White privilege and white supremacy are not news to people of color, so the primary audience for #CrimingWhileWhite tweets is really just other white people who are likely equally aware that they can, for instance, speed with near impunity. White people acknowledging white privilege is important, but in the midst of national tragedies, tweeting about how you got away with criminal acts feel like a performance of awareness that you are privileged rather than what we really need – a dismantling of the power obtained through that privilege. ( Nate Silver’s post-Ferguson “burrito” story, which was widely condemned as tone-deaf, is unfortunately typical of the genre.) While these stories do highlight just how biased law enforcement in the US really can be, #CrimingWhileWhite has the unfortunate side effect of redirecting focus from the continued police violence against communities and people of color back to white people and their experiences. The hashtag is meant to be a glimpse into the incredible world of white privilege, where you can shoplift and get away with it, dine and dash with impunity, tell a cop to fuck off or even have one drive you to the ATM for bail money on the way to jail.
This latest viral hashtag started on Wednesday night after the Garner decision came down and, using it, white people have detailed crimes they’ve committed without much trouble (let alone violence) from authorities.
0 kommentar(er)
