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Azra Noxx posted an update in the group
White Ally Wannabies 9 years, 3 months ago
So, I have a topic: I have really complex feelings about the terms “White Savior Complex” and “White Savior Industrial Complex.” I really, really hate the way “White Savior Complex” and “White Savior Industrial Complex” have been used recently. The idea of a White Savior Complex is appropriate as it applies to specific programs, NGOs, and…[Read more]
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Azra Noxx joined the group
WSC and WSIC are shorthands, and as such, are definitely destructive and hurtful because they do create a caricature of white folk being there for the photo-op and the feel-good, but doing more harm than actual good, and minimizes or misses out on their very real and often altruistic desire to actually DO good and alleviate the suffering of people…[Read more]
That’s about right as a summary. But more accurately, I prefer to never apply WSC to specific people without very, very clear and long running evidence. It’s better applied to specific programs where the plan of action is more likely to either support corrupt governments, or create some form of dependency which would prevent the people being…[Read more]
I guess, in a way, people who are on the receiving end of well-intentioned help would be naive if they assumed the best, though, wouldn’t they? Why would you assume innocent intentions when so many others have presented themselves in the same way and have turned out to be colonizers (in the literal and figurative senses). How sad that idea is.
Also, sorry if my language is a bit in the clouds. At this point I can definitely be called an academic and I’m still learning to not shift my vocabulary higher when I get offended by some perceived insult.
<— guilty of same. Please give me a little lovetap if I do that. In another time and place, I think I would have been a member of the intelligentsia, but that class no longer exists. :)
The terms WSC and WSIC can certainly be misused, just like some people misuse the term racism to undermine arguments about white privilege. My understanding of how WSIC can be used appropriately is that it refers to the phenomenon of using mainstream capitalist tactics and structures to frame a political movement. In that context “industrial”…[Read more]
I will read the article, but just to comment on the quote: “… I have no opposition, in principle, to such donations (I frequently make them myself), but we must do such things only with awareness of what else is involved. “
That is precisely my point (and it’s funny, this same notion came up in a different context and conversation just F…[Read more]
Agreed. It’s not just incumbent on us to research the organizations we support with our money, but also to learn about the links between global/racial inequalities and the way we vote, the resources we rely on, etc. Otherwise, we get lulled into addressing the symptoms of problems without recognizing how we contribute to the causes. That’s the…[Read more]
I’m reminded of that quote that for every hundred people hacking at the branches of evil, only one is striking at the root.
Very good article. Something that I feel the author misses, however, is that he sees the corruption in the Nigerian government, and talks about boilerplate politics here in America, but still seems to believe that by following the pre-set ways of our democracy, we can somehow work miraculous change that will allow us to democratically affect…[Read more]
I’ll read the article if I get the time for it (other obligations, unfortunately), but I will just comment that I have great distrust for an argument that the term “Industrial” is being used to talk about mainstream simplifying tactics here. In my experience, it’s almost always been abused in order to speak about intentions and self-serving…[Read more]
Well, if you get a chance to read the article, take a look. I don’t think it implies that marketing is inherently evil, or even that capitalism is. My understanding of the argument is that traditional-marketing-style activism can very easily be abused or simply obscure parts of the issues being addressed, usually in ways that support a white…[Read more]
The reason White Savior Industrial Complex is so damaging, is that there’s already a term (I forget the exact one) that is something to the affect of the Political-Activism Industrial Complex or the NGO Industrial Complex. When you make the white savior complex into an industrial complex, you make the basic industry and concern that’s being…[Read more]
That is another version of “White Savior Industrial Complex” yes. Although it does include the history and weird moral justifications of the White Savior idea at it’s origins.