Recently, I attended a couple of community events and spoke with local Black Houston residents about voting and whether they’ve registered. Both of them said “No.” One of them said, “I don’t do politics,” while the other said, “I don’t really watch the news because I’m not that knowledgeable about what’s going on or who’s running.”
However, after some time spent understanding their points of view, I decided to lighten the mood. To my surprise, they knew about the latest trending topics and celebrity gossip. Clearly, they knew more than I did about what was going on, and they were very opinionated about certain topics in celebrity culture. Now, I can only imagine if they had channeled this energy into the issues that ultimately impact their day-to-day lives, something could shake. This is the sentiment of many Black people today.
All over my timelines across different social media platforms are think pieces about the latest celebrity mess on a podcast or drama involving Black influencers.
For example, Haitian American actor Da’Vinchi, known for playing Black American characters on “BMF” and “All American,” drew outrage after telling Cam Newton on the “Funky Friday” podcast claiming that the current generation of Americans is becoming increasingly “incompetent” and “lazy,” contrasting them with what he described as the superior work ethic of those from the UK, the Caribbean, or Africa. The superiority complex that he claimed many in the Black diaspora have, he didn’t agree with, but stated as his truth.
The conversation is a sensitive and nuanced issue that needed more contextual and historical evidence, which wasn’t properly specified during the conversation. But instead of using this as a teachable moment to explain why these terminologies weaponize a deeply rooted, racist historical trope, critics and cultural commentators ganged up and dogpiled on him. Even to the point that some critics threatened to cancel him, so it would be the end of his career.
This same energy was applied to Houston hairstylist India Bridges, who went viral after defending her $1,000 baseline fee for a standard sew-in installation amidst backlash from a client who reported a $150 upcharge for additional time needed to “braid down” her longer natural hair. Total costs, including hair bundles and extra add-ons, nearly reached $2,000.
She strongly advocates that stylists charge their worth and argues that luxury hairstyling demands expertise, ongoing education, and excellent client management. But instead of sharing constructive criticism or going to support another affordable hairstylist, the internet (mostly Black women) attacked her for her business practices and what she charges.
Don’t even get me started on the Beyoncé conversations about why many people online aren’t happy with her decision to choose her peace over engaging in this parasocial, dystopian experience on the internet. That topic is for another day.
Amid all this pent-up online anger, there is a pattern. Outrage spreads because platforms reward posts that make people angry, and bots and bad-faith accounts keep the arguments going. Every hour spent fighting a stranger in the comments is an hour not spent learning who your city and state representatives are and what they are up to.
City council budgets, school funding, arts programs, hospital closures, and district maps get decided whether we watch or not. Stepping back does not register as a protest. It leaves an opening, and someone else fills it.
We know better because we have done better. Black Americans built this country’s most sophisticated organizing tradition through bus boycotts, protests, freedom schools, and voter drives run out of church basements.
The research we pour into a celebrity timeline can map a school board race. The receipts we pull from a podcast guest can track how a state representative voted. The only difference is where we aim this energy.
So, honestly, I’m asking, are we missing the plot?
