Christopher Keelty
1 min readNov 7, 2022

--

I'm struggling with this one. There is a thesis here that I fully agree with--that white people center themselves and their pain rather than genuinely investing in the struggle against racism--but I don't think you've effectively tied it to the "Twexodus." Perhaps if there were some more compelling evidence that this is a white liberal phenomenon, and something more than just "You don't see Black Twitter talking about leaving," I could get on board. But there's another aspect that you have not engaged with at all--Twitter is a private company that makes money from advertisers, and advertisers spend money because they see value in Twitter's users. Staying loyal to the platform is propping up a company whose new owner has openly declared his intention to make it a more welcoming space for racists, fascists, and white supremacists. Every single tweet is free labor to make Elon Musk's product more appealing to advertisers, and I don't see how remaining with the platform in any way translates to "doing the work." The connection is so dubious that, while I hesitate to make accusations, I have to wonder if the potential loss of your own asset--your 150,000 followers--isn't influencing your thinking in a way you may not consciously recognize.

--

--

Christopher Keelty

Writer, cartoonist, and nonprofit pro. I have too many interests, but let’s focus on culture & politics. Bisexual, cis. He/him, please. | Twitter: @keeltyc.