Facebook arguments almost never end well, and last night’s debate about a Harvard student’s petition to disinvite rapper Tyga from the upcoming undergraduate concert, Yardfest, proved no exception. The petition took off quickly, garnering attention and posts from across Harvard’s many newsfeeds. Perhaps surprisingly though, a comparison of Tyga to Hitler or an off-color reappropriation of his lyrics were far from the worst things that appeared in the ensuing debate. Even the shallowness of a 10-plus comment thread discussing the validity of the Grammys as cultural arbiters pales in comparison to the ensuing attacks on the petition and person who wrote it. Far from just a classic case of Facebook trolling.
The first strain of these, familiar to anyone who has ventured into a Facebook conversation, was the inevitable ‘you all are too serious’ critique. Perhaps epitomized by Tyga’s very own “the less you give a f**k, the happier you’ll be” or a less-than-constructive “do less” thrown into the Class of 2016 feed. This line of argument is as shallow as it is intellectually disengaged, and hardly warrants a response. Although a mainstay of internet trolling, this argument seems particularly problematic when placed in the context of a conversation about very real issues of misogyny and dehumanization of women. One could argue that the artists’ offense is exaggerated, perhaps, but we shouldn’t be telling people to stop taking the issue seriously.
Far more distressing, however, were the comments of students who believe it to be within their personal prerogative to attack any activist or cause they rate less important or valuable than their own work. These apathy activists, many of whom normally engage in actually substantive and admirable work, notionally cloak their arguments in the idea that there are ‘real problems’ to focus on. This petition, they argue, mistakes a mole-hill for a mountain and is thus undeserving of their support. Their arguments are harmful and dangerous. By buying into the narrative that some misogyny is okay and those who call it out are ‘being silly,’ the offer refuge and legitimacy to people who don’t want to take feminism seriously in the first place.
Of course, important qualifications apply. Some people, always on the lookout for a way to bring attention to important campus issues, made the smart choice to try to refocus attention on the patriarchy right here in Cambridge. Others asked their friends to redouble their efforts to combat sexism in their own lives. That’s fair enough. Cheers to them for seizing the moment for a bigger cause.
But for others, the conversation devolved into a retributive defense of the artist or Yardfest, which entirely ignored the very real issues raised, and unnecessarily offered cover to those who actually don’t care about misogyny and rape culture on college campuses. Their location for the Tyga conversation quickly evolved into the ‘Tyga Resurrection Party.’ Posted in the 2016 Facebook group with an open invitation to anyone “feeling drained by this poor and uninspiring placement of activist energy” and accompanied by the ever-inspirtational hashtags #wehavebiggerproblems and #canwelive, the party quickly attracted more than 100 attendees, among them many of my own liberal and normally socially conscious friends.
The problems with the “#wehavebiggerproblems” line of thinking are many. Let’s consider two. First, the attendees of the event are making a statement not only that they find the petition silly, but that they’re willing to make a statement in defense of a pretty indefensible artist. An event cover photo featuring the very same image as the petition makes especially clear the flippancy and disdain meant towards the petition’s author and contents. That sort of knee-jerk reaction is indicative of the sort of meanness and smallness that Facebook engenders in these debates.
Second, it unnecessarily creases a divide among Harvard’s feminist communities. If the objection is that this fight is too small in a bigger war, joining the battle on the opposing side is a bizarre choice. In doing so, you’ve legitimized their apathy and disdain for your cause. Don’t be surprised when next time you want to discuss gender discrimination in another context your petition-trashing and Tyga-supporting friends aren’t there for you. If you treat feminist activism that isn’t personally important to you as a joke, it’s hard to understand why you expect others not to.
Are there bigger problems for feminism than a mediocre artist’s presence at a long poorly-attended event? Of course. But it’s hard to see why a critique of Tyga’s very real attack on women (see the petition for just a few examples) detracts from these issues. The ‘bigger problem’ these students are attacking seem to be more related to their need to attend an enjoyable concert in peace. Their identities as feminists or liberals or just right-thinking individuals become secondary. Why they would dedicate time or energy to putting forward that need so far escapes me. The less charitable and even more problematic explanation is that they’ve become territorial, unable or unwilling to share the activist space with anyone whose issue they view as less important.
None of this is to take away from the legitimate reasons that some people don’t want to sign the petition. Maybe you’re uncomfortable with the cognitive dissonance of dancing to music on Saturday and protesting it on Sunday. Maybe you think having a nice Yardfest is more important than the statement made by choice of artist. Maybe you’re uncomfortable attacking a black artist while unsure if a white artist would be maligned in the same way. So, sign the petition or don’t. Really, it’s up to you. But don’t dedicate your time to attacking a student who wanted to make a statement about the need for more socially conscious college culture (and the over 1,000 people who have signed on agreeing with her). Don’t legitimize a narrative of feminism as silly or overhyped or overly-sensitive. If you actually have bigger problems to deal with, well, go deal with them. Facebook won’t miss you.
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