Let's talk about the precarious position in which people of color and underrepresented communities are placed with this mess, all of which could have been avoided. This will be a #thread.
First, @NewYorker didn't have to give white supremacist Steve Bannon a platform to begin with. The conversation really should have started and ended there. They really tried it.
And then Remnick with that whole "I thought about it and..." BS. So you were NOT thinking before?
And then Remnick with that whole "I thought about it and..." BS. So you were NOT thinking before?
Second, @NewYorker KNEW they were living foul because they told NO ONE. Even the venue was like... "huh? what? WHO?!" Which tells you that the New Yorker knew this was the wrong call to make but thought they could survive the blowback. But then...
Other invited guests started dropping like flies, & good on them. But here is the distinction. People from underrepresented communities don't get invited to these types of events enough. They FINALLY get an opportunity and they're left with a REALLY tough call: stay or drop out?
You stay because your thoughts and ideas deserve to be heard on the @NewYorker platform. And because folks who go to these things need to hear them. You drop out because you will not support an org that chooses to amplify white supremacy. Why should they be put in this spot?
This is not to mention that the choices that underrepresented communities make, when thrust into the limelight, are more heavily scrutinized than others. So.... @NewYorker says Bannon is out. Well, DUH. But now what do the people of color do? Stay out or opt back in?
Now that Bannon is out, if POC choose to do the @NewYorker festival, there will be some, perhaps in their own communities, who will call them a sellout, undeservedly. If they stay out, other publications/festivals will brand them as "ungrateful/difficult." Some choice.
Let's dispel this idea. This isn't censorship. The @NewYorker is a private entity that can choose who it does and does not want to invite. Would you call it "censorship" had he never been invited? Of course not. Move. I'm busy.
Anyway, the @NewYorker did several crappy things: they invited Steve Bannon. They invited other folks w/o telling them that a polarizing figure (to say the least) was invited, so they could not make an informed decision. By doing so, they affect the money & reputation of many.
I'm down with whatever decision those from underrepresented communities make, whether to speak or not speak. And festivals/orgs/others like @NewYorker need to think about the domino effect they put into place when coddling white supremacy. It's bigger than you realize.
