So the link I posted about jamietheignorantamerican is now officially my most popular post. And while on the one hand, it’s great that people are reading her comic, it’s troubling (as both she and many other commenters have pointed out) that it’s so popular, seemingly to the exclusion of the voices of people of color (a recent link I posted to an essay by Ta-Nehisi Coates didn’t generate NEARLY as much reblogging and commenting, for example).

I think it’s really easy to say “Well, I just clicked ‘reblog’ or 'like’ once. The volume of responses to this post isn’t something I can control.” And that’s true, but it’s also true that you might’ve felt more strongly about that post than, say, the post I made about the 12 year old girl whose hairstyle was grounds for getting her expelled. Because that one only has 17 notes. And the post to the Buzzfeed article is currently at 3,790 notes.

Of course, this isn’t to say that what happened to Jamie isn’t awful and that we shouldn’t feel badly about it: compassion shouldn’t hinge on conditions. Rather, it’s to say that we all need to work harder at thinking about why we feel more immediate compassion in some cases rather than others, and why some stories seem to gain more attention than others.

When I posted the link initially, I had no idea it would take off like it has: I just thought it would be one more link about white people acting like fools. I’d ask those of you who read this tumblr (and hi! welcome! to the new followers) that you give this whole situation a think. Your enthusiasm is awesome. I just hope that it can be coupled with some reflection, such that if you feel strongly about racism and social justice, you make sure you’re hearing from all the voices of those speaking out against it, and not just those who garner the most attention.

To that end, here’s a really good, quick read from Debra Leigh about ways to recognize and counter racist attitudes: http://www.stcloudstate.edu/affirmativeaction/resources/insights/pdf/28ToolsChange.pdf