitalism look like in concrete terms? As a philosophy, it's understandable, of course. But as something that actually affects change, how does one go about fueling the resistance project? By donating to aid organizations that operate outside of capitalist agendas? Or avoiding those campaigns that are clearly hypocritical in nature? What if a campaign IS capitalist, but its messaging is consistent? Is the evil capitalism or the hypocrisy of capitalism? Is it problematic if someone is benefitting off someone else's pain or is it problematic if their values don't match their actions? And more broadly, considering that we live in a largely capitalistic world, is it our duty to resist capitalism or to use capitalism in service of other kinds of resistance (if that kind of distinction can be made at all)? I don't have any easy answers for these questions - but would love to know your take on them!
Thank you so much for engaging with my work. Agree that there are no easy answers to any of these qs, except that I definitely do feel that capitalism itself is what needs to be abolished. Am reading Ruth Wilson Gilmore's illuminating essays on abolition these days, and may write a follow up to this essay which explores some of these questions you're highlighting esp with regards to how we can recognise each other beyond capitalism and the culture machine x