BLM Is Not a Hate Group

[elaina]

Came across this piece today. (a bit old but not much has changed / still relevant today)

Since many on the right are confused by this issue, claiming the opposition is "just as bad"....

Black Lives Matter Is Not a Hate Group
July 19, 2016

Richard Cohen
President

Each year, the Southern Poverty Law Center, of which I am the president, compiles and publishes a census of domestic hate groups.

Our list, which is cited extensively by journalists, academics and government officials alike, provides an important barometer—not the only one, of course—to help us understand the state of hate and extremism in America.

In recent weeks, we’ve received a number of requests to name Black Lives Matter a hate group, particularly in the wake of the murders of eight police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge. Numerous conservative commentators have joined the chorus. There is even a Change.org petition calling for the hate group label.

In our view, these critics fundamentally misunderstand the nature of hate groups and the BLM movement.

Generally speaking, hate groups are, by our definition, those that vilify entire groups of people based on immutable characteristics such as race or ethnicity. Federal law takes a similar approach.

While it’s no surprise, given our country’s history, that most domestic hate groups hold white supremacist views, there are a number of black organizations on our hate group list as well.

A prime example is the New Black Panther Party (NBPP), whose leaders are known for anti-Semitic and anti-white tirades. Its late chairman, Khalid Abdul Muhammad, famously remarked, “There are no good crackers, and if you find one, kill him before he changes.” Bobby Seale, a founding member of the original Black Panther Party, has called the NBPP a “black racist hate group.”

We have heard nothing remotely comparable to the NBPP’s bigotry from the founders and most prominent leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement and nothing at all to suggest that the bulk of the demonstrators hold supremacist or black separatist views. Thousands of white people across America – indeed, people of all races – have marched in solidarity with African Americans during BLM marches, as is clear from the group’s website. The movement’s leaders also have condemned violence.

There’s no doubt that some protesters who claim the mantle of Black Lives Matter have said offensive things, like the chant “pigs in a blanket, fry ‘em like bacon” that was heard at one rally. But before we condemn the entire movement for the words of a few, we should ask ourselves whether we would also condemn the entire Republican Party for the racist words of its presumptive nominee – or for the racist rhetoric of many other politicians in the party over the course of years.

Many of its harshest critics claim that Black Lives Matter’s very name is anti-white, hence the oft-repeated rejoinder “all lives matter.” This notion misses the point entirely. Black lives matter because they have been marginalized throughout our country’s history and because white lives have always mattered more in our society. As BLM puts it, the movement stands for “the simple proposition that ‘black lives also matter.’”

The backlash to BLM, in some ways, reflects a broad sense of unease among white people who worry about the cultural changes in the country and feel they are falling behind in a country that is rapidly growing more diverse in a globalizing world. We consistently see this phenomenon in surveys showing that large numbers of white people believe racial discrimination against them is as pervasive, or more so, than it is against African Americans.

It’s the same dynamic that researchers at Harvard Business School described in a recent study: White people tend to see racism as a zero-sum game, meaning that gains for African Americans come at their expense. Black people see it differently. From their point of view, the rights pie can get bigger for everyone.

Black Lives Matter is not a hate group. But the perception that it is racist illustrates the problem. Our society as a whole still does not accept that racial injustice remains pervasive. And, unfortunately, the fact that white people tend to see race as a zero-sum game may actually impede progress.

This commentary first appeared at TIME.com

SOURCE

[Video Games]

I'm not right and still think they're bad. Inc a jillion replies that I'm wrong when video evidence suggests otherwise.

[Derpleton]

Nope, nothing hateful about that

[Svad1287]

Just because he says they arent a hate group, doesnt make it true.

[Milchshake]

Fox News and Breitbart sells a lot of adspace by ginning up fear of BLM. Probably REDDIT and youtube as well.

[ohiostate124]

Dead cops and white genocide. Definitely not a hate group.

[D3thray]

The SPLC is not credible anymore if they ever were. They're like the Heritage Foundation of the left. The ACLU at least is still principled.

[sgthotrod]

BLM's very name is racist and un inclusive. They hate white people just as much as the "alt right" hates black people. They are opposite sides of the same coin and they are all looney toons.

[GennGreymane]

Oh this will be a fun time. Pretty old news.

[Zandalarian Paladin]

BLM is exactly like the alt-right.

Not a hate group.

But utterly despicable, through their actions and relentless racism.

[Jimusmc]

guess wanting all cops dead, white people dead

and when white people want to join their riots.. i mean "protests" they tell them no.

[Daedius]

Sure they're not...

[GennGreymane]

Will the lost arguments/failed baiters come to this thread now? Only time will tell.

[Thepersona]

Will the lost arguments/failed baiters come to this thread now? Only time will tell.

Yes, of course

Got to say, this BLM boogeyman is tiring
BLM= black lives matter... why the name? because a lot of the time, afroamericans are treated as 2nd class citizens, specially regarding police brutality
Are their methods good? No, they're not. Is their cause a decent one? yes, it is... at least in the US (i dunno why they're protesting in Canada or the Uk)
Gotta remember, the imbecile who killed cops was denounced almost instantly by BLM's heads

[Very Tired]

Just because you don't see them as bad as the KKK, doesn't mean they aren't a hate group.

[pionock]

I used to be on board with BLM in the early days because I (still) believe that our police are too authoritarian at times, they abuse their power, and just act far too aggressive in too many situations. Then I started losing respect when they called for dead cops and frying them like bacon. Then I really lost respect for them when they had movements in Canada and the UK. Are black really that marginalized in canada? Why were they interrupting a pride parade in Toronto? What does that have to do with bad cops?

My problem with them is they seem to have no organization. They just show up and protest and I see no substance. If they wanna talk about cops abusing their power, let's talk. But why are you at a college campus?

[elaina]

So far in this thread: people who knee jerk responded without reading the article.

The SPLC is not credible anymore if they ever were. They're like the Heritage Foundation of the left. The ACLU at least is still principled.

Heeeyyy an actual response.

Can you name a credible source that makes claim that they are a hate group? (Plz don't say infowars).

Also still, his points are sound regardless of his relevant affiliation.

[Deleted]

No, it's not a hate group. It's an outright terrorist group, and the private army of George Soros.


[Infracted]

[derpkitteh]

they are violent and dangerous though, that much is for sure.

[ryanmahaffe]

HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA

yes they are.