25: In solidarity
And notes on posting and performativity
Every time I have tried to write this, it has felt wrong. There is always needless suffering going on in the world, but these past couple weeks it has felt like wave after inescapable wave of grief and tragedy. The people in Colombia, India, and Palestine in particular have experienced violence and death at the hands of states and institutions that continue to fail them. After a year of so much loss, I keep thinking at some point it might feel less crushing, but it never does.
I am so conflicted on what to say. Part of me feels silly writing this when for the most part I have not been tangibly affected, at least in the important ways, by the crises in the recent past. I believe in solidarity and that peoples’ liberation is connected and mutual, but it would be disingenuous to say I have a better understanding of or equal stakes in these situations. But another part of me feels frivolous for writing about, for example, digital friendships or my relationship with Mexican food on a platform of any size that could instead be used to amplify voices with more pressing things to say.
I wrote this in an earlier newsletter:
In the past couple of weeks, both Alicia Kennedy and Haley Nahman have written about navigating social media, fostering communities online, and how much access to yourself you should allow others, amongst many other illuminating things. Since the beginning of the pandemic and the murder of George Floyd, social media use has conflicted me. I felt that I needed to be posting all the time, constantly sharing resources and information in an effort to spread awareness and also solidarity with those facing much greater challenges than my own. But at the same time, I also found it uncomfortable to constantly be taking up space in peoples’ feeds, stories, etc. It also occurred to me that part of the urge to post was to show others that I was doing the right thing – so, virtue signaling, in other words. I wasn’t (and never will be) the authority on global health, class, race, and so many millions of other topics, so it felt wrong to pretend like I was an arbiter of these things when I was still processing and learning so much. I was even wary of reposting things from people, because that then required me to weigh up what information was more valuable, whose perspective was most valid or important, what precise actions were necessary. On Instagram, I have focused on sharing things that are actionable (protest information from organizers, places or people to donate to, mutual aid opportunities) and information that felt relevant to my communities in Minneapolis and London (though as both Alicia and Haley have noted, community can be a vague and easily co-opted concept). Here’s how I feel now: my time, money, and physical presence are more important than my posts on social media accounts, but I do not fault people for utilizing social media as a tool for their activism. I’m still figuring out how I want to use my platforms, despite their small size, for both myself and others.
I still believe a lot of this, and I think as long as I have social media or write for this newsletter, I will always be grappling with the tension between performativity and spreading awareness. But in the past few weeks, people from Colombia, India, and Palestine have all asked that their message is spread to create international pressure that would hopefully enact some change. As someone who writes, maybe I should have more faith in the power words hold and the work they can do for other people.
My social media accounts and Thanks We Hate It are still not my first choice when it comes to taking action. If every time injustice occurs we dedicate a whole post about it or delay sending it out, we would not write about anything else or post at all. But I don’t feel comfortable not acknowledging it, being able to put it to the side for another day when so many others can’t do the same.
I am glad that there seems to be more awareness of the interconnected struggles of people around the world, but I’m also aware that large, structural change is needed to meaningfully address them. In the meantime, I am learning when to use my voice in solidarity, and in the ways that are most effective. So for this week I am forgoing a normal post and linking to some places that are accepting donations, and I encourage everyone to follow and read what is happening on the ground.
Donate
GiveIndia Cash Relief to give money to families who have lost someone to COVID-19
Provide food, clothes, and necessities to Palestinians in Gaza
Since being back home in Minnesota, I have started running with my parents. It’s only been two weeks of consistent runs so I don’t want to jinx it, but I am excited to have a form of exercise that I genuinely look forward to doing. If anyone has any running shoe recommendations, my DMs are always open.
My dad has been cooking with mushrooms non-stop since I’ve been back. We really enjoyed this Mushroom Wild Rice Soup (we used vegan butter and cashew sour cream) and this Vegan Mushroom Étouffée.
My friend Lucy sent me this song and for days I heard the chorus in my head as soon as I woke up. Adding this to every summer playlist I have.
Speaking of summer, I have decided that I need to jazz up my usual drink order of a vodka soda to something a bit more inspired. I am leaning towards the Paloma — the perfect blend of citrus, fizz, and sweetness.
I found this article about the connection between the odd recipe videos floating around social media really interesting. If you have been curious or perhaps taken aback by concoctions like tabletop spaghetti, this will answer some of your questions.