Twitch Makes Black Lives Matter Video, Sticks Foot In Mouth

With tensions around racial inequality and police brutality going down or, at least, no longer being a trending topic, not a lot of companies are still vocal on the subject. Streaming service Twitch, however, decided to use their platform to once again address their support, by tweeting out a video about Black Lives Matter. The video, since removed, did not have the intended effect. You can still view the clip.

 

The reason that the attempt was ill-received should be fairly obvious to anyone who makes it through the minute of footage. Of all the people chosen to speak on the movement, only three of the creators are actually Black. As such, the main criticism towards Twitch is that it is again having their Caucasian talent speak, rather than making Black streamers visible. The intention of having large, identifiable names like DrLupo and RubberNinja featured in the video was to show that this is a universal message that everyone is rallying behind. Yet, it's not hard to understand how the move just takes Black people out of the equation once more. One of the featured streamers, ZombaeKillz, didn't feel as slighted, offering the following:

why im not mad at that twitch video... it didnt show the same 5 black partners that hate being used as tools for diversity.. twitch dug around. it also celebrated the actual and very real allyship of some creators during this time. AND AND... white people listen to white people.

— ZombaeKillz (@ZombaeKillz) July 9, 2020

Twitch has since apologized for the issue, stating: "We hear you. Our goal was to demonstrate the importance of allyship - a message we didn’t make clear. Only by working together can we create a positive change."

It's sort of baffling that months into the talks about Black struggles, it's still possible to make these basic mistakes. Obviously, a company continuing to be vocal, once it's no longer marketable to do so, is ultimately a plus, but it doesn't justify just any approach. It really shouldn't be that hard for Twitch to find some non-white voices who have spoken out. There have been plenty of people offering their knowledge on social media. It only depends on if you're actually looking for those voices. What a mess, this is.
 

Daav Valentaten, NoobFeed
Twitter