Farrakhan't: On Performative Wokeness

The phrase “performative wokeness” has been on my mind ever since I first heard it in a lecture. Said phrase describes anger or shame directed at social justice outlets that’s motivated solely by selfish self-worth, instead of a legitimate desire to improve the situation. More specifically, performative wokeness is interchangeable with feigned sympathies for an oppressed group, or “being a fake ally”. People often attempt performative wokeness to better their own image, even if it means patronizing others. Especially when they’re from a different minority group.

I mention this because one such an example emanates from a well-respected leader. Enter Louis Farrakhan, a prominent black minister who’s come under scrutiny for his beliefs. Farrakhan has been notorious for his bigoted speeches, most-notably his rabidly-Antisemitic ones, much to his denial. And it’s this that, as a Jew myself, has really piqued my ire for the man.

Before I delve further, I want to point out that Farrakhan being chastised by conservatives is hilarious. The right, especially in recent years, has a history of bigotry that’s made it hard to take any of their critiques seriously, so them calling this out reeks of hypocrisy. That being said, they have a valid point about Farrakhan: if the left is calling out the right’s racism, sexism and homophobia, then perhaps they could stand to lead by example. And they’re not with Farrakhan, which is disappointing. But I’ll put a pin in that for later, because we’ll be coming back to it.

Louis Farrakhan’s claims are disgusting when you distill them to their essence. Ranging from calling Jews “termites”, to claiming that Jewish doctors “give AIDS to black babies”, he’s a sore spot for many Jews in North America. Particularly, he’s a sore spot for many Jewish progressives in North America, who’ve routinely struggled to be taken seriously because of…well, y’know. So many Jews have been excluded by the platforms of Black Lives Matter and The Chicago Dyke March as is, but having a well-known and overtly Antisemitic figure stir up these movements by association is the real cherry on top. I definitely find myself struggling to call myself a queer ally and BLM supporter when these groups don’t feel like I can truly be one of them.

I’m sure you’re all wondering why I didn’t speak up earlier about Minister Farrakhan’s appalling views. Truth be told, there are many reasons. For one, I was scared. I was scared that my concerns would be used against me, and I was scared because I didn’t want to be perceived as racist. But I guess there’s no turning back now.

Additionally, I was far from quiet on Twitter. Much like my stance on Jeremy Corbyn, which I might cover in the future, I’ve been incredibly critical of Louis Farrakhan’s behaviour in my Tweets, even when it felt like I was shouting into an empty void. And the only people who listened to me, when they did, were far-right weirdos who assumed I was one of them, so that was a big turn-off. Plus, where to start? Farrakhan’s Antisemitism stretches back quite far, after all!

Ultimately, what got me to open my mouth was, well, Twitter. More-specifically, Twitter’s CEO, Jack Dorsey, a man who’s routinely updated the site’s hate-speech rules in order to appear helpful, yet has consistently failed to enact them on actual offenders because…God, who even knows? That Jack has sat on real abusers, like neo-Nazis and white supremacists, and done nothing as they’ve Tweeted hateful remarks is bad enough. The fact that he took forever to ban InfoWars creator Alex Jones is even worse, but now that he’s reaching over the aisle and taking no action against Louis Farrakhan too? I couldn’t stand by any longer.

It’s not like Minister Farrakhan hasn’t already split liberals and progressives. People like Chelsea Clinton (yes, that Chelsea Clinton) have condemned his behaviour, but others haven’t been as quick to jump on the train. I’ve yet to see a statement from Women’s March founder Linda Sarsour, nor have I heard a statement from The Chicago Dyke March. More-specifically, I’ve yet to hear an apology from Twitter activist Shaun King for endorsing Farrakhan earlier this year, and that really annoys me as someone who appreciates his work. Even in regular, progressive circles, Farrakhan seems to have as many apologists as detractors.

This goes back to my initial concerns about performative wokeness and the inability of the left to unanimously condemn Louis Farrakhan as a person. Because while Twitter might’ve removed his Verified status, he’s yet to be banned. And his support doesn’t seem to have completely-diminished either. Like I said earlier, the right has no right to be calling out Farrakhan for his Antisemitism, but they’re right about the left’s inability to own up to the stinkers in their own camps.

Besides, it’s not only Antisemitism that Minister Farrakhan’s espoused. He’s also gone after women and queer people. Which makes me wonder: what if a Jewish lesbian were to be impacted by his words? Would they be triply-screwed? Or would they have to accept that they’re “inferior by default”?

I feel like I’m in a no-win situation. People already assume that I’m “white privilege” because of my skin colour, not understanding what it means to live as a Jew. I’m routinely bombarded with Antisemitic insults because of my yarmulke, and people frequently assume that I’m super-wealthy because “Jews and money”. I also have to endure Donald Trump’s Antisemitic attacks on Schumer/Feinstein while hearing “but Ivanka and Jared” from apologists, all-the-while praying that a synagogue, cemetery or UJA billboard doesn’t get sprayed by some punk who doesn’t know how a Swastika’s supposed to look. And I haven’t even touched on the complicated subject of Israel, which so many people claim to be an expert on despite knowing almost nothing about it!

So having Louis Farrakhan, who’s openly Antisemitic, be openly embraced by groups advocating for social change isn’t only counter-intuitive, but detrimental to their image! Aren’t BLM, The Woman’s March, The Chicago Dyke March and the likes supposed to be all-encompassing? Isn’t the only criteria “justice for all”? Why bother if someone like Farrakhan’s welcomed with open arms?

I’d like to think I pay my social justice dues regularly. I’d like to think I promote their ideals, even when I can’t attend rallies. I’d like to think I’m one of them, even! So why not reciprocate? It doesn’t take that much effort to condemn someone for misbehaving, so why not do it? What are people afraid of?

This is why it’s so hard for me to fully-sympathize with progressive movements: you demand I take you seriously, but you can’t reciprocate? What kind of chutzpah is this? To quote Netta, “I’m not your toy!” You can’t expect Jews to feel welcomed in your home if you don’t respect them as guests. Jews don’t ask for anything other than to be listened to, and part of that listening involves taking the time to hear them out. And if they tell you that Louis Farrakhan’s bad news, then you’d better believe them!

I’ll end this with a mention of a recent conversation I had on Twitter with a close-friend. Said friend, who’s not Jewish, was equally as annoyed by Farrakhan and Jack’s refusal to do something about it. But while I believed that Farrakhan was more symptomatic of a bigger problem on the left, that being the inability to call out respected figures for their bigoted behaviour, said friend considered it an exception. We debated back-and-forth, eventually coming to a stalemate, but I think my point stands. Especially since the left loves calling out the right’s overt Antisemitism, faux-Zionism included!