“BlackLivesMatter” is a very poor slogan. It’s polarizing, the natural reaction of anyone who isn’t black upon seeing it is “so does my life”. Frank Luntz would definitely give it an F.
They should have gone with something like “OurLivesMatter”.
I’m not black, and that is not my natural reaction to it. So it’s not the “natural reaction of anyone who isn’t black”.
No it’s not.
Count me in as another not-black person whose natural reaction is not Terr’s declaration.
Yes, the DoJ report on Ferguson is very solid and statistically valid evidence even if you don’t accept it. There have also been similar findings by DoJ, for example in Seattle.
Cool. How many more “Me, me, look how liberal and sensitive I am!!!111!!” replies will I get?
That’s an odd way of admitting to making an error.
I don’t know. How many will it take before you stop making obviously false generalizations?
You asserted that so far as “Black Lives Matter” goes as a slogan, “the natural reaction of anyone who isn’t black upon seeing it is “so does my life”.”
I’m not black, and that wasn’t my natural reaction.
In pointing out that you were incorrect, is there a way that I could have done so that you would see as less self-congratulatory? Because I’m happy to adjust my language to further the purpose of debating with you. I can only say that my intention was purely to prove you wrong, not to big up myself - would putting it some other way have been more convincing?
Is it purely that post which leads you to guess so at my intentions, or is it a posting history?
Ask a couple of people on this very thread…
Of course, you’ll believe that those of us who don’t instantly think like you on this subject and aren’t black are just saying these things to make ourselves look good to other liberals. Can’t be that we actually FEEL this way, can it? Because your way of feeling and understanding the situation is the default, right? Anyone who disagrees with you is just lying to get “liberal points” or something.
I can’t possibly make up a better example of a defining characteristic of far-right thought.
Have you considered the possibility that people can honestly disagree with you? Sometimes I enjoy going back and forth with you, but it’s when you can’t even consider the possibility that disagreement can be honest and based on something reasonable and rational, to the other side, at least, that it becomes a bit difficult.
It seems somewhat unfair to castigate Terr for making assumptions about what other people think and then castigate him for what you assume he thinks.
I’d say it doesn’t take much extrapolation to tease that out of what he posted. It’s not like he was being subtle about it.
If you say “all lives matter” instead of “black lives matter” you might be tempted to think about how we balance the lives of suspects against the lives of police and the public. Those who boo “All Lives Matter” don’t want that - we are expected to react only to what they say, and not think too much about it.
That may be what makes the Mother Jones article so stupid. Actually considering the circumstances of the shooting of Michael Brown and Trayvon Martin cannot lead to anything like “black lives don’t matter” to any rational person. Therefore we need a slogan that can be used in place of rational thought.
Regards,
Shodan
Alternatively, you could just ask, rather than assert. Then you don’t need to extrapolate at all.
That doesn’t make sense. If one’s aim is to avoid people saying “all lives matter”, booing provides no particular aid - in fact, it’s contraindicated, since booing draws attention and thought to what’s being booed.
Your suggestion that “all lives matter” vs. “black lives matter” might tempt people to think about how the lives of suspects against the lives of police and the public is a strange one. It would suggest that “black lives matter” doesn’t encompass the lives of police and the public, which is very odd. There are black police officers, there are black members of the public. What does changing “black” to “all” do that introduces those thoughts, and/or what does “black” alone do that inhibits them?
There is nothing wrong with saying “All Lives Matter” I can’t stand how people try emphasize the divide of the races as if that is going to fix any of the problems.
THANK YOU, so well said!
I suspect this is probably true only for white people who also say things like “They call each other nigger. It’s not fair that I can’t too!”