Comment by UltraSane
6 days ago
You can hold the beliefs without being "performative"
A perfect example is when gay marriage was illegal and some straight people loudly announced that they wouldn't get married until gay people could.
OK. Your motives are good but how exactly is this going to help legalize gay marriage? And why did the world need to know about it?
While your example is interesting, I would at least give those people some credit for taking the action they could (even if it is largely pointless as you said).
I think a better analogy is people who would criticize other heterosexual couples for getting married when homosexual couples could not, as it is both pointless and needlessly antagonistic.
Except the goal of this kind of behavior is not actual change but proving to the world you are "morally superior" by your chosen system of morality.
Would you say the same about people joining picket lines and marches? Any sort of peaceful protest?
Also, you're projecting. You don't (and can't) know what a person's true goals are. Framing these actions as them communicating they are morally superior to someone (you?) is a thought in that other person's head, not the protestors. Maybe these straight people truly believe this form of protest (not getting married) will bring attention to a cause and maybe change some people's minds. Did it? Who knows. But good on them for at least trying.