Black Lives Matter is a phrase, and notably a hashtag, used to highlight racism, discrimination and inequality experienced by black people. Its use grew in the US after high-profile killings by police, but it has also been used in the UK and elsewhere.
Supporters point to the fact that black people are much more likely to be shot by police in the US. They say that in the US and many other countries, they also suffer many other forms of discrimination. They want action to address unequal treatment and oppression that goes all the way back to the era of slavery, but which continues today.
If black lives actually mattered to these people, they'd matter even if they weren't resisting arrest (compare the number killed in that situation vs those killed in gang shootings). They'd matter if it wasn't an election year. They'd matter even if they were in prison for getting caught smoking a joint. Hell, they'd even matter if they were pre-born (have you heard what Margaret Sanger had to say about why she did what she did?), but that may be expecting too much intellectual consistency. It's not about lives "mattering", it's about scoring political points (and votes, for those who're already in office). So facets that call into question other facets of the positions held by The Party can't be tolerated.
Here in the US, at least, black people ARE killed disproportionately often in encounters with police, and that sucks. But the movement is disingenuous chicanery intended to demonize political opposition by presenting a police killing and insisting (with no regard for context) that it's a result of the racism of evil white people (most people killed by the police are killed my members of their own ethnic group; has BLM ever brought up a case where the majority of the officers in question were black?).
You should always (in ANY matter, not just this one) be wary of a simple explanation for a complex problem. And in this case, the ideological integrity of the whole movement is easily debunked by considering the obvious parallel: do MALE lives matter? We are MUCH more disproportionately killed by the police, as well as being abused and mistreated by them. In some ways, it's hard-coded into the law itself (thanks, Duluth model!). We serve longer sentences, with a gap six times bigger than that between black and white (and that's AFTER adjusting for circumstance) and that's on top of being more likely to be arrested, being more likely to be charged, being more likely to be prosecuted, and being more likely to be convicted. Ask the BLM crowd whether male lives matter, and see what they say.
Look, you want to make some changes in how police operate? Okay. You want to help decrease violence in general by having them prioritize de-escalation techniques? Cool. Maybe eventually work some kind of prison reform, so people come out actually able to re-integrate in society and not spend the rest of their lives as pariahs, unable to get by honestly? Awesome. But needless antagonism isn't going to get you there. It's just going to make any effort toward reconciliation and moving forward TOGETHER more difficult- which is going to push ever more people into the arms of BLM.
"Supporters point to the fact that black people are much more likely to be shot by police in the US"
That is actually a false statement, especially if specifying that they were unarmed. A much higher percentage of incidents in which police are called in against unarmed white guys ends in a shooting. There's quite a few factors in this, such as the fact that being unarmed doesn't equate to not being dangerous (drugs are involved most of the time), but regardless, that entire aspect of the BLM organization and talking point is based on a lie.
Recognizing the problems with predominantly black communities has very little to do with interactions with the police; in fact, more than 3/4 of African Americans actually want MORE police presence. This shouldn't be surprising, because a common factor with those urban slums is out of control violent crime and drug abuse, in some extreme cases such as Chicago resulting in entire parts of the city being basically abandoned by law enforcement. On any given weekend, Chicago will stack dozens of bodies from a mix of domestic violence, gang activity, drug deals, etc but it gets actively ignored by the media in favor of misrepresenting much lesser incidents elsewhere in the country to push a political narrative. The leaders of BLM know this, and have played the young and dumb for chumps all the way to the bank, at the direct expense of the people they claim to support and protect.
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Anonymous
(18-24)
+1 y
It's funny when BLM and Antifa supporters say these things are just a concept. Why are they doing that?
I used to be a supporter, until they spent half of last year holding the nation hostage while directionless mobs rampaged through cities all across the U. S. stealing, killing, and destroying anything in sight. I get that African Americans aren't treated fairly, but that's no excuse to throw a six month long temper tantrum, during which people are terrified to go to work or even leave their home for fear of being targeted by one of those BLM mobs. The sadist, or most pathetic, part of all that is that all of it is because of a repeat convicted violent felon who resisted arrest and pretended to be claustrophobic after he got caught trying to pass a shitty fake $20 bill. Everyone saw the headline, "Cop kills black guy" and thought they knew the whole story. If there is anything to be learned from his death its this, when a cop tells to to do something you say, "Yes sir" or, "Yes ma'am" do it and shut up. I cannot stand by a group whe use the death of a man, who honestly deserved it even if it shouldn't have happened like that, as an excuse to act like a 3 year old whose parents just told them they weren't going to buy them that one toy they wanted at the store.
