Smartphones and the Fight Against Racism and Homophobia

Over the last 48 hours, people have shared stories about witnessing and personally experiencing racist and homophobic bullying.  These stories are bubbling up everywhere. From stories of people spray painting swastikas on cars, to accounts of college co-eds dressing up in blackface, it seems as if Trump’s electoral win has suddenly energized and emboldened bigots near and far. 

This has been difficult to watch and hear about, even from the relatively safe sidelines in Toronto.  Call it wishful thinking, but I thought (or at least hoped) that the US had moved passed this (I knew it was still lurking).  Didn’t we just elect Barack Obama to the presidency 8 years ago?  Isn’t the general population becoming more racially and ethnically diverse?  Aren’t we supposed to be a more tolerant world?  These events have felt like a rude awakening and have challenged my basic faith in political progress and racial equity in the US.   

Smartphones can be key in our fight for justice and equality

But, all of this got me thinking:  We don’t have to take this lying down.  We don’t have to be passive victims.  We can fight back.  And our greatest weapons might be our smartphones.

Instead of just sharing stories (which are important evidence nonetheless), let’s up the ante: The next time you see someone being bullied, bust out your smartphone and hit the record button.  

Let's take a page from community members and organizers who are using their smartphones to document police arrests.  Over the past year, we've seen multiple cases in which bystanders recorded and then shared videos of police harassing and arresting young Black men.  Even though these videos don't always lead to justice, they always become part of an evolving public record.   That makes them valuable in their own right.

We can adopt a similar approach to someone  being bullied because of their race, gender, or sexual orientation.  The next time you see this, whip out your smartphone and just start recording.  And then, share these videos widely on social media.  Post it on Facebook.  Tweet it.  Share it everywhere. Friends and employers deserve to know if they are affiliated with a closed-minded racist or homophobe.

Now, let me be clear, I am not opposed to people having their own views and opinions.  I believe that it is every person’s right to have their own thoughts, even if they are racist, homophobic, or Islamaphobic. But having these thoughts and acting on them are two separate things.  Once a person bullies, harasses, or tries to intimidate another person because of their race, religion, or sexual orientation, they have crossed an important line into the realm of action.  This is a realm in which a person’s actions can be scrutinized and documented.  And it is a realm in which bullying—of any sort—should not be tolerated.    

I realize that this might not solve the core, fundamental problem of racism, but it might deter a few people from acting sideways, particularly if they knew that they might go viral or lose their job acting like a cowardly bigot.