Difference between revisions of "All lives matter"
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'''All lives matter''' is a slogan originally used by those who disagreed with the [[Black Lives Matter]] movement. Although slogans with similar meanings have been used for centuries, the specific phrase "all lives matter" was formulated to appropriate the phrase "black lives matter." | '''All lives matter''' is a slogan originally used by those who disagreed with the [[Black Lives Matter]] movement. Although slogans with similar meanings have been used for centuries, the specific phrase "all lives matter" was formulated to appropriate the phrase "black lives matter." | ||
| − | Devoid of context, the statement "all lives matter" is a very positive slogan that I agree with, however, because it was created to oppose the black lives matter movement, whose stated goal is to end systemic racism in law enforcement, I see "all lives matter" as a [[dog-whistle politics|dog whistle]] for racism. It would be wonderful if everyone | + | Devoid of context, the statement "all lives matter" is a very positive slogan that I agree with, however, because it was created to oppose the black lives matter movement, whose stated goal is to end systemic racism in law enforcement, I see "all lives matter" as a [[dog-whistle politics|dog whistle]] for racism. It would be wonderful if everyone believed that all lives matter equally, but systemic racism still exists, so clearly they do not. |
It's important to look at who uses the phrase "all lives matter" compared to those who use "black lives matter." In general, "all lives matter" is used by people who are impacted very little from systemic racism, while those who use "black lives matter," are impacted much more. | It's important to look at who uses the phrase "all lives matter" compared to those who use "black lives matter." In general, "all lives matter" is used by people who are impacted very little from systemic racism, while those who use "black lives matter," are impacted much more. | ||
Revision as of 13:58, 5 September 2018
All lives matter is a slogan originally used by those who disagreed with the Black Lives Matter movement. Although slogans with similar meanings have been used for centuries, the specific phrase "all lives matter" was formulated to appropriate the phrase "black lives matter."
Devoid of context, the statement "all lives matter" is a very positive slogan that I agree with, however, because it was created to oppose the black lives matter movement, whose stated goal is to end systemic racism in law enforcement, I see "all lives matter" as a dog whistle for racism. It would be wonderful if everyone believed that all lives matter equally, but systemic racism still exists, so clearly they do not.
It's important to look at who uses the phrase "all lives matter" compared to those who use "black lives matter." In general, "all lives matter" is used by people who are impacted very little from systemic racism, while those who use "black lives matter," are impacted much more.
The slogan "black lives matter," wasn't just appropriated to "all lives matter," but also to "blue lives matter" and "white lives matter." Interestingly, those who do this are inadvertently demonstrating that they are aware of how it is possible to identify a problem, like the dangers of being a police officer, without suggesting that they're more important than everyone else.
Links
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Lives_Matter - Wikipedia.
