SJW's, the Internet, and Performative Activism
One factor that has contributed to the way people perceive the term “social justice” is the internet. One association that comes to mind is the term “social justice warrior” or SJW’s for short, a phrase with a negative connotation used to belittle people who express socially progressive views. Some would say the term is more used to target performative individuals, rather than well-intentioned activists. More accurately though, one could say that the term conflates the two, labeling all advocates for social justice as self-centered people who are motivated by a desire to be right rather than a desire to help others.
This term has kind of fallen out of the mainstream, but a couple of years ago SJW was such a common insult used on the internet by the alt-right that most people our age are quite familiar with the phrase, and the phrase is indicative of how people just generally think about social justice. (here is a link to an article explaining the brief history of the term social justice warrior, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2015/10/07/why-social-justice-warrior-a-gamergate-insult-is-now-a-dictionary-entry/)
A lot of people associate social justice with the internet and the performative activism that often takes place on social media. Rather than being associated with actions done in the real world, social justice is seen by many as something people argue about online. Social media can be a helpful tool when it comes to building collective power and spreading awareness on specific issues that the mainstream media neglects to cover, but activism that remains online and never connects in some way to the real world is performative. Social justice is about creating a socially just society, which requires more than just internet activism, and I think one way to counteract the negative associations people have with social justice would be to display and emphasize ways that people can get involved in social justice causes. By giving people actions that they can do, social justice can start to feel less performative and more achievable. People in the general population often feel powerless when it comes to helping with large societal issues, so I think it's important to encourage people to get involved, even if only in small ways, with social justice causes.
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ReplyDeleteI like that you highlight the way that rather than criticizing a certain type of activism, dismissive language like SJW paints all activism with a broad brush as a way to write it off. This kind of caricaturing seems like a very powerful tool to make people look silly or like they are overreacting to whatever cause it is that they are championing. It also seems very important that you mention that there are significant portions of online activist spaces that really are performative, and highlight the importance of staying grounded. You take a look at this complex issue without taking one of the predetermined stances and instead coming up with a more thought through position, which I think is cool.
DeleteI hadn't heard of the term "social justice warrior" before reading this, and after skimming through the Washington Post article, I agree that it can group all advocates under the same negative label. The article explains that "It is very, very difficult to find a reliable accounting of what the phrase actually means, and to whom it refers precisely, and why," which backs up your point. Your connection of the term to performative activism was really interesting to read, and I think you did a great job discussing the mindset and perceptions around social justice.
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