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Personally, I don’t think there are any easy answers to this question, and I balk when my research is used to unequivocally ‘prove’ that symbolic online activism ‘works’ (as it was in this Christian Science Monitor opinion piece from 2013). As I point out in my article, the ‘slacktivism’ discussion has become overly focused on how online symbolic actions may relate to other (typically offline) forms of political participation–either empowering people to do more by boosting their identification, or convincing them to do less because they feel like they’ve already done their part–and this ends up side-stepping the thorny question of viral political persuasion altogether. Indeed, this is precisely the sort of logic that was invoked by a number of interviewees in my red equal sign study, and while the extent of such proposed effects is still very much an open question, it’s nice to see these ideas being given serious consideration in the mainstream media.
#Gay pride rainbow pics professional#
In Dewey’s article, UW professor (and professional colleague) Philip Howard offers the key pull-quote: “Openly declaring your support for gay marriage or dissatisfaction with modern policing can create a brief moment where people who see the image have to think about the issue.” Dewey then follows: “And if they don’t have a clear opinion, or see that image many times, it could - potentially! gradually! - shift their social views.” While reading this piece, I heard echoes of my own research on the 2013 red equal sign profile picture campaign, which posited that the peer-to-peer agenda-setting dynamics of these symbolic actions cannot be easily dismissed. First, there’s Caitlin Dewey’s slice of digital optimism, in which she makes a case for why these symbolic actions may be subtly, yet meaningfully, persuasive. Amidst the flood of think pieces that appeared in response to the rainbow images, two articles in the Washington Post caught my attention in particular. At the Republican National Convention, he implicitly endorsed an anti-gay GOP platform.Every time a symbolic online campaign goes viral, a new round of debate ensues over the value of so-called ‘slacktivism,’ and Facebook’s recent gay pride rainbow profile picture craze is no exception.
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Trump has hinted at support for letting businesses and individuals discriminate against LGBT people, as blogger Andy Towle notes.
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(For the record, his opponent, Hillary Clinton, is far more specific about her support for LGBT people, frequently addresses LGBT groups, and marched in New York City’s Pride earlier this year.)īut while these symbols are important, they don’t make up for the other ways that Trump denigrates the dignity of LGBT people.įirst there’s his zeal for restricting LGBT rights-letting states ban transgender people from using the bathroom of their gender identity, opposing the 2015 Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, his promise to appoint judges to the Supreme Court who will reverse the ruling, or his choice of one of America’s most rabidly anti-gay politicians as his vice president. And he should be applauded for being the first GOP nominee to address LGBT people in his speeches. Certainly, Trump deserves credit for breaking symbolic barriers of associating himself with the LGBT flag.