Black Women, Is Clubhouse The Club You Really Want To Be In?
From the New York Times: Clubhouse Makes Way For Influencers
Many users have complained publicly that the app has failed to roll out sufficient safeguards for users, especially for people from historically marginalized backgrounds.
Rhian Beutler, an entrepreneur and Clubhouse creator who is part of the pilot program, announced on Monday that she was putting her popular Clubhouse trivia show on hold.
“I can’t continue to bring positive things in wake of the continued lack of action by CH in the face of anti semitism, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, racism (etc etc),” she tweeted, referring to Clubhouse as “CH.”
Another user, Michaela Hirsh, responded, saying that the company should: “Draw a line for hate speech. Actually ban / suspend people for it. Make it known that it’s unacceptable. Recognize earlier that certain hate groups have organized on the app (and now it’s too late to stop it).”
From Vanity Fair: The Murky World of Moderation on Clubhouse
After experiencing harassment elsewhere, especially on Twitter, Thompson remains pessimistic about whether social apps can put a system in place that takes the many nuances of moderation into account. For now, she said she’s exiting rooms that give off bad vibes and hopes that Clubhouse will offer moderation resources, but added that users should educate themselves on hosting discussions before opening a room.
“As a Black woman, I don’t know if I’m confident that one day we will have an app where [people are] not allowed on it due to the harm they’ve caused,” Thompson said. “For now, I’m making sure that I am able to curate my space and who I follow.”
From The Verge: A Clubhouse conversation has sparked accusations of anti-Semitism
“There’s a room on clubhouse right now that is literally just a bunch of people talking about why it’s ok to hate jews so I’m done with that app for awhile,” tweeted Sara Mauskopf, CEO of the daycare startup Winnie.
Venture capitalist Michaela Hirsh shared similar concerns. “Enters @joinClubhouse,” Hirsch tweeted. “Hears: 1) Non-Jewish folks redefining “antisemitism”, 2) Jews are the face of capitalism, 3) Jews are “weaponizing antisemitism”, 4) Non-Jews asking Jews to tap into unlimited emotional labor to educate. I’m DONE.”
Where Do You Stand?
In 2021, you’re either part of the solution or you’re part of the problem.
You can't be okay with hate speech and intolerance, as long as it's not happening to you.
When white people do that, we call it white privilege.
Additional Reading
Here’s my LinkedIn post that drew out a lot of negativity against a Black woman who is bootstrapping and succeeding against all the odds, and apologists for a white male who took $1.7 billion and turned it into absolutely nothing in just seven months.
