Throughout this movement I (Kãmil) have used Facebook as my primary way of learning about, supporting and challenging opinions on the Black Lives Matter movement.
I've tried not to judge people without understanding their reasons why they do or don't show support, even if I don't agree with them.
I've made a point to myself of not judging anyone who hasn't posted anything, because I know that not everyone uses FB, and not everyone comes up on my timeline, thanks to the FB algorithm. I know some people have also chosen to use other platforms such as Instagram to speak up too, but I've tried to avoid it (because it makes me cross when i see someone post a selfie at this time, I guess because I am so consumed by this movement I just think 'why the f*** would anyone care about seeing yet another picture of yourself, when there is so much injustice to be spoken about - a much more worthy use of your online space?!'). It wasn't great for my mental health so I bowed out for a while!
Anyway, I found myself becoming increasingly frustrated at seeing people post something fairly mundane on FB (so they had the time to post) but seeing that they hadn't shared anything about the BLM movement. It didn't make sense to me. Why were they being so silent on such a huge issue?!
I felt so disappointed in my 'friends' who hadn't spoken out, and still do feel that way to be honest.
And then one of my friends posted this comment on one of my shared posts, and I saw things in a different light.
So thank you to this person for being honest about their reasons, you gave me a fair few spoons back (probably without realising!), but it really can be the difference between having a mental breakdown and feeling able to continue the fight for a little longer.
These comments were made on a post shared publicly on Facebook that we felt was a very well written piece from a mixed-race perspective . The post touches on a number of issues including the feelings of hurt and confusion from the many friends of BAME people who have chosen not to express an opinion on something that has hurt and affected so many people. A screenshot of the original post, is here.
Please note, as with all of our posts this one is meant to add 1 or more opinions and help us all to understand each other. It is not meant to solve or explain the issue.
