Thursday, September 10, 2015

#BlackLivesMatter vs #AllLivesMatter

At face value, they seem just the same as one is a subset of the other so presumably all want the same thing.  In algebra and basic geometry that's true but neither of these things is representative of real life which mathematics tries to describe but never fully manages.

From the white perspective,

#BlackLivesMatter and #AllLivesMatter mean the same thing.


From the black perspective,

#AllLivesMatters marginalizes the specific concerns of #BlackLivesMatter which are real and legitimate.

In this context, #AllLivesMatter is a clear and present racial assault, compounding existing racial assaults which are specifically what #BlackLivesMatter is intended to address.

The context was valid but I was not aware of that perception.  Now I am.  Thank you, Glenn McCrea.


I'm just some white guy trying to do the right thing and sometimes that gets like picking paper or plastic in the supermarket.  How the fuck do I know which is the right ecological choice.  The plastic ends up in a landfill for a billion years and paper means they kill spotted owls when they chop down trees.  So, tell me, what do I do.

Yah, yah, I know.  Take yer bag with you and then don't throw away anything.


Still there are situations in which you can easily think you're doing the right thing and then discover, oh, hell no.  I've been grossly offensive and didn't even fookin' know it.


This is not an apology as when I give offense it's usually deliberate and if I do it unintentionally the only effective response is to continue learning to ensure I don't do it again.

No comments: