Victimization As A Source Of Power
It seems like a joke -- a gay pride parade stopped by Black Lives Matter activists.
I've written lately about feminism -- as practiced by too many these days -- as a way to unearned power over men.
Well, now Black Lives Matter activists got a bit miffy that gay lives weren't stopping to bow down to their demands -- basically their attempt to seize power.
Well, of course, what was there for BLM to do but to go all victimbully -- shut down the pride parade (and, in doing that, the speech of those participating) and try to extort some money from them?
James Kirchick writes in the LA Times:
On Sunday, Black Lives Matter activists pulled off the sort of victory that right-wing hooligans could only hope to achieve: They stopped a gay pride parade."We are calling you out!" Alexandria Williams, co-founder of the group's Toronto chapter, shouted through a megaphone as the Black Lives Matter float came to a halt and marchers sat down. Amid rainbow-colored smoke bombs, she accused event organizers of harboring "a historical and current culture of anti-blackness" -- a curious claim considering how the festival welcomed Black Lives Matter as "guests of honor."
Black Lives Matter refused to budge unless pride organizers acquiesced to a list of demands, which included increased funding for black-related pride events, "prioritizing black trans women" in hiring, and "a commitment to more black deaf & hearing ASL interpreters." Surely, these issues -- which are always "demands," never "requests" -- could have been taken up in a constructive manner before the parade. But dialogue has never been the preferred mode of communication for Black Lives Matter, not even, apparently, in uber-polite Canada.
It took only 30 minutes for festival organizers to surrender to this bullying. Gay rights activists are adept at challenging authority. Beginning with the very act of coming out, gay liberation's whole gestalt is defiance. That's easy to do when it comes to a government denying you basic equality. When their interlocutors are people claiming to be more oppressed, however, gay progressives are at a loss. Out-radicalized, they're utterly helpless.
Of course, real power comes through achievement, not achieving a shut-down of somebody else's speech and extortion of money from them for your own events.
That's thuggery.
And here's a good question from the LA Times comments:
Ridgeley
Where are the BLM activists to mentor Black boys at my school, who are often left adrift without fathers at home? Ounce of prevention and all that.
The capitulation to Black Lives Matter didn't stop there.
As I shared previously in the links section on July 3, Alexandria Williams got treated to some easy questions by extremely weak interviewer Natasha Fatah.
Way to give domestic terrorists the free publicity, Natasha. You didn't just play softball with this freak; you played tee ball.
Patrick at July 7, 2016 1:29 AM
"On Sunday, Black Lives Matter activists pulled off the sort of victory that right-wing hooligans could only hope to achieve: They stopped a gay pride parade."
Hell of an editorializing there. How often have 'right-wing hooligans' even tried to stop a pride parade? But this type of behavior is standard practice for left-wing groups.
Ben at July 7, 2016 6:16 AM
Maybe you should read further, Ben. They stopped a parade that they were participating in, as invited guests of honor.
I'll wager that doesn't happen too often.
Patrick at July 7, 2016 6:23 AM
Yeah, I'm just waiting for some SJW to come along and explain how it's all the fault of straight white men. BLM is the left-wing equivalent of the Westboro Baptist Church -- it pretends to have a philosophical basis, but in reality it only exists for the purpose of drawing attention to itself. (And donations... sure beats working.) The difference is, within the milieu that Westboro wants to be part of, it is and always will be marginalized. However, in lefty-land, the most radical wins, so BLM is gaining political power.
Cousin Dave at July 7, 2016 6:26 AM
Again, it's a way to unearned power.
Amy Alkon at July 7, 2016 6:39 AM
There is some power there. BLM events often have a tacit message of violence if appeasement isn't forthcoming.
www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/10/01/dont-criticize-black-lives-matter-for-provoking-violence-the-civil-rights-movement
Canvasback at July 7, 2016 7:55 AM
Unfortunately, BLM is not viewed like Westboro Baptist Church. This was on a design blog I read from time to time today:
http://www.designsponge.com/2016/07/black-lives-matter.html
The whole essay is an exercise in virtue signalling.
N at July 7, 2016 8:34 AM
Where are the BLM activists to mentor Black boys at my school, who are often left adrift without fathers at home?
That's racist, you know.
Insisting they adopt white culture, you know, things like learnin', readin', figurin' and spaking Anglish.
I R A Darth Aggie at July 7, 2016 9:18 AM
One more reason for gay people to arm themselves.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at July 7, 2016 9:53 AM
Honestly Patrick, I don't find it that odd. Left-wing groups tearing down events they were invited to isn't that unusual. It is just that most right-wing groups don't bother to invite them anymore for exactly this reason.
Ben at July 7, 2016 9:54 AM
"Insisting they adopt white culture, you know, things like learnin', readin', figurin' and spaking Anglish."
Isn't it odd how fatherhood seems to have become an artifact of straight-white-male culture?
Cousin Dave at July 7, 2016 12:45 PM
The irony here is that when California's Prop 8 to block gay marriage narrowly passed a few years ago African Americans voted something like 80% in favor of it. In fact, as a whole, the black community is extremely hostile to gay rights in general.
Aaron at July 7, 2016 2:08 PM
And they're still harping on about the police as a symbol of oppression not being included in the next pride parade, for shit that happened in the gay community in the 1970's.
Heck, black slavers were a symbol of oppression, so how about we prevent black members of BLM from attending?
BTW, the police chief, himself black, apologized for those things that happened before his watch, to rousing chorus of too little to late by guess who?
Bernie at July 7, 2016 2:30 PM
Amy, it's worse than a way to unearned power. People gain power they didn't earn all the time. People can inherit successful businesses, and help the business continue to grow, for instance. Trump did.
Unearned power is not necessarily a bad thing. It's undeserved power that's the problem.
Patrick at July 7, 2016 2:56 PM
Good Question:
"Where are the BLM activists to mentor Black boys at my school, who are often left adrift without fathers at home? Ounce of prevention and all that."
Answer:
There is no money in that, no one to shake down, no one to blackmail, no one to threaten. Until a government program starts to pay for the mentoring they won't lift a finger to help others as that would be too much work.
charles at July 7, 2016 5:37 PM
BLM - always a good source of entertainment.
November - BLM member tweets for local gangbangers to murder Trump.
Lost her job but not arrested.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at July 7, 2016 5:50 PM
Where are the BLM activists to mentor Black boys at my school, who are often left adrift without fathers at home? Ounce of prevention and all that.
This reminds me of a column by George Will that I just read today: The sobering evidence of social science
JD at July 7, 2016 9:39 PM
Umm... About this blog post? You'll never guess what happened.
Crid at July 7, 2016 10:04 PM
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