White Folks Guide to Protesting
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Anonymous
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A friend of mine posted this today. Has anyone else seen it. I am a liberal white woman but this list does not sit well with me and I am afraid to make a comment on her post.
White Folks Guide to Protesting If you are a white person considering joining a protest this week, here is a list of rules put together for you. Friends of color, if they have forgotten anything, please add. 1, FOLLOW CALLS ONLY. Do not initiate or lead calls. Your job is to follow and add your voice when it is called for. 2. DO NOT TAKE SELFIES. Ask to take pictures or videos of individuals. You are there to witness only. Film the police as much as possible. Your goal is documentation to ensure that the true narrative is told. 3. BE HELPFUL. Hand out water and snacks. Make sure protest leaders are hydrated and fed. This is exhausting work, help keep their energy up. 4. FOLLOW DIRECTIONS. If a black person tells you to do something, you do it immediately without question. You respect the authority and the decisions of the black protesters at all times. 5. STAY IN THE BACK UNTIL YOU ARE CALLED FORWARD. If you hear “White people to the front” or “Allies to the front” step forward and link arms with other white people to form a human shield. 6. WHEN YOU ARE AT THE FRONT, YOU ARE SILENT. Your job is to be a body. You are there to support only. The only voices on the police line should be black voices. 7. REMAIN CALM AT ALL TIMES. This is difficult. You will be emotional and your system will be flooded with adrenaline. Remember this is life and death for the protesters. Save your emotions for home. DO NOT AGITATE. This is not a game. Joining a protest is a serious decision. Make sure you are there for the right reason. Support the safety of black protesters at all times. Copied/pasted. |
Anonymous
| So, you don’t like being forced to the back of the proverbial bus? |
Anonymous
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Whatever.
But I have some popcorn out in case this thread lights up... |
Anonymous
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As a white woman i have absolutely no issues with this list. It is entirely appropriate. We are warm bodies and our role is to leverage our white skin safety for protecting our fellow citizens.
It’s ok you’re uncomfortable. Run through your biases and where you’re having issues with the list. But also please stay home if you cannot participate in the way you are being asked. |
Anonymous
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I won't join these protests until we know we're not bringing on a worse resurgence of Covid-19 infections, but if I did I wouldn't necessarily adhere to these guidelines. In particular, the protest leaders can bring their own food and drink, and the notion that white protesters should immediately do without question whatever a black person, or any other person, suggests they do is ludicrous. Some of the other guidelines seem like common sense given the circumstances.
It almost sounds like an embellished version of similar lists that I've seen previously, made to sound silly enough to invite ridicule. But, then, I also know some white people who would actually write and circulate this stuff with a straight face. |
Anonymous
Case in point. |
Anonymous
| Half white, half Asian woman. I have no problem with the list It makes a lot of sense to me, actually. |
Anonymous
| Number four is the tell that this is trolling. |
Anonymous
| This is exactly the list. You are there to be support. You are not in charge. You follow. You shield. You support. |
Anonymous
I think that's right. But if that's a precondition to participation, count me out. I'm not surrendering my agency to anyone else, nor would I want anyone else on the streets to do so. |
Anonymous
| But can I bring a little pillow for when I kneel for forgiveness for my race? |
Anonymous
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Some of them are funny, but mostly, there's truth to them and I'd gladly follow them. This is not a complete list of course but I'd do as I'm told since we, white people, sure have not been able to make the world a better place even though we have been in charge forever.
I'm not going to protests but I if I did, would go with a black friend or a co-worker. I'd follow their lead. |
Anonymous
I agree with the spirit of the list it’s just made ridiculous enough (see number four) that it invites racist jerks to mock it. |
Anonymous
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#4 is a problem for me too. I don't ever blindly follow directions*, no matter who they come from. And I would hope that black people also don't blindly follow directions. *
*Unless there is a gun involved. |
Anonymous
| Does #4 extend to instructions from a black cop? |