I think the thesis here (and backed up by the site linked in the first paragraph), is that Black women, after consistently showing up for progressive causes and democracy, are being encouraged to prioritize self-care at the moment, to avoid burning themselves out.
I take no stand on whether that’s a “good reason,” (I have no right) but that’s my reductive summary of the piece anyway.
You absolutely have a right to take a stand as to that summary. That summary is a summary of an incredibly stupid point of view, and I think it is fair to say so, whatever the race of the person who is supposedly holding it.
You should always prioritize self-care to the extent that you need to. That’s a given. That is actually, as far as I can tell, the point of the Essence article, which to me (unlike this article) makes perfect sense: Definitely not that they should not protest right now or anything, because doing so would be a favor to a bunch of people who haven’t earned in who now need to go on the back burner or something, but that black women just like anybody need to find ways to keep things moving forward, and also find ways to take care of themselves while they do it and make sure they’re doing that.
The idea that that means “sitting out” the protests now until the next horrifying thing starts happening to them because of what Trump is putting into action, once it is maybe too late to stop it, is bonkers.
Here’s an excerpt:
Some observers think these protests are more effective than the ones associated with the first Trump administration, namely the 2017 “Women’s March” and the 2020 BLM protests. The main difference seems to be that the earlier iterations had the words women and Black in them, while these are focusing on democracy. The implication is that the earlier protests problematically emphasized identity over democracy
This is just fucking gibberish. The BLM protests accomplished a ton of good progress. No one I know outside of MAGA people who are cloaking what they really think, tries to say that they were “problematic” or “emphasized identity.” Who are these observers who think that the current round of protests has accomplished more than BLM, or has this particular crazypants diagnosis for why? They are not named. That reference to nebulous “observers” who apparently hold some nonsensical but convenient point of view, so that the supposed view can be repeated and given some authority without the author needing to defend it, is actually a key example of why I felt like I needed to post this article in this community.
I think the thesis here (and backed up by the site linked in the first paragraph), is that Black women, after consistently showing up for progressive causes and democracy, are being encouraged to prioritize self-care at the moment, to avoid burning themselves out.
I take no stand on whether that’s a “good reason,” (I have no right) but that’s my reductive summary of the piece anyway.
You absolutely have a right to take a stand as to that summary. That summary is a summary of an incredibly stupid point of view, and I think it is fair to say so, whatever the race of the person who is supposedly holding it.
You should always prioritize self-care to the extent that you need to. That’s a given. That is actually, as far as I can tell, the point of the Essence article, which to me (unlike this article) makes perfect sense: Definitely not that they should not protest right now or anything, because doing so would be a favor to a bunch of people who haven’t earned in who now need to go on the back burner or something, but that black women just like anybody need to find ways to keep things moving forward, and also find ways to take care of themselves while they do it and make sure they’re doing that.
The idea that that means “sitting out” the protests now until the next horrifying thing starts happening to them because of what Trump is putting into action, once it is maybe too late to stop it, is bonkers.
Here’s an excerpt:
This is just fucking gibberish. The BLM protests accomplished a ton of good progress. No one I know outside of MAGA people who are cloaking what they really think, tries to say that they were “problematic” or “emphasized identity.” Who are these observers who think that the current round of protests has accomplished more than BLM, or has this particular crazypants diagnosis for why? They are not named. That reference to nebulous “observers” who apparently hold some nonsensical but convenient point of view, so that the supposed view can be repeated and given some authority without the author needing to defend it, is actually a key example of why I felt like I needed to post this article in this community.
“I have no right” is very weak and sheepish. Oof.
That’s fitting, since I am in fact weak and sheepish.
Good luck with that