RE: On LinkedIn, White-Leaning Double Standards, and the Reverse Racism Defense
Image description: A screenshot of a private direct message sent to me by LinkedIn’s support team in reference to the removal of one of my posts. The message:
"Your LinkedIn Inquiry
Hello Pharoah - I am reaching out to you regarding your recent post: https://lnkd.in/gHPUE_ZK
I can understand the frustrations the removal of this post has caused. Can you tell me if you have taken action to ask our Trust and Safety team for a second look on the post through the link provided in their notice? -DZ"
Yesterday, I posted about my experience on LinkedIn dealing with having my posts reported for "hate speech" and "bullying" by white "professionals" who can't deal with the discomfort of a Black person setting boundaries and calling out white supremacy. The short version of the story is that LinkedIn allowed a white "professional" or two who were uncomfortable with my post to report said post as hate speech. Yesterday's posting removal was the third in two months. You can read the full post here.
Well, my blog post about LinkedIn removing my post went viral. Viral to the point where other folx on LinkedIn started tagging LinkedIn's Help Team and Trust and Safety team in the comments. With the post going viral the way it has, I expected to receive a message from someone working for LinkedIn, hoping to quell the situation. These things usually take a few days. Lo and behold, this morning, I woke up to the following direct message from a member of the LinkedIn Help team in my inbox:
"Your LinkedIn Inquiry
Hello Pharoah - I am reaching out to you regarding your recent post: https://lnkd.in/gHPUE_ZK
I can understand the frustrations the removal of this post has caused. Can you tell me if you have taken action to ask our Trust and Safety team for a second look on the post through the link provided in their notice? -DZ"
My response?
"DZ,
No, you do not understand my frustration. And no, I did not ask the Trust and Safety team for a second look. I did not ask because the last few times I've had my post taken down for alleged "bullying" and "hate speech," the Trust and Safety team declined my appeals. Those other posts were similar in vein and tone to the post y'all took down this week after some white "professionals" reported that my post on setting a boundary for me on your platform was somehow "hate speech." I find it intriguing that most of the Black women and Global Majority professionals on this platform have had similar experiences as my own, yet white "professionals" on this platform get to intimidate and spew vitriol that y'all do nothing about.
I refuse to waste time and energy defending myself on a platform that does not care about Black women, Black and Brown professionals, and professionals of color. I've wasted time and energy in the past defending my post only to receive confirmation that the LinkedIn platform is white-centered and does not care about melanated professionals and their experiences on here. Besides, you're only reaching out to me this morning because my post went viral and someone in the comments tagged your team. Your help isn't wanted because you and your team don't want to help - you want to make this disappear.
Don't bother reinstating my previous post. You'd only be doing so to feel like "good" people. Reinstating my post does not change the fact that thousands of Black women, Black and Brown folx, people of color, and queer-identifying folx face hatred and vitriol on your platform and have learned that you will not stop that harm from happening. Put your energy into making LinkedIn a welcoming environment for more than hateful white "professionals" who know you're their protectors.
Here's to y'all doing something more than reactive damage control.
-Pharoah"
LinkedIn Help and Trust and Safety suddenly only caring about their actions and inactions after they've been outed and gone viral? Not a good look. And not a look I support.
I'm not here to make LinkedIn or any white supremacist-driven platform feel like they're doing the right things when they're not. I don't play those games.
Real talk? They can keep that post hidden. Them hiding the post ultimately made it go viral accidentally. They gave the post 8,000+ more hits and reshares than it would've if they let it be. LinkedIn hides or limits the audience reach of 90% of the posts Black women, Black and Brown folx, Global Majority folx, and queer-identifying folx post on their platform, calling out patriarchal, heteronormative white supremacist workplace culture as it is. They silence melanated and queer voices for white comfort all the time. That's their bread and butter: be a good little "professional," and we'll let you keep playing in our sandbox. But their actions in this situation did the opposite. Technically, my post was another drop in a big bucket for them.
They just don't like that this drop caused ripples they can't soothe or quickly quell.