SSD doesn’t solve- creates a disembodiment within debaters are they’re forced to endorse selective allyship- discouraging solidarity for communities by degrading literature

One issue with allyship is that allies seem to be able to turn their allyship on and off when convenient, which not only highlights their fundamental difference with the minoritized individuals with whom they ally, but also expresses a lack of commitment to these people and their needs. So, allyship becomes a tool of expression and individualization rather than a commitment to solidarity. It becomes an easy choice not an endless struggle. One may define themselves as an ally to gain social capital in minority social circles, while remaining silent against racism in socially-dominant spaces. The ally’s privileged status allows them to abandon the fight when necessary or even when not, as they need not oppose oppressive systems or individuals’ actions to go about their day. This practice degrades both those with whom the allies ally and the participation of allies in movements meant to dismantle such systems, as these actions are oriented not at supporting marginalized groups but more toward providing the already privileged ally with the social status or internal gratification of the ally label (Ostrove & Brown, 2017). One need only scroll through Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter for a few minutes to find aggressive claims of allyship paired with ambiguous photos, inspirational quotations, and confusing statements in support of some version of social justice followed by a week’s worth of silence about the issue.

Allyship allows privileged populations to attempt to cleanse themselves of guilt for participating in oppressive systems while failing to require any action to dismantle that system or the necessary reflexivity important in social justice praxis. At present, one can claim the identity of ally to allow themselves to feel participatory affiliation in movements while never actually participating in protests, boycotts, picket lines, or for that matter activist writing and presenting in the academy and community. It is easy to be an ally in one’s Twitter profile and by reposting on Facebook, but much harder allying oneself through engagement. Slacktivism has become a status symbol online and in college dorms, assuaging guilt, but doing little to assist or support minority populations advocating for and realizing change.