So it appears that #blacklivesmatter hashtag is now the subject of some contention for people. When Eric Garners killer was not indicted I re-posted the video of his death with the #alllivesmatter because when I was watching it, it really didnt matter what color he was, that should never have happened. In the wake of Mike Browns killer also not being indicted as well as Tamir Rices death, which in my opinion were more racially motivated, the fact that all three were black deaths at the hands of white law enforcement who avoided trial, made the #blacklivesmatters hashtag relevant. Now a lot of my friends are in disagreement over which hashtag is more helpful. This is my explanation, but first let me say that no matter what you feel, the fact that you FEEL is the most important reality of this discussion, because it is the LACK of feeling that has sparked the necessity for any social movement in the first place. A lack of feelings is the real enemy so lets not forget that. The debate is now focused around our personal understanding of each others feelings, which is really the second step towards creating meaningful change, so lets dive in. For the #blacklivesmatter camp, it is important to acknowledge the historical reality that dark skin has always been undervalued and hence seen as a threat to the capitalistic world. Even over here in Dominican Republic you see the stratification of Canadians, for example, running the resorts and locals (dark skin) working at them, instead of the other way around. In the culture of business, money becomes the differentiator of status unless of course you remember that #blacklivesmatter regardless of the money have. When you see humanity beyond material circumstance, you can choose to comfortably commune with a local community as equal, and even choose to do business with them instead of the foreign-owned touring companies. If you didnt see that, you could just as comfortably stay in your resort with its amenities as the culture of money/capitalism allows you to do so. For the #alllivesmatter camp, separating #blacklives as the victims may seem to exclude the victimhood of all races subject to oppression at the hands of white supremacy, so it appears counterproductive to push that agenda when #blacklives arent the only victims of it. Perhaps the hashtag should be #blacklivesmatterasmuchasalllives or #allivesmatterasmuchaswhitelives because that is essentially what either hashtag is getting at, and when humanity begins to reflect that mentality we should see every color being taken into consideration equally. Right now, that is clearly not the case, so people are starting to make noise. In an ideal world, we wouldnt need such a distinction, and perhaps some of us have reached that age of enlightenment to see the limitation of acknowledging separate races over the human race. Understand you are on the right track with that thinking, but you are speaking from end-goal without being as sensitive to the means of getting there. We have not yet collectively reached this age of enlightenment as a human race when the power structure does not reflect this equality, so the need for enlightened individuals to call attention to that inequality is equally valid. If you believe #alllifematters, then you are a comrade with those shouting #blacklivesmatter because included in all lives, are black lives, which is what these recent protests are about. What drove this home for me was a picture of a white Richmond police officer holding a #blacklivesmatter sign in solidarity with the community. Some friends commented with the #allivesmatter perspective and I had to ask myself, if he was holding an #alllivesmatter sign would it have been as powerful a protest statement? The answer is no, it would not have reflected an understanding of the trauma that undoubtedly affects all lives, but disproportionately affects the black community who are now expressing solidarity against the collective fear attached to dark skin in the minds of many. #redlivesmatter
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 19:33:19 +0000
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