Performative Allyship
There has been much discussion about what allyship is and how to be an ally, but another topic prevalent in online verbal art pieces is what allyship isn’t, and allyship for the purpose of performance. Using platforms creatively, both allies and members of BIPOC communities have identified actions that they mark as performative allyship, as well as actions they believe to characterize genuine allyship.
"This is not a cause to embrace partially, or join sporadically following a dreadful and appalling event. Every single manifestation of racism is appalling, therefore if we embrace the cause let’s do it fully without reserve.”
- A quote from "Are White People Waking Up" by Sabrina Brancanto
1. Following a Trend
Words with no actions
A reoccurring theme in criticism of allyship is engaging in anti-racist content and movement as a social media trend. Posting a black square for #blackouttuesday, liking content, tweeting or re-tweeting on twitter, selling t-shirts with relevant slogans, going to protests to post on Instagram, and re-posting while the topic is trending are all examples of engaging with anti-racist content in a performative way. Content creator Joshua Nkhata also comments on this in their Black Lives Matter poem, saying “Black Lives Matter was not an Instagram post.” American rapper J. Cole also comments on this in his song “Snow On Tha Bluff,” criticizing people who preach their message and re-tweet. He questions “the point of you preaching your message to those that already believe what you believe,” as people post and re-post on their social media pages filled with friends and family who likely hold your same beliefs or values. He calls people who do this and re-tweet “sheep,” and describes it as ineffective.
Dwayne Morgan shares a similar sentiment in his poem “How to Be an Ally.” He criticizes re-posts, tweets and likes, calling it “lip service.” Morgan says, “your hashtags won’t save my life,” calling attention to the concept of words without action. Anna DeNoia also tackles this concept in their poem “Allyship is Not Temporary,” asking “how long should I hold my beach pics when a Black man dies?” DeNoia criticizes allies who declare themselves as good people for posting on their Instagram feed and tweeting against the police, but posits a question asked by many people using social media to express allyship and spread important messages, highlighting the performativity of such actions.
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Meanwhile, Bo Burnham’s “Comedy” presents an interesting case that illustrates what these creators are precisely criticizing; he mentions how he uses comedy to highlight the different forms of racism: “systematic oppression, income inequality, the other stuff... And there's only one thing that I can do about it, while— while being paid and being the center of attention." He also confesses that “I'm a special kind of white guy / I self-reflected, and I want to be an agent of change / […] / Healing the world with comedy / Making a literal difference, metaphorically / I swore I'd never be back, and now, I'm back on my feet and I'm healing the world with comedy.” On one hand, Bo Burnham’s revelation seems to satirize the mentality of “white allies” who aspire to bring forth positive change. He himself acknowledges the apparent futility of confronting racism through comedy and his privileges of writing about racism while receiving attention for it, but fundamentally, his approach also demonstrates performative allyship as he repeatedly vocalizes that he “wants to be the change” and focuses on the importance of “making a difference with comedy”, but only engages with these thoughts on a surface level. These behaviours discredit anti-racist movements and trivializes them to a trend rather than a political and social movement.
2. Self-Declared
Allyship
Labelling yourself as an ally
A L L Y
People who label themselves as allies are criticized in online verbal art pieces for giving themselves this title. Dwayne Morgan touches on this topic in his poem “How to be an Ally,” mentioning how “Many [allies] don’t understand the power and privilege they exercise when they call themselves an ally / Giving themselves titles that their actions haven’t earned / Hoping to trick us into believing they’re on our side of the fight.” This highlights the idea that allyship isn’t something you are and is not a title you can give yourself, but rather marked by the actions you practice.
BIPOC creators also caution people from being labelled as allies because they are not racist, for having Black friends, or for being praised for using white privilege to advocate for marginalized groups. They also caution allies from defining allyship for other people and criticizing the actions of others who are trying to be allies. In the wise words of Dwayne Morgan, “you don’t name anything around here.” Instead, BIPOC creators urge allies to uplift and listen to BIPOC voices, and not overpower the voices of people facing mass systemic oppression.
1. Following a Trend
Words with no actions
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3. Selective Advocacy
Picking and choosing when and who to support
Aspiring allies and members of social movements are also criticized for picking and choosing when to be an ally based on convenience. This can include cherry-picking which racial issues and social movements to care about. Content creator Rob Chen calls on people who “say stop Asian hate / but the moment I say Black lives matter you turn the other way” in their poem “Calling Out Racist Asians.” This is a perfect example of individuals waiting for members of their own community to hurt to speak up about an issue, and only fighting for humanity when a familiar face is on their television. Selective allyship can also apply within racial groups, and impact individuals with intersecting identities such as members of the LGBTQ+ community and people who identify as women. In “You Are Not Alone” by TikTok user @justalieupoetry, the creator describes those who “only fight for humanity when a familiar race hits your TV / And then you hand in your CV like / Yeah! Now I'm ready to work! / Now I'm ready to speak! / But why wait for your own people to hurt before you fight for the weak?”
Meanwhile, Content creator @They/Them criticizes BLM supporters who exclude women and especially LGBTQ+ community members from their statement of “Black Lives Matter.” They/Them says that “some followers have seemed to forgotten / That Black lives can’t matter unless all black lives matter / And all black lives include trans [lives].” Similar sentiments are expressed by Susel Linares, who criticizes people who say they don’t support Black Lives Matter because they don’t see colour, but support Blue Lives Matter and All Lives Matter. Actions like these often defeat the fundamental purpose of allyship; while allyship does entail supporting marginalized groups whom you have relationships with (including BIPOC groups whom you identify with), it is misapplied when we consistently choose to only support a certain group. Genuine allyship involves not only the action of speaking up and spreading awareness, but also being mindful of whom we are advocating for vs. whom we might be excluding, when we choose to be supportive, and the purpose of advocating for these groups in the first place.