Black Lives Matter

[Lindz]

I never really feel sure how to respond to BLM material.

On one hand, yes of course they do matter, so it's not like I disagree.

But on the other hand, I believe that a heavy emphasis on the racial aspect is counter-productive to making progress.
1. If you look at ALL of the cases of abuse of authority/power by LEOs, it will build a much, much more significant and startling picture than if you focus only on victims of a particular group (race, age, gender, etc).
2. If you build a cause/movement that is against brutality and corruption in general, then every group (race, age, gender, etc) will feel validated in whatever trespasses they have experienced/observed and be far more likely to get involved in the movement. In essence everyone can approach it in a sense of "together we the people are standing up for ourselves" as opposed to "we are going to stand up for on particular group while ignoring the rest of the corruption incidences taking place".

For example, I have a severe mental illness that is managed with psychiatric medication. There are many cases of mentally ill people being brutalized and killed by police. There are many instances of police not having proper knowledge and training in approaching and handling the mentally ill, which likely contributes a lot to the tragedies. Also, a very large number of mentally ill people are in prison, as many facilities in the past (corrupt and inhumane asylum type places) were simply eliminated as opposed to being ethically cleaned up.

So if there was a movement against abuse by law enforcement in general, people like myself would be one of several voices within it. I would much rather that than having a "Mentally Ill Lives Matter" movement, because I would rather a movement be uniting and powerful.

[Deleted]

so does brown lives, they matter too :P

[TwistedSkull]

This seems relevant to the topic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wikl6tJEPh0

[Dug]

A new and refreshing topic if I've ever seen one

[stabetha]

Not here to sell books but I'm reading a really good one now by Jesse Lee Peterson. It's called "The Antidote" if you are interested. Bought it 3 days ago and I'm about 1/2 through with it. Peterson is black but his viewpoint is very different from many so-called "black leaders"

he wrote another good book called "Scam: How the Black Leadership Exploits Black America" there is also a biography of his life out there next on my list of reads.

- - - Updated - - -

This is America. Everyone is kinda always legitimately in fear of their lives.

if you truly live in fear in America you should probably see a psychologist (although I'm sure you don't and are just posting nonsensical hyperbole)

[Linri]

Everything I have seen from the BLM movement, usually involves rioting, shutting down speeches and giving itself a bad name.
It's true that what they stand for is reasonable, because you know what lives do matter doesn't matter the race.
Also, yeah black lives in America seem to have taken a big hit, because that is what the news aims to show you.

How about all of the violent crimes, any race commits against one another, sure that's fine but once its White on Black crime all of a sudden it's a major issue.

Pretty fed up with this whole BLM thing honestly, if it was more constructive in bettering it's majority of followers which seem to be teens who just go for the sake of being in a large crowd than you need you rethink the quality of people your movement has attracted.

[Mueller Greyhound]

Black lives do not matter in my opinion. I think they are full of bullshit just to get attention. What about latinos, white, hispanic, asian? Do we see Asian lives matter? No, how about #AllLivesMatter. This way everyone gets the same treatment.