First off, let me say this. Life will go on and people will always have enemies some public some private. Trying to destroy a enemy that is only visible threw what you think is real is extremely difficult and time consuming. You be better off focusing on something more physical than mental. You can't fight something that only appears in certain areas. Racism will always exist, no matter what people say or do. People will always make mistakes. of course not everyone would call racist shootings mistakes but in a way they are mistakes. Most people don't want to kill other people, most people. Most people simply get to stress to deal with situations. People think just cause their train to think a certian way means their gonna think that way all the time. That's impossible due to human imposes and its also impossible because of emotions. If we were to deprive a human being 100% of their emotions, do you know what would happen? either he/she becomes a roboot, becomes a killing machine with no remorse or simply stops caring about whatever it is that's going on. A lot of people don't understand how the brain works and that clouds their judgement. I think we as a whole just need to have a better response to such things
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Anonymous
(36-45)
+1 y
My best friend was a victim of the BLM riots in Minnesota.. He lost his home and his business. A CPA firm that i use to support, was burned to the ground. As did thousands of others, they are guilty of mass murder as well. I could never support a terrorist organization like that. Sorry. And most rational black thinking people that i am associated with in my own community feel the same. They feel like their behavior last year, and in years past didn't help the black community. It set the black community back.. Additionally if you follow the money, nearly 100% of the funds they raised went to the leaders pockets so they could buy multi million dollar mansions, Not to black communities, Black schools, nor black businesses that were destroyed in the riots.
The moment a group or organization turns to violence, they lose all credibility. Violence, destruction, death, is the way of animals, not rational thinking people.
In the beginning their stated goals might have been noble, but then it degenerated in to angry gang like thuggish violence..
Additionally their web site states that they are a Marxist movement with the intention of destroying capitalism and the nuclear family. Neither of which is intelligent, and neither of which I can support.
Oh, and I'm saying all of this as a black man. They do not speak for me. Most black people do not stand with BLM. And if you take a look at the majority of its members it's mostly white folks.
It is hard for me to draw an opinion on something that i will never have to experience. This is how i usually this question. When i send my kids to the store for eggs i never have to worry i hope they don’t get shot by a police officer. Which NO PARENT should have to worry about but unfortunately some do. I found the movie “The Hate U Give” was very educational
I do think there does need to be police reform and initiatives to stop racial profiling and violence towards minorities in general because there’s still obviously some problems but in general things have gotten much better over time in this country regarding equality. I’ve noticed over the past decade this increasing movement in the education system and political activists groups like black lives matter to gaslight and exaggerate racism to the point where the younger generations think things are worse than they actually are. This clip from south park illustrates my point after cartman throws a rock at token for calling him fat 🤣
Problem being in cities with majority black population pulling over blacks isn’t profiling, it’s law of averages, commit a crime, you’ll get busted. Now, go check the FBI database on homicide committed by race in Chicago, Detroit, New York City
We need need more civil adult conversations then we do demonstrations. Demonstrations draw groups that a opposed to whatever the original demonstrations and the entire thing accomplishes nothing. Because it turns into groups trying to be loud then the other. At that point you might as well have setup walls of stereos and have them do nothing but static. Because demonstrations and counter demonstrations are nothing but walls of static.
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Anonymous
(25-29)
+1 y
The phrase and sentiment "black lives matter" is used as a Motte and Bailey tactic to dodge criticim of the movement, essentially using the sentiment as a sheild.
They're appealing to something they claim doesn't exist in order for that tactic to be effective. For example, CR theorists will claim white people are inherently racist or something like that but will dismiss criticism made by them saying that the critic doesn't care about black lives. This pressures them so that they will take it back if they don't know how to respond to that. This would be a blatant contradiction of their narrative but it rarely gets questioned successfully because of this tactic.
Most criticisms I hear of the movement is that they riot, hurt, kill and destroy the property of a lot of people who had nothing to do with their initial cause. Again, those criticisms don't go very far because the media watches BLM's back and the tactic mentioned before trips a lot of people up.
Political terrorist/Marxist organization intent on the overthrow of the American government and the establishment of a socialist system... that does nothing FOR the black community. Are things better? Fq no. Did the lead boss buy a $million+ house from donations? Yes. Did she fix anything? No. Scam. Waste. Supporters are blind. They might mean well but they can't think for themselves. Sad... sad.
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Anonymous
(30-35)
+1 y
Black lives matter is a fascist liberal indoctrination to break up black household introduce LGBT elements and keep black people on the TIT of the government.
It's evil and it's control by white liberals. To push their evil socialist agenda prepping the USA for china
Black lives only matter at election time, they promise y’all tons of. Shit for your vote, then after they get elected they ignore your asses, and y’all fall for it EVERY FUCKING TIME.
Okay we agree. Meanwhile I'm still dreaming over here. I know my opinion is far far far from expert but it doesn't seem farfetched for a better organization to do.
They're a bunch of delusional criminals who can't take responsibility for their own actions. Black people committed 56% of violent crimes in 2020, and every time the bodycam footage gets released, they were trying to kill the officers and got shot because of it. Stop committing crime and attacking officers, then you won't go to jail or get shot, you wanna be about that life then you made your bed now lay in it.
I think black lives matter. its simple as that. Black people have every right to exist and prosper. So do Asians, and Hispanics, white people, disabled people, gay people, and anyone else. But black lives matter. And that's all i got to say about that.
I'm an old white guy, very sad to see call phone video of outrageous treatment of Black people by not only law enforcement but random white people. I have no patience for "All Lives Matter" or "Blue Lives Matter".
It's interesting that this alleged discrimination and racism is never proven, it's just assumed. And "inequality" takes many forms and has many causes.
It's been proven to be a fraud organization. They were also used by the democrats then blown off after the election. They don't really care about black lives
The honest to God's truth is, it's not Black Lives Matter. It's THUG Lives Matter. These people only march when some gang banger is killed by a White cop.
