Blackout Tuesday Posts Get Backlash for Drowning Out #BlackLivesMatter Information

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorPaul McCartney fiercely criticized the Italian live-music industry over its refund policy for his canceled 2020 concerts in a Facebook post that has apparently been deleted. McCartney was scheduled to perform in the Italian cities of Naples and Lucca this week but canceled the shows early last month due to the coronavirus pandemic.

While former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay has undoubtedly become the mouthpiece for people of color within The Bachelor franchise, yet another alum is speaking out about their experience as a minority on the show.

Emma Watson has also made her support of the Black Lives Matter movement very clear after getting backlash for her Blackout Tuesday posts. The Harry Potter actress shared a very powerful message about racism.

As the protests continue around the country – and around the world – to demand justice in the George Floyd murder case and to speak out against police brutality and systemic racism, ABC joined the cause this week by re-airing two episodes of their sitcom Black-ish on Blackout Tuesday. The first episode the network chose for the occasion was titled “Hope” from Season 2, and it addressed the issue of police brutality.

Emma Watson will not stand for racial injustice, and she made that very clear with her Instagram post on June 3. The actress’s message was inspired by the latest death of a black man, George Floyd, by a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, which sparked a widespread conversation about racism in the United States. “I stand with you,” Emma told the black community in her post.

On Tuesday, June 2, thousands of people across the nation took to social media to share an all-black image in honor of Blackout Tuesday. The social media movement was used to put a “pause” and support the Black community following the tragic death of George Floyd, 46.

Remember how yesterday's #BlackoutTuesday became a mess really fast? No? Allow me to refresh your memory: Instead of using the black square correctly, . Many celebrities simply posted the black square and said nothing about what's going on in America, and were rightfully called out on it. Take Emma Watson, for example.

Alec Baldwin landed in hot water after he referred to Blackout Tuesday as “National Day Of Whatever”. The actor, 62, defended his decision to promote an episode of his podcast with controversial director Woody Allen, 84, on June 2 while millions of people across the globe protested racial injustice and police brutality in the wake of George Floyd‘s tragic death. Alec captioned the Instagram post, promoting his podcast Here’s The Thing, without any mention of Blackout Tuesday.

Emma Watson has been forced to defend herself after attracting criticism for her Blackout Tuesday posts this week.

Alec Baldwin has defended promoting his interview with Woody Allen on Instagram during Blackout Tuesday.

By Jem Aswad

By Jem Aswad

Emma Watson is being taken to task by some on social media for her #BlackoutTuesday posts. Watson -- as well as a number of other celebrities -- has chosen to participate in the social media initiative on Tuesday to pause promotional and commercial content while the world takes a chance to the Black Lives Matter movement and brings deep awareness to racial injustice and police brutality.

Lil Nas X and Kehlani have criticised the music industry’s Blackout Tuesday campaign for being a distraction from real activism.

As the protests and riots continue to take place in cities around the United States, activists came up with the idea for #theshowmustbepaused initiative as part of “Blackout Tuesday” this week to stop operations in the entertainment industry. The goal of this social media movement is to take a moment to mourn the death of George Floyd, educate themselves about Black Lives Matter, and to bring policy change.

By Jem Aswad