White Privilege Conference Consumes Itself After Attendees Declare #WPCsoWhite
Here’s one thats almost too hyperbolic for words, but I’ll try my best.
Philadelphia was host to White Privilege Conference 2016 this weekend, where the attendees blamed the evils of society on everything from the “Christian hegemony,” to people not using Justice Sonia Sotomayor‘s name for their computer password. The Daily Caller provided extensive coverage of this PC minefield-of-a-conference, but what might have been the weirdest thing of all was when participants decided that the conference itself had become a bastion of white supremacy.
Tweeting out #WPCSoWhite, disenchanted con-goers started getting the message out as an indication that the event was eating itself up from the inside. The Daily Caller reported that the trend began when education consultant Aeriel Ashlee protested a speech from James Loewen, a caucasian historian who among other things, apparently took too much time:
Great keynote by @JamesWLoewen, but going over time allotted is another example of white supremacy #WPCsowhite #PHLWPC17
— Aeriel A. Ashlee (@aerielashlee) April 16, 2016
No @JamesWLoewen you don’t have to use the Nword. #WPCsowhite #PHLWPC17
— Aeriel A. Ashlee (@aerielashlee) April 16, 2016
Knowing white folks be following #phlwpc17, but choosing to ignore #WPCsowhite. This is white privilege. @got_privilege
— Aeriel A. Ashlee (@aerielashlee) April 16, 2016
Several others started using the hashtag to denounce Loewen’s use of the N-word, and the context of his use is not known at this time. Eventually though, it stretched out to other aspects of the conference that were supposedly intolerable.
We talk about taking action to dismantle white supremacy yet not much response on Loewen’s use of the N-word #WPCSoWhite #PHLWPC17
— TastefulIntuition (@TheeKWard) April 16, 2016
Take note @JamesWLoewen and other #whitefolks #POC key notes are not using the n-word neither we should we #wpcsowhite #PHLWPC17
— Heather Heater (@heaterMPH) April 16, 2016
A white woman telling a black woman to close the door at a workshop session. Another example of #WPCsowhite #PHLWPC17 @got_privilege
— Aeriel A. Ashlee (@aerielashlee) April 16, 2016
#WPCsowhite When I keep seeing white peoples with dreads ? #PHLWPC17
— Adrianna Davis ☁ (@AdriannaDavis10) April 16, 2016
Missed today’s keynote but heard. We can’t use shock and awe at the expense of People of Color to teach White folks. #wpcsowhite
— Freire Your Mind (@SewSoDef) April 16, 2016
N-word NEVER acceptable from #whitefolks lips! Deeply offensive & traumatizing. @JamesWLoewen #WPCSoWhite #PHLWPC17 https://t.co/oLP9M9GwUs
— Jill Poklemba (@jillmarette99) April 16, 2016
@Immy_White white men capitalising off #PHLWPC17 is one of the many examples of #WPCsowhite
— Immy White (@Immy_White) April 17, 2016
A white co-facilitator tells Black participant we need to move on; then begins to let white woman to insert a comment #WPCsoWhite #PHLWPC17
— E A Oppenheimer (@Two_Cranes) April 16, 2016
Ashlee eventually walked back a bit and tried clearing a few things up:
feeling the need to clarify: I created #WPCsowhite to name instances of white dominance & privilege at #PHLWPC17 so we can do the real work
— Aeriel A. Ashlee (@aerielashlee) April 17, 2016
But even so, there was a significant deal of online mockery towards the attempted trend:
.@aerielashlee @JamesWLoewen Here’s more Korean racism against Blacks. Clean your own house, hypocrite! #WPCsowhite pic.twitter.com/wBqQXwK7w5
— Lotus-Eyed Libertas (@MoonbeamMelly) April 19, 2016
Eating their own
Attendees At White Privilege Conference Complain Conference Is Too White https://t.co/59eDP1pa4L via @WeaselZippers— Defending Truth#TGDN (@CelesteHerget) April 19, 2016
White Privilege Conference attendees complain that the conference was too white.#tcot #pjnet https://t.co/qCJ5cyowfZ pic.twitter.com/HPkV09ycZ2
— Scott Ellis (@Scott_R_Ellis) April 19, 2016
[Image via screengrab]
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