Quote:
Originally Posted by rjolley
Do you feel the term Black Lives Matter means Only Black Lives Matter? Would the name being Black Lives Matter, Too make you feel like it's more inclusive? If the name of the group is what's causing a problem, would Lives Matter work better?
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The name is irrelevant. For folks like Jon, it doesn't matter what you call it, because what he's going to hear is "Scum Lives Matter."
And that has nothing to do with racism. That has everything to do with Jon's love - and the love of those like him - for a police state, and the concomitant assumption that if the police shoot somebody, that somebody necessarily had it coming. That they were worthless scumbags without whom the world is better off.
For others, the insistence that "Black Lives Matter" should be more inclusive of ALL lives misses the forest for the trees. It ignores the fact that minority lives have historically been marginalized, often because those minorities lack political power. "All Lives Matter" insists that, in addition to that historical marginalization, minority groups should be responsible for protesting police mistreatment of the majority, as well. "If you're going to protest excessive force by law enforcement officers, you're not allowed to have a preference for your community." That may or may not be explicitly stated, but that's absolutely the message. "You can't stand for your community unless you stand for ours."
Meanwhile, when a Philando Castile or a Tamir Rice are killed, around whom does the white community, in general, rally? It isn't the Castiles or the Rices. It's around the law enforcement community. "Wait and see. Maybe they were thugs and had it coming. Don't rush to judge the cops."
"All Lives Matter" demands that Black people water down their own message by taking up the cause of White police mistreatment as well, but there's never a quid pro quo. It's a one-way street.
When someone responds to "Black Lives Matter" with "ALL Lives Matter," they may genuinely think they're being a good person, but all they're doing is feeding the shell game.