For many, the initial response to #BlackLivesMatter is to say #AllLivesMatter.
The reason that invokes a negative reaction is because it appears to dismiss the initial plea.
It’s a ‘what came first?’ situation. The movement, the plea or the injustice that sparked it off.
I can understand how someone might think it a divisive statement or even racist. I get it. But it’s not. Perhaps the former, but not the latter.
And yes, there will be #BlackLivesMatter activists who are racist. Racists come in every colour, culture and walk of life. That doesn’t mean the movement itself is.
Just like all police aren’t racist (they are not). All men aren’t sexist (they are not). All (you get the point).
Hong Kong, Philippines, Syria, Ireland, The Balkans. Injustices. Inequality. That’s the reality of our world.
If someone screams Filipino Lives Matter, my first instinct isn’t to correct them with #AllLivesMatter – it’s to ask them what is going on. It’s to acknowledge I might not understand their plight and they may be in need of attention and global support.
Parents, how many have taken their child to the GP with a fever, but felt ignored? How many times did you have to take them before being told to go to A&E – you were right, their condition was worse than the GP thought?
You get to A&E, sit there for hours feeling further ignored. You get told, there’s a backlog – you’ll get seen when they can, there are other casualties whose condition is worse.
You scream, my child is sick – they need to be seen!
You aren’t dismissing the lives of the other casualties, you aren’t saying your child’s life matters more. You’re screaming that; right now, you need acknowledgement, help, support.
How triggered would you be if they responded #AllLivesMatter?
Both statements can be true. Life is nuance. It doesn’t mean one statement is more true than the other. It’s saying our perspective of life gives us a different viewpoint.
It’s saying, is it really necessary right now to say #AllLivesMatter. Is it really more important than finding out what is wrong?
We should all be equal. But we aren’t treated that way. We just aren’t.
If there is one thing I’d dearly love today, it would be for more people to understand #BlackLivesMatter isn’t an attack on anyone else’s right to be treated equally, it is an attack on a system that has consistently made some people feel they aren’t valued at all.
I long for the day when it is unnecessary; just like it would be great to not need to have #BlackHistoryMonth or #ChildrenInNeed or #NSPCC #WorldWildlifeFund.
All are in response to something that has gone wrong.
Happy to discuss. Pop into the comments. Better to talk, listen and debate the issue than fear someone is going to call you a racist just because you dared to ask.
Mark My Words... 