Why I don't like using facebook frames to show support for various causes
Facebook provides "frames" that you can attach to your profile picture to show your support for various causes and issues. alternatively, sometimes people will just change their profile picture for a similar reason.
Most recently there were many people posting a picture saying "No Space for Hate" and showing the inclusive sexuality, gender, and anti-racist flag (Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride flag) over the image of Canada.
People have done this for a variety of issues to show solidarity with Ukraine as Russia began the war, for example. Before that, people showed solidarity with the truckers protest in Ottawa and at various border crossings. Then there was the frame where you could express the fact that you received the vaccine. Then, people could show their support for the Black Lives Matter protests. Each year you can show your support for Pride month, and for Every Child Matters to support Indigenous issues. People take to social media to show their support for (or antagonism against) these various issues and events.
I've been reflecting on these frames and pictures because for a few years now they have been leaving me with a strange taste in my mouth. This is a personal reflection to help me understand why I feel that way. I don't mean this to offend any of my many friends who do such things, I'm just reflecting on why I don't like to do this.
There are common criticisms of the use of these pictures/frames which are that they are "virtue signaling" or "moral grandstanding", which is when the main motivation is really to show that you are a good person. They have also been accused of "slactivism" which means they are essentially lazy. They look like we are doing something, when we really aren't doing anything for the cause.
I'm not sure those address why I feel this way though.
I think for me it is more about trying to divide society up into "good guys" and "bad guys" in a much too simplistic way. There is a lack of nuance. Sometimes there is no attempt to even hear what the other side is saying.
Take the most recent counter-protest picture/sticker which I posted above that states, "No Space for Hate". The original protest (that the sticker is "counter" to), as far as I understand it, seems to be protesting Gender Theory (a form of Critical Social Theory) being taught in the school system- Or, at least the conclusions of Critical Social theory being assumed within the school system. (I've written a bit about Critical Social Theory here)
For example, some parents are concerned about biological males who identify as girls using girls' washrooms and changerooms. This can be a particularly pointed issue for those from cultures that have a very particular view of modesty that would be offended by either their girls seeing male genitals, or male eyes seeing their their female nude body, in the school changeroom. This can be a big issue for many traditional Muslims, for example, but they aren't the only ones. I think this is often a confrontation of worldviews. (I've reflected on this elsewhere.) Mainly, this is a confrontation between a worldview that sees "gender" as linked to biological sex (they are essentially the same thing), and those who see "gender" as independent of biological sex (gender is a socially constructed category and can be constructed differently depending on the inner feelings of the person).
Some parents are shocked to find out that their child is using a different name and pronouns at school, and the school is using that name and those pronouns, but the school keeps that information from parents as an issue of confidentiality. Parents find out that multiple classrooms of children and numerous staff know and use the child's alternate name and gender, and become upset that this isn't being shared with them when it is so public in the school community. These parents feel like they are seen as a danger to their own child.
There are a number of other issues that seem to be attached to this as a part of the culture wars we are in right now. For example, some are concerned with men (or transgender women) in drag reading stories to children in schools or libraries. (Drag has often been associated with a sexualized dance or burlesque show.)
Some are concerned with biological males who identify as girls taking part in women's sports, and potentially diverting sports scholarships away from biological females. Transgender women (biological males) have recently been breaking records in women's sports, while we rarely hear about transgender men (biological women) in men's sports.
There are some "de-transitioners" who had been transgender in the past, but who now think they have made a mistake after having significant medical interventions like taking puberty blockers (that can render a person sterile), receiving hormones like estrogen or testosterone (which cause the growth of facial hair, and breast tissues among other things), and/or having breasts surgically removed as a teenager (some as early as 14 years old). These de-transitioners are calling for restraint when it comes to medical intervention. In fact, a number of European countries have ceased medical transitions (drugs, hormones, and surgery) for those under 18.
There are some who are gay and lesbian who point to research that says that if trans children are not given medical intervention, they will grow up to be gay or lesbian, rather than trans, so these people will sometimes see these interventions as being an attack on gay and lesbian identity.
Someone might want to fight back on a number of these statements and say that they are exaggerations or misunderstandings. They might say that de-transitioning is very rare and exaggerated. Drag queens reading in elementary school is rare, and is nothing like a strip tease in that setting. Social media posts about medical interventions are exaggerated. Girls who are highly modest should use a stall, or bathroom, when changing so as to not be exposed to male genitals in the changerooms. And so on and so on.
For them, what is more important is the protection of these children who identify as transgender, gay, lesbian, etc. They feel that if they are not affirmed in their sexuality or gender then they may be at risk for suicide or suffer from acceptance and self-esteem issues. So, for them, it is more important to stand with these vulnerable children.
This is where the war is.
So, looking at that sticker again-
This divides people into people who are for or against- good guys or bad guys. Are you someone who makes space for hate? Yes or no.
But is this issue really that simple? From the concerns I stated above, are any of them worth pause? Are all those parental concerns obviously about "hate"?
