Heard about this just after Brexit and apparently it’s become popular after some minor political event in the colonies. The Beeb reports it originated in the Netherlands in WWII to show solidarity with the exiled queen.
Anyway the idea is to let immigrants, those of a minority ethnicity or religion, the disabled homosexuals, and any one else who might feel marginalised by the state of politics that you’re a ‘safe’ bet and that you welcome them.
Myself, I think it’s pretty damn sad that we’re now to the state where we feel the need to advertise that we treat people with human dignity. Sad!
Solid meh. I had never heard of it until your links, and apparently it’s a social media fad. Like all social media fads, it will totally consume the thoughts of all twelve people who care enough to have a flame war. It will accomplish nothing whatsoever of lasting significance in the real world. Those twelve people will conclude that nothing was accomplished because the system is rigged.
I remember when Obama was elected and white people were afraid to go out in the street because of the roving gangs of black people looking to assault them. I had to call my one black friend to walk me to my car each morning so I could go safely to work.
It would have been nice to have a way to have a way to tell the black people who were not going to assault me from all the other ones. This is a great idea.
I guess it is kind of sad that people have to put on an “I’m not a complete a-hole” badge, but it’s also one of the few positive, optimistic, unifying ways people have to react. I’ve been really heartened at how people are moving past fear and despair and toward doing what they can to in their community to help us get through what’s to come.
I might do it. As an older white guy, I don’t want to be mistaken for a follower of a confessed serial sexual predator racist xenophobic asshole. I can see where a Hispanic or Muslim might be frightened of someone who looks like me so if I can put them at ease with a little sign of my open mindedness, I’m all for it.
Well, it’s pretty easy for racist rednecks to find each other, but not so easy to know whether the person in line in front of you hates “your kind.” Nice sentiment.
With all of the Republicans frothing at the mouth in their rallies about hating everybody who doesn’t look like them, this is just a simple way to let people know you’re not one of the bigots.
We had a Hispanic child in one of our schools have other kids block her passage and told her she would be deported. Story here and another here. None of this would have happened before this campaign, the racists have been given a permission slip to begin terrorizing “the other”
Being in a big city where I cross the paths of hundreds of people a day, whether on transit or the sidewalk, I’m happy to wear an outward sign that I’m not someone to worry about. Just today a gay friend of mine voiced fear for the first time in her life because two lesbians were assaulted in a nearby neighborhood just last night. I’ll be the escort for fearful friends, I’m well armed. And still liberal. Go figure.
As a white guy, I get why you’d want to wear a badge that says, I’m not a bigot right now. If an American who is Muslim, black, brown, gay, non-Christian, disabled, or any of the other things that put him/her outside of Trump’s America spots these pins and feels a little bit safer and a little less marginalized, I guess that’s a victory.
There were safety pins out at a dinner party I went to tonight. I took one and will be wearing it.
Living in San Francisco, it’s been especially sad seeing episodes of bigotry happen here, spreading over social media. I think it’s less about committing to any sort of action per se, and more about an act of solidarity. Walking down the street and seeing multiple safety pins reminds the vulnerable living here that there are people who support them and would be willing to step in. For the bigots, it’s a reminder that just because the president has changed does not mean that certain behaviors are any more acceptable and there aren’t as many people on your side as you think.
Right, wearing the pin says I’m a friendly face and I will step up and help you if you are harassed. I especially like your point Shalmanese, that it is a message to the bigots that we won’t be cowed.
A colleague just now posted a video on Facebook of a man harassing a person of color on the DC Metro. He was asking a person of color “this is America, when are you going to leave? and just tell me, have you heard of deodorant?” Bystanders immediately put themselves between the victim and the harasser. You can hear some people in the video saying, “don’t worry, we got your back,” to the victim.
I’m out of the US on a business trip, but I will start wearing a safety pin on my shirt the day I get back.
Any time people feel they have to have some semi-secret symbol to let each other know that others share their Humanist/Peaceful thoughts, there is probably something very wrong.
Until there are signs that Trump will really try to deliver on his racist, militaristic horseshit, this is too presumptuous.
It reminds me of the Peace symbol and hand gesture of the 60’s.
We may yet need such symbols, but not quite yet.
I still have my peace symbol pins. I would need to buy larger safety pins. Just for the pure “We’ve been here before” aspect, I suggest the peace symbol pins and posters be put back into mass production.
Pins and ribbons are fine and good to signal solidarity and attract attention when there’s a problem, but then you need to organize based on that solidarity, spread the truth while you have the attention, and participate in solving the problem. Was so 30 years ago, is so today.