Safety Pins: The latest accessory in White slacktivism

Dear Well-Meaning White People,

Solidarity Safety Pins seem like a good idea. They really do. You want a way to communicate that you care, that you’re an ally, that you are a safe place for all POC, women, the LGBTQ+ community, undocumented neighbors, immigrants, the disabled, and anyone not White. You want to send a silent message of support and solidarity by pinning a safety pin to your lapel, a visual symbol to let Others (and yes, that’s capitalized for a reason) know you’re here for them.

Here’s the problem: when you wear one, the only person who feels safer is YOU.

I’m a straight white middle-aged college-educated woman. That is my demographic. 52% of my demographic voted for Trump. We elected him, this is a verifiable fact. To strangers, I am nothing more than a representative of the demographic that was pivotal is cementing their (and our own) oppression. It doesn’t matter what my personal politics are, who I voted for, how much work I have or haven’t done for The Cause. The world sees me as a straight, white, middle-class woman. And right now, we are ALL suspect.

Wearing a safety pin on my (privileged) lapel communicates a clear message but it isn't the one you think. It goes more like this:

I’m scared.

I’m scared that White people have finally fucked up so bad that we’ve broken the country.

I’m scared of being looked at with suspicion and derision and hatred by strangers.

I’m scared of being made uncomfortable whenever I see anyone different than me.

I’m scared that one of Those People might challenge me, ask me why I didn’t do more, say more, advocate more, fight harder. And I’m scared that Those People have a point.

Please don’t confront me.

Please don’t make me uncomfortable.

Please don’t ask any more of me than this “silent message.”

I’m one of the good ones.

I’m not part of the problem.

I’m not responsible for any of this.

So, please. Please stop with the safety pins. They are the latest accessory of White slacktivism, they are a sign of guilt and fear and privilege. Stop avoiding the awkward conversations, the sideways looks, the suspicion “that seemed to come out of nowhere” and “is so unfair to me as an individual.”

Fairness isn’t relevant. We killed ‘fair’ a long time ago.

White people delivered their “silent message” on Tuesday. If you don’t agree with it, it’s time you got loud. It’s time you did something more than a symbolic gesture. Open your mouth. Open your heart. And open your wallet. That $4.99 you just spent on a 250 pack of safety pins could have been donated to the NAACP, the ACLU, or the SPLC.

And next time someone looks at you with distrust, wariness, or suspicion, live in that. We have earned it. Learn to be uncomfortable; that’s the only way to grow as individuals and the only way we can hope to change things for the better.

And please... for the love of all that is sacred and good, for the chance of ever making it through this next four years, for our friends and neighbors and family still searching for a tiny scrap of hope, for the pioneers and visionaries who fought and died for our few remaining civil rights, for our children and grandchildren, for the last 200 years of progress, please... GET LOUD.

-DW