Is this something that parallels “White Savior” movies?
A question for Black folks: When you see White folks advocating for Black people’s issues (on FB or any other social media), do you find it annoying?
No. I am only annoyed by whites who express negative sentiments against these voices. Like accusing them of being motivated by white guilt.
I believe recalcitrant whites will rarely be convinced to change their mindsets by listening to black people. If they see only black people protesting an issue, they will assume the issue isn’t important since it’s only ruffling the feathers of black people (and not the “good” black people who don’t get angry about stuff, but the “bad” ones with always have chips on their shoulders). However, if a critical mass of white faces are present in the crowd, suddenly the profile of the issue is granted more gravitas. Imagine if white people had not joined MLK et al. on the march to Selma. Black people would still be waiting for the right to vote.
I’m not black at the moment, but I do know what it’s like to have someone who is NOT subject to my concerns, try to advocate for my concerns in public forums.
Basically, when they know what they are talking about and do a good job of it, it’s fine. When they are obviously only grandstanding to try to make themselves look good, it’s annoying. And when they do such a vile job of it that it makes me and mine look bad, it can be infuriating.
I have also known a number of very sensitive individuals of various “persuasions” who DO react badly to anyone outside their group advocating on their behalf. It’s a common result of pretty much any subgroup you can think of, that some of them will be so over-sensitized, that they will jump through the screen at the mere mention of their group’s name by a non-member. The trick for the reader, is often to try to sense out whether the very loud angry voice is the one that’s most representative of the overall group or not.
Usually, they are not.
If coming from a place of genuine concern, why would they? Greatly simplifying, a lot of black concerns boil down to ‘everyone should treated equally’ (pay, rights, police interactions, etc). We should also all have equal rights in determining the course of our democracy. If I stand up for a “black issue” it’s not because I’m white or they are black, it’s because I’m on the side of fairness and equality.