By: Kat Littfin

Editorial Editor

Historically, activism has been an effective way for individuals to enact political and social change. However, with social media and the internet emphasising personal image, the ways people demonstrate their activism have become more perceptions-based rather than actually impactful. Our society needs to make performative activism less normalized and encourage individuals to instead take action in effective ways to create lasting change.

With the rising controversy of Elon Musk, some Tesla owners report their cars being damaged or vandalized. These crimes have prompted Tesla owners to place stickers on their cars, touting messages like “Elon Sucks” or “I bought this before we knew Elon was crazy.” The issue is that both perpetrators of Tesla vandalism and those who choose to use the stickers are demonstrating performative activism. Vandalizing cars does nothing to effectively fight against Musk’s damaging ideologies, including anti-semitism, anti-diversity, and techno-libertarianism, his governmental interference, or his company’s power. It only inconveniences the owners of the vehicles, who may or may not agree with Musk. Additionally, placing stickers with anti-Musk messaging is a purely self-serving act. If Tesla owners really wanted to protest Musk’s impact, they could trade in their cars and stop patronizing his companies. Instead, the stickers are a way that Tesla owners can tell themselves they are enacting change and thereby avoid vandalism while still profiting from the conveniences of Musk’s technologies. Real activism comes in the form of protest, which often involves giving up worldly conveniences, lobbying, and finding ways to get involved in changing policy. Such activists exist in Los Gatos and surrounding communities. For example, protestors have been stationed outside Tesla dealerships around the country, including Los Gatos. These demonstrations may not be able to create immediate change, but their actions are more genuine than a simple sticker and have a greater chance of making a difference over time by calling attention to Musk’s damaging impact and dissuading potential Tesla buyers.

Performative activism is not only ineffectual but also takes the focus away from actual changemakers and can hurt activists’ cause. In a NY Times article from 2021, John McWhorter, a linguist and professor at Columbia University, described an instance when the Black Student Union (BSU) of the University of Wisconsin worked to remove a rock from campus. The justification behind the BSU’s decision was that a newspaper article published 96 years prior had described the rock using a racial slur. McWhorter noted, “The students … imply that the rock’s denotation of racism is akin to a Confederate statue’s denotation of the same.” By giving a rock the same power as a statue of a Confederate soldier, the students unknowingly took away from the legitimacy of complaints of more blatant or recent cases of racism and other prejudices. In a society already polarized over social issues, it is essential to focus on issues that have a tangible and damaging impact, rather than those that are merely for optics.

Whether it is a Tesla Bumper sticker, a random social media story, or an attack against a rock, performative activism is not effective, nor is it positive. Aspiring changemakers should do more than simply speak out about issues on a surface level. Instead, they should become involved locally or even on a larger scale in matters that they truly wish to address.

(Sources: Fox Business, New York Times)