The Problem With “All Lives Matter”
Many people argue that Black Lives Matter means that white lives, or other groups’ lives don’t matter. However, they seem to be missing the point. The entire point of the BLM movement is to protest the evident fact that black lives matter less than white lives to the American criminal justice system, and government as a whole. (Huffington Post) The problem with dismissing BLM and spreading All Lives Matter is that it’s, once again, a complete disregard for black grievances. To be completely honest, it’s not a white person’s place to comment or minimize on the treatment of blacks when all they’ve experienced is a life full of privilege. Think about it this way; if I am a person who doesn’t watch a popular tv show, my opinion on it is not going to have much of an effect. But if the show’s #1 fan shared their opinion, others will learn from it and it will be valid, because that person has watched the show. The same applies when whites minimize the systemic and social racism that affects people of color everyday. White people simply do not experience the things people of color do. So how can they make decisions and conclusions on things they personally have not experienced?
