Dynamics of Celebrity Activism
how idolizing our movement leaders exacerbates systemic burn out and defers the work towards collective liberation
“We really need to stop putting people on pedestals. It is harmful and dehumanizes all involved. Putting someone on a pedestal is not caring for them. It is not love. You can love, admire, adore, learn from, or follow the leadership of someone without putting them on a pedestal. Putting people on pedestals is part of the binary of how we categorize people into “good” and “bad”. They are two sides of the same coin and they contribute to our…
CW: sexual and anti-Asian violence.
This week, I allowed myself to move more fully than I have before into emotions other than anger about some of the violence I’ve endured. I was terrified, but I looked to the people who model this for me and found courage. Today, after attending a healing space for people of Asian descent organized by Healing by Choice! and Rising Voices of Asian American Families, I feel ready to open up to the people who care for me.
I am exhausted from carrying shame from what I’ve survived. I am tired from sharing it with…
This piece was written on August 24th, 2018.
‘Katoi’, the former name of recently re-named restaurant ‘Takoi’ is only one in a list of problems its owners, Brad Greenhill and Courtney Henriette, have yet to address. The word used in this context is offensive, culturally appropriative, and further exoticizes Thai, Asian, trans, and queer cultures and identities which are all already frequently misinterpreted, stolen from, and dehumanized by U.S. society. But the broader problem of disrespect and cultural appropriation do not stop at the name. …
