Everyday Racism and Sousveillance

#PermitPatty. #BBQBecky. And now, #CallboxChristopher. These viral moments were captured thanks to the trend that aims to hold harassers accountable. 📱

Nosey Neighbors


This viral video of a YouTube employee, identified as Christopher Cukor, calling the cops on a black man waiting outside of a building apartment is just the latest in a string of viral videos exposing everyday acts of racism. Videos of similar incidents are being heralded as a new form of social media activism. The current trend was set off in April 2018 by Jennifer Schulte who called the police on 2 black men barbecuing at an Oakland park. The incident became a hashtag and a viral meme, #BBQBecky. “You can do whatever you want, but I'm recording you right now and you're going to be the next person.” Wesly Michel, who is black, shared the video on Facebook on July 4. San Francisco police confirmed to USA TODAY that the incident took place around the time the video was posted. The video shows a young boy tearfully begging his father not to call authorities.


A white woman dubbed #PermitPatty went viral in June 2018 after she called cops on an 8-year-old girl selling water. A man branded as #CouponCarl received the same viral backlash in July 2018 for calling the police on a black woman at a CVS for allegedly using a forged coupon. According to researchers, the phenomenon folds into a bigger trend called “sousveillance” —the filming of incidents in real time by citizens. The term was originally coined in 2002 by Steve Mann, scientist and godfather of wearable tech. “What's the opposite of oversight, the opposite of oversight is undersight or in French sousveillance. I sort of thought well surveillance - watching from above - they're basically saying well we can record you, but you're not allowed to record us. So there is an element of hypocrisy there, so sousveillance is the veillance of integrity and surveillance is veillance of hypocrisy. , ITV In conversation with Steve Mann. The practice of sousveillance aims to hold harassers accountable. Christopher Cukor has now become known as #CallboxChristopher.


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