#BLACKLIVESMATTER or #ALLLIVESMATTER?

I had the idea for this post a couple of days ago in my government class. It was something I was yearning to discuss, so of course I had to write a post about it. I jotted the idea down in my notebook. I had written "#blacklivesmatter or #alllivesmatter?" in big black letters on the top of the page so I wouldn't forget it. Shortly after, the teacher called for lunch and we were dismissed. I left the page open on my desk and exited the room, thinking nothing of it.

When I returned, I noticed that something had changed. One of my classmates had circled "#alllivesmatter" in my notebook. I was astonished. For some reason, I hadn't imagined that my habit of writing down all of my thoughts would turn into a very strange and short lived conversation. I admire my classmate for their bravery to deface my notebook to express their obviously firm belief. (That sounded sarcastic. I wasn't supposed to be). For that reason, I would like to address the rest of this entry to my anonymous peer.

Dear friend(?) in my government class,

Hey, good for you! I think it's really cool that you have formed an opinion on a topic that a lot of people seem to dismiss. I'm actually really glad that you chose to show it to me, a person who is stubborn and, depending on the subject, hostile when it comes to my beliefs.

However, I disagree wholeheartedly with your preference for the label that "All Lives Matter", and here's why. (Hold your breath, here it comes. Sorry....you asked for it!)

Let me start with an analogy.

Let's say you and your friend start a club. Book Club? Why not. As you and your Book Club friends sit down to discuss financing the club, you notice that your club gets significantly less money from the school compared to other clubs. Naturally, you decide to start a petition to the school to give your precious Book Club the funding it deserves. You decide to call it "Give Money to the Book Club".

A friend who is not affiliated with your Book Club, however, suggests the name "Give Money to All Clubs". What? Why? Your friend explains that all clubs deserve to have appropriate funding, why should you only show preference towards the Book Club? You, as the Captain of the Book Club, ignore this silly opinion. Of course all clubs need money, but right now, we are just focusing on the Book Club.

Of course all lives matter, but right now, we are just focusing on the black ones. 

Unlike my nifty analogy, denouncing the hashtag "Black Lives Matter" does a lot more harm than denouncing "Give Money to the Book Club". We're not talking about money. We're talking about lives. Human beings.

First of all, it completely erases the issue. Claiming that "All Lives Matter" seems like you think the problem doesn't even exist. And it does. There are so many statistics and studies concretely proving that police officers are much more likely to be violent towards a young black man than any other demographic. (If you disagree, Google it. I don't have time to argue with inaccuracy.)

Secondly, it is the epitome of white privilege. When (primarily) white people take a movement targeted towards black people and shift it to also include themselves, they are exemplifying what history has already proven, white people are power hungry. In this situation, it almost seems like white people are the favorite child in a family. When the parent (America) finally pays attention to the other child (Black people), the spoiled favorite child (White people) freaks out and demands attention. "Whoa, Camille! That is so racist! I can't believe you just said that about WHITE people!" Listen, I get it. It might be hard to swallow, but its the truth. But you're not in this, white america. This issue requires your support, not for you to make yourself a victim too.

When it comes to "All Lives Matter", it isn't the words that are the problem, it is the way they are said. If they are said to fill in the clear gap that yes, some lives seem to matter less, then it works. It it is said to blatantly state that All Lives Matter without paying attention to whose or any inequality in the subject, that is an issue. Judith Butler, a Professor at UC Berkeley explained the issue perfectly when she said,

"When some people rejoin with “All Lives Matter” they misunderstand the problem, but not because their message is untrue. It is true that all lives matter, but it is equally true that not all lives are understood to matter which is precisely why it is most important to name the lives that have not mattered, and are struggling to matter in the way they deserve."

To read more of Butler's opinions on the matter, I encourage that you read this amazing article from the New York Times.

I apologize if I seem angry or unfair. It is hard to talk about something as emotional as this while maintaining complete composure.

Thanks for tuning in. Please tell me what you think on the issue in the comments, or feel free to tweet me @theonechameleon.

xxCamille