Black lives matter too

Last updated on: July 14, 2016 at 11:11 am by Dave Griffey

Black lives matter too 2016-07-14T09:15:28-04:00 Dave Griffey

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Yes they do. Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight. Somewhere, however, kids who sing that song have it one up on us educated adults in America today.

I get what the movement is about. Problems in the justice system, disproportionate singling out of blacks by police officers, the history of blacks in America, are issues worth addressing. Thus the rise of the slogan Black Lives Matter which, if I remember correctly, was coined during the Zimmerman kerfuffle in 2012 and 2013. I can’t remembering much resistance at that time. Later, in 2014, the Ferguson shooting brought the movement back in force. The response of ‘All lives matter’ began after a series of assaults on police, especially the assassination of two police officers in December of 2014. Sometimes it was ‘Blue lives matter.’ It became a full blown controversy on the national stage when Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders was stormed by protesters after Martin O’Malley said all lives matter. In addition to the protesters assailing Sanders, O’Malley’s apology for saying all lives matter sent the ball rolling.

The ensuing debate does bring up a question worth asking: After the horrors of the 20th century, why are we arguing over the phrase ‘All Lives Matter’? Consider:

holocaust I

Yep, that’s a case where the idea ‘All lives matter’ was seen as problematic. So let’s hit the brakes on the growing idea that anyone who says All lives matter is the villain.

As with all things today, the controversy took on a life of its own. Divisions and assumptions fly back and forth. Have you noticed that people who assume the worst motives of those who use the phrase Black lives matter assume the best motives of those who say All lives matter? And vice versa? Never a good sign when our best defense is the worst assumption about those on the other side of the debate.

In hindsight it would have been better to say ‘Justice for Blacks too’, or ‘Black Justice Matters too.’ Or even “Black Lives Matter Too!” Because in our age of lightning fast social media memes, what was a simple slogan to bring awareness to a problem became a fight that is now spiraling into troubling areas, if not downright idiocy, and even Christians with our proclamation of God’s universal love aren’t immune:

Jesus-vs.-AllLivesMatter-1024x576-e1468337231420

Silly meme. One of those memes that reminds you how difficult it is to argue with children.

Of course being the educated generation that we are, I’m sure we won’t make the same mistake all those people who came before us made when they got into debates like these. Will we? But just in case we’re not inherently better that all the people in history who started asking when which lives matter, it might be a good idea to take a deep breath and, if it’s really about pointing to the plight of blacks in America and their struggles, just add ‘too’ to the slogan ‘Black lives matter’. By definition, that says other lives matter, but that black lives matter as well. That might do the trick. Then if someone says ‘All lives matter’, there’s no reason to debate or judge or jump the gun and suggest we know their wicked hearts. Heck, at that point there’s no reason to say ‘All lives matter’ at all. The statement ‘Black Lives Matter Too’ is clear and only a person who doesn’t think other lives matter, or doesn’t think black lives matter, would have a problem. Then we’d know who the trouble makers are.

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