# Whose life matters? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 25, 2016, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-life-matters/769663 "2016-10-25T04:00:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-life-matters/769663/41 "2016-10-25T18:35:25Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > The term was coined in response to the feeling that nobody seemed to care when black people were killed. It’s “black lives matter (too)” not “black lives matter (only).” I don’t “this” often but…this exactly and that is why “All Lives Matter” is disingenuous Bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-life-matters/769663/42 "2016-10-25T18:37:23Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Why do the police apply a different standard to white and black suspects? [They](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2016/07/19/academic-research-on-police-shootings-and-race/?utm_term=.69f0cdf34a3d) [don’t](http://www.nber.org/papers/w22399). As mentioned, it is mostly selective perception, and anecdote. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-life-matters/769663/43 "2016-10-25T18:38:33Z")
There is no matter, only energy that sometimes acts like matter. Some things seem like matter but they are only vast empty spaces linked by something that seems to exist, only to be found to be elusive energy particles. Weak little shits of gravity. Unruly undefinable things that seem to exist except when you look for them they are not where they should be and if you actually find them you don’t know what energy state they are in. What little fuckers they are. If we could only find out what these little energy things are we could blame it all on them. Personally I blame it on the turtles, all the way down. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-life-matters/769663/44 "2016-10-25T19:37:56Z")
If someone stuck a microphone in my face and said that to me, my response would be “Fuck off, get out of my way.” ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-life-matters/769663/45 "2016-10-25T20:19:53Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > [They](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2016/07/19/academic-research-on-police-shootings-and-race/?utm_term=.69f0cdf34a3d) [don’t](http://www.nber.org/papers/w22399). As mentioned, it is mostly selective perception, and anecdote. > > Regards, > Shodan Like this anecdote. > **[Shooting of Charles Kinsey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Charles_Kinsey)** > > Second trial: > On July 18, 2016, Charles Kinsey, a behavior therapist, was shot in the leg by a police officer in North Miami, Florida. Kinsey had been retrieving his 27-year-old autistic patient, Arnaldo Rios Soto, who had run away from his group home. Police encountered the pair while they were searching for an armed suicidal man. Kinsey was lying on the ground with his hands in the air, and trying to negotiate between officers and his patient, when he was shot. The officer who shot Kinsey sa... Cops motto: When in doubt, shoot the black man! For those who do not want to click the link: Charles Kinsey is a mental health worker. His client had wandered from his group home. Police encountered the pair while searching for an armed suicidal man. Kinsey, who is black, was trying to get his client, who is white, to comply with police commands. Kinsey was laying on his back with hands raised. And a cop shot him. The cop fired three times, hitting Kinsey once. Then they left him on the ground for 20 minutes with no police offering aid. Kinsey’s life _did not matter_ to the police. Again, they were there for the white guy, they shot the black guy. Neither guy was armed. The black guy was laying on the ground with arms raised. And for the **lamest** justification of the year: > [@](#): > > A police department employee told the Herald that the officer fired because the autistic patient did not obey police commands. On July 22, the head of the local police union, John Rivera, said that the officer who fired the bullets was aiming for Kinsey’s patient, and was “trying to save Kinsey’s life.” Trying to save Kinsey’s life. Was aiming for the other guy. With a rifle. Fired _three times._ Hit the black man, who is magnetic or something. And left him bleeding on the sidewalk. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-life-matters/769663/46 "2016-10-25T20:25:41Z")
Correct, anecdotal. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-life-matters/769663/47 "2016-10-25T20:46:27Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > [They](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2016/07/19/academic-research-on-police-shootings-and-race/?utm_term=.69f0cdf34a3d) [don’t](http://www.nber.org/papers/w22399). As mentioned, it is mostly selective perception, and anecdote. > > Regards, > Shodan I have not (yet) read the entirety of your second link, but the abstract notes that controlling for context does not eliminate a racial disparity with regard to the use of non-lethal force on blacks and Hispanics vs. on whites. That seems to support the assertion Little Nemo’s assertion that “police apply a different standard to white and black suspects.” ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-life-matters/769663/48 "2016-10-25T22:18:58Z")
