ignorance has the ability to breed complicity if it is recognized but not dealt with. we single out one person and they become the poster child of a societal ill we all as men benefit from or have taken advantage of; consciously or unbeknownst to us.
us men, and I say us with a specific inclusion of SELF, should never be put on a pedestal; because we WILL disappoint you. & the fact that this industry me and alot of my musical friends reside within has a tendency to do so; resonates with privilege some of us see and alot don’t
i have shifted between the lines of performative and real allyship, led by my own beliefs based on equality and the eradication of privilege & my own addictions and insecurities tied toward social media and the need for us artists to be more than accessible; but attainable.
i myself have been victim; and more egregiously a perpetrator, of many traits toxic masculinity and those who champion that ideology exude; even after overhauling my perspective and awareness level a few years ago after calling out one of my own.
this idea that when we become “woke”, our work is done and we no longer drip male privilege is a myth I want to dissuade you and myself from, bc the work is never ending whilst under the system of oppression built by those who are predominantly male and white, but benefit all men
our past actions; regardless of who we are now, might not affect us as men, who have that ability to leave many relationships we were in unscathed. but our former partners are left to pick up the pieces, many times without the acknowledgment of what pain was caused.
& I’ll tell you right now; I was one of those men, who left relationships unscathed, had little respect & love for former partners during the relationship, and emotionally manipulated others to feel needed and wanted. this outward revelation isn’t to be taken as performative...
nor is this a true revelation, but a reexamination of self. of where I’ve come, and how far I still have to go as a black; bisexual man. this is a visual reminder to us “ally’s” who are only ally’s when the lights are on.
a reminder to those who have come a long way from when they started; but have stopped halfway there. to those who think the pedestal is ready and waiting for them. the myth of the “good man” is just that, a fucking myth.
& it’s high time us men, INCLUDING ME, comprehend this, & continue our work, performative or not, to better this place we inhabit together. this immaculate view is only snapshot our fragile male ego wants you to see; & it is due time we pull back the curtain...
to reveal our misgivings, misconceptions, flaws, & shortcomings; not to convince ourselves we aren’t worthy of saving, but having the courage and awareness to save ourselves in a world that is far beyond the one our fathers and grandfathers thought they ruled.
& with that being said, there’s a dichotomy within this spectrum of thought and the mediums we inhabit and share our lives through. social media creates this glass ceiling of what is with what is said, opaque to those who don’t know us, breakable for those who do.
will we allow that ceiling to hold us hostage; egging on performative justice in order to feed ego and be on the right side of history...? or is this all a tool for change, saturated by the duality of the human soul and its propensity to either stagnate or grow...?
this shit makes me question if doing anything within the public sphere is less of an “example” to follow and more a trend to commodify & seem cool. is the validity of protest art destroyed once it is shared; regardless of how restorative it might be to the human soul...?
and is that art now tainted if associated with an ideology or privilege we recognize but won’t attest to; bc the truth is we as men benefit regardless? this stirs many questions in mind for what it means to be an ally, none that shouldn’t be explored by self examination.
