Something has been bothering for a long time about "virtue-signaling" as a phrase. I finally figured it out. This is white people saying "you know you're only pretending to care about this."
Virtue-signaling is how white people tell us they *know* they're full of shit.
Virtue-signaling is how white people tell us they *know* they're full of shit.
https://twitter.com/MikeTek/status/1389578017626894339
Labels like virtue-signaling are an unintentional examination and acknowledgement of white culture. They're telling us that many white people don't believe what they say. They will conform to any ideology if they feel it serves them. They're saying that's what white people do.
As soon as you start to think about it this way, it's a pretty serious indictment. It's an acknowledgement of so many of the things we talk about. That Whiteness is incentivized against true equity. That Whiteness is socialized to reject input from PoC.
Virtue-signaling suggests that if white people are engaging in advocacy for justice and equity, you can't believe anything they say. That if white people supporting and standing in solidarity with PoC should be seen as inherently untrustworthy. That is *wild*.
I keep telling y'all that you need to find a way to talk about Whiteness. You need to be doing this work of self-reflection and getting a handle on the culture that shapes you. Because the folks that are out here representing your culture are not who you want doing it.
Let me close the loop on this. Because there is a key piece that goes this back to white supremacy. The accusation of virtue-signaling is tied directly to what non-white people are asking for. It's about acknowledging that we are gaining power to shape the discourse.
When white people talk about virtue-signaling, it's also an acknowledgement that they see us gaining the power to influence hearts and minds. And it is a direct rejection of that. We're not supposed to have that power. White people are not supposed to have to listen to us.
"I see you following the lead of people who aren't white. That is inherently bad for white people, so I know you are not being truthful about it. Your pretending is giving them power, so you should stop."
That's how you should hear it everytime someone says "virtue-signaling".
That's how you should hear it everytime someone says "virtue-signaling".
And that goes for every other access of marginalization and Othering. It's not a coincidence that phrases like virtue-signaling are largely carried by cis, hetero, able-bodied, white men. They want to remain the default. And giving anyone else mindshare is a threat.
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