**Shodan** ’s belief is that the police do not shoot blacks more often than whites. And if they do, it’s because they deserved it, what with being criminals and all. And it can proven with statistics, because cops are [very honest](http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article17776091.html) when writing reports about what went down. Which is good because the statistics are based on the _official_ records. Which is why I keep bring up this cite. Were it not for a 3rd party catching the action on his cell phone, this would went down as another good shooting of a thug who had threatened the officer. His report would have been the official version of events. > [@](#): > > Police reports say that officers performed CPR and delivered first aid to Scott. The video shows that for several minutes after the shooting, Scott remained face down with his hands cuffed behind his back. A second officer arrives, puts on blue medical gloves and attends to Scott, but is not shown performing CPR. As sirens wail in the background, a third officer later arrives, apparently with a medical kit, but also not seen performing CPR. The point is that cops sometimes lie in their reports. Especially if it makes them or fellow officers look bad. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-life-matters/769663/49 "2016-10-25T22:35:16Z")
Black lives matter. I get it. It’s sad that it needs to be pointed out. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-life-matters/769663/50 "2016-10-26T00:13:34Z")
> [@rbroome](#): > > “Black lives Matter” is intended to convey a very specific point. > Too bad skilled message handlers hadn’t been involved in developing the saying, but it is what it is. > > As others have said here, the point is that black lives are being unnecessarily lost and that needs to stop. > When we get to the realization that other lives are being unnecessarily lost and that needs to stop, a new (hopefully better crafted) phrase will be needed. But right now, the issue BLM talks to is blacks being killed unnecessarily. Changing the phrase to something else explicitly changes the meaning. Again, it could have been better crafted, but the message is clear and changing the words changes the meaning. This. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-life-matters/769663/51 "2016-10-26T04:00:13Z")
Black holes swallow matter. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-life-matters/769663/52 "2016-10-26T04:37:46Z")
I chose “black lives matter.” Implicit ‘too’ and all. In that particular case, though, my reaction would probably be, “oh God, why am I at a Trump rally? What happened?” ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-life-matters/769663/53 "2016-10-26T04:51:47Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > The term was coined in response to the feeling that nobody seemed to care when black people were killed. It’s “black lives matter (too)” not “black lives matter (only).” Yes! This just what it mean but people read it as Black lives matter (only) . :smack: It’s so good to see that someone else get what this means . ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-life-matters/769663/54 "2016-10-26T05:13:46Z")
I’m a Christian. Obviously I am for the oppressed people. I don’t get to go and ask the oppressors if they are actually being oppressed. The only purpose arguing serves is to make the lives of the oppressed people worse. Of course I say Black Lives Matter. It’s just inherently true. And if, somehow, cops aren’t disproportionately killing black people, then they have no reason not to say it themselves. It’s only if they aren’t that they have to worry. And the fact that they freak out about it instead of agreeing with them shows that they sure think they have something to worry about. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-life-matters/769663/55 "2016-10-26T14:02:59Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > The term was coined in response to the feeling that nobody seemed to care when black people were killed. It’s “black lives matter (too)” not “black lives matter (only).” Yeah, _of course_ this, also. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-life-matters/769663/56 "2016-10-26T21:27:39Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > …it is mostly selective perception, and anecdote. > [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > Like this anecdote… I love how you imply that Shodan is wrong, it’s _not_ mostly anecdotes. And your proof is an anecdote. And you even label it an anecdote. mmm ---
**Author:** ![dunkleosteus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dunkleosteus/32/9331_2.png) [@dunkleosteus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dunkleosteus)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-life-matters/769663/57 "2016-10-28T16:55:59Z")
I believe the original intent of the movement was to agree that all human life is important and to suggest that police were making an exception for black people, and that they weren’t being treated with the same respect afforded to people of lighter skin colours. Might have been more clear if they’d said “Black lives matter too”. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-life-matters/769663/58 "2016-10-28T19:46:02Z")
Of course they do. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-life-matters/769663/59 "2016-10-28T20:05:13Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > The term was coined in response to the feeling that nobody seemed to care when black people were killed. It’s “black lives matter (too)” not “black lives matter (only).” This. I wish all the protest signs said ‘Black Lives Matter (too)!’ I see it as a worthy cause with shitty messaging. I think black folks shouldn’t have to worry about the police. And I think they have legitimate reasons to do so. But, I have to admit that my back gets up a little bit when people shout, “Black Lives Matter!” because it sounds a bit like I don’t think black lives matter. That’s preposterous. But, at the same time, it’s completely reasonable to ask that I agree that Black lives matter (just like everyone else’s). ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2016, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-life-matters/769663/60 "2016-10-30T04:56:24Z")
> [@purplehearingaid](#): > > Yes! This just what it mean but people read it as Black lives matter (only) . :smack: It’s so good to see that someone else get what this means . Perfect reddit response: [Reddit - Dive into anything](https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3du1qm/eli5_why_is_it_so_controversial_when_someone_says/) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-life-matters/769663.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-life-matters/769663.md?page=4)