Safety Pins

[FortyTwo]

FortyTwo, please note that there *are* people that even I might rightfully refer to as being "Social Justice Warriors" (and the article does give a good example of well-meaning *white* people being offended that persons of colour are not overjoyed about their display of companionship and attack them).

At the same time, I also understand that the term is often used by right-wing people to denounce anybody on the left who is not only concerned with his own welfare but also with the well-being of others. So I also do not really like the term, and we should think about using other terms here on the forum, as IS has already pointed out some time ago in the aptly named thread ...
Social justice warriors

That's all I'm saying. It's a nuanced situation. There are bad people and ugly rhetoric on every side.

 

[Spang]

 

[Amy SF]

I have a cheap-*** safety pin I pulled from my sewing supplies. That's the kind of safety pin everyone is using. Stop trying to make the safety pin idea look elitist. It's not. The safety pin is used because it's a common, everyday household object that most people have at home or can buy at the drugstore.

 

[beancounter]

I have a cheap-*** safety pin I pulled from my sewing supplies. That's the kind of safety pin everyone is using. Stop trying to make the safety pin idea look elitist. It's not. The safety pin is used because it's a common, everyday household object that most people have at home or can buy at the drugstore.

It's not about the type of safety pin - it's that "elitist" people believe that by merely wearing a safety pin they are making a real difference. Or in other words, just wearing a symbol on your shirt does nothing of substance for the victim.

 

[Mischief]

I don't think anyone on here is advocating that anyone wear a safety pin and feel that they have done all that they need to do, so it's somewhat disingenuous to keep implying that that's the case.

There's something nice about wearing a symbol. The right has plenty of symbols, from Confederate flag bumper stickers to swastikas. Why shouldn't we be permitted to have a symbol?

 

[Second Summer]

Yes, I don't mind if people want to wear safety pins. That's cool. I don't see any harm in it.

 

[Spang]

Feel free to wear it, but the safety pin has been commodified by capitalists and co-opted by white nationalists.

If the safety pin is meant to benefit marginalized people somehow, when a member of an historically disenfranchised community questions it, I think it's best to just listen.

 

[Mischief]

The peace symbol was commodified by capitalists also. The same thing with the cross, the star of David, etc.

If we stopped wearing/using everything that has been commodified by capitalists, we wouldn't read books, spend time on the Internet, or wear clothes.

As for being co-opted by white nationalists: Safety Pin Co-Opted by White Nationalists? - snopes.com

We're on page 3 of a forking thread about safety pins, for god's sake. I think everyone could be putting their time to better use. I'm certainly done with this stupid argument.

 

[Freesia]

We could have a thread about buckles, or shoelaces.

 

[FortyTwo]

It's not about the type of safety pin - it's that "elitist" people believe that by merely wearing a safety pin they are making a real difference. Or in other words, just wearing a symbol on your shirt does nothing of substance for the victim.

I don't think anyone on here is advocating that anyone wear a safety pin and feel that they have done all that they need to do, so it's somewhat disingenuous to keep implying that that's the case.

There's something nice about wearing a symbol. The right has plenty of symbols, from Confederate flag bumper stickers to swastikas. Why shouldn't we be permitted to have a symbol?

I think there's an argument to be made for truth in both of these sentiments. What it comes down to in the end for me is being able to substantiate your use of a symbol with action.

So many people will wear these safety pins without knowing what the hell to do if they actually come across someone who needs help. Make sure you know what you're saying and that you're not just trying to make yourself feel better about the situation. If you can say that you know what it means and you're willing to back it up, then I'm all for symbols. Just make sure what the symbol represents is really there, or it really just is elitist posturing.

 

[Spang]

 

[Spang]

An interesting article about symbols.

Displaying a symbol where you know you are an opinion minority, and especially where it opens you to attack, is a very different gesture than where it is safe. In these contexts, it is an act of dissent.