Now, perhaps there were some hateful and bigoted people at those protests. Protests seems to almost always include trouble makers. Maybe there are lots of them. I don't know. But, putting those aside, say there is a minority of parents who aren't filled with hate. Maybe there are a few that are filled with genuine concern and confusion. Do any of the parents who are protesting have concerns that would give us pause, maybe we might even consider them to have legitimate worries? Is it possible that their concerns aren't "hate". Maybe we are actually talking about "disagreement" rather than "hate".
Perhaps we have to have a conversation about how a Syrian refugee family with a Middle Eastern Muslim worldview fits into a school system that is supporting a worldview that has aspects (particularly regarding gender and sexuality) that the family finds unacceptable. Do we just tell this family, "Sorry, you're wrong and hateful and you better get with the program now that you're in Canada, or get out and go back home"? It wasn't so long ago that such a statement would have been considered anti-immigrant and racist. Imposing a particular value system on people with a different worldview was once thought to be part of what was so despicable about colonialism.
This is a letter from the Muslim Association of Canada to leaders and school boards who called the protest hateful-September 25, 2023
The Muslim Association of Canada strongly condemns remarks on recent protests made by certain politicians, including our Prime Minister, as well as statements from school boards, unions, and reports from some media outlets.
By characterizing the peaceful protests of thousands of concerned parents as hateful, Canadian leaders and school boards are setting a dangerous precedent of using their position of influence to unjustly demonize families, and alienate countless students.
On Wednesday September 20th, thousands of Muslims, joined by other faith-based groups, protested to raise their concerns, calling for their rights as parents in relation to their children’s education. Their intent was to be heard, not to sow division. Parents should have the absolute right to advocate for the wellbeing of their children.
The statements from Canadian leaders and school boards increase the potential for Muslim children to face increased bullying and harassment in schools, both by educators and peers, a trend that’s already distressingly escalating. Civil rights organizations and Muslim organizations across the country have documented numerous validated accounts detailing situations where children have been coerced into activities that contradict their faith, or where parents teaching religious values to their offspring have been unfairly attacked.
We call on politicians and school boards, beginning with Prime Minister Trudeau, to retract their deeply inflammatory and divisive comments and issue an apology to the thousands of Canadian parents hurt by these comments.
Now, from the other side, I think people do need to hear the stories of people who identify with the LGBTQ+ crowd. There should be more empathy for those who are teased and bullied in school- whose parents treated them terribly- whose religious communities condemned them- and who are filled with internal struggle as they try to understand why they are feeling the way they are.
But, coming back to the original thought that I began this post with, I think these stickers and facebook frames divide the world much too easily into "good guys" and "bad guys" for me to feel comfortable using them, personally. Reality is much more nuanced than that.
Every one of these issues has nuance. The Russia Ukraine war is awful, and I think Russia should cease and repent. But, the history of Russia and Ukraine is complicated, especially when you include the history of NATO, and the historic dynamic between the USA and Russia. It seems like there is a proxy war happening between Russia and the USA and their allies. This makes it much more complicated.
To deal with a pandemic, people need to be able to work together and be largely on the same page. But, perhaps we should be more more skeptical of pharmaceutical companies that produced the vaccines, especially when we consider the massive profits they made over the pandemic. Massive corporations need to be watched with a suspicious eye.
I think green technologies are fantastic and I think it is good that we find ways to be more sustainable. But, many solar panels and electric car batteries do use something akin to slave labor in their production. And a lot of fossil fuels are burned mining for the needed compounds. Solar farms take up massive amounts of land. Many in Europe have found that wind and solar aren't able to keep up with demand because the sun doesn't always shine and the wind doesn't always blow. Offshore wind turbines have been shown to harm whale populations. So, maybe green power isn't as clean as it is presented. And that isn't to say we shouldn't be pursing these technologies, but we shouldn't ignore these negative realities either.
All I'm trying to say is that these things are complicated. I don't think it is helpful for us to divide these kinds of issues into "good" and "bad". It's not helpful to pick a side and then plug your ears at the criticisms of the other side and call them names. This goes for all sides of these issues- right, left, up, down, whatever.
We should consider the economic pressures as well as the sexual pressures put on young women who are considering abortions.
We should listen to how minorities have experienced oppression.
In the attempt to right wrongs and bring justice we should also consider how often human beings have done terrible things trying to do good- (e.g. Communist revolution in Russia, or the French Revolution). We don't want to run away from one injustice into causing another.
Maybe we have reasons to be suspicious of both free market capitalism and communism/socialism.
Maybe these are just really complicated issues and we should be listening to each other rather than labeling ourselves as the "good guys", which implies the others are the "bad guys".
Every issue has nuance, and I'm not so sure that it is helpful to add to the illusion that we can divide the world so easily into "good guys" and "bad guys". If we do that, it is almost inevitable that we will create a "straw man" of the other side- a caricature of their opinion- which is not helpful as we try to build a community together. We have an incredibly diverse community, and it is getting more diverse all the time as more and more people from all over the world are making a home here in Canada.
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