Will black lives ever matter?

[RockLock]

So another killing of a black man Ahmaud Arbery by 2 white men (Father and son) in US. They nearly got away with it calling it a citizen arrest and self defence. Father was a retired policeman.

They followed him, armed with guns and shot him.

Prosecutors tried to cover it up until the video emerged.
Ahmaud’s crime? He was going for a jog.

Will black lives ever matter?

Who knows? Black lives certainly don’t matter at the moment. The disproportionate toll of Covid-19 on ethnic minorities and black people in particular has become clear but many white people are utterly resistant to the idea of them being shielded from frontline roles. Yes, I regularly read the Daily Mail comments so I never forget how much some of you hate us. It’s not as if the Daily Mail is a fringe publication. It’s one of the most widely read. And many posters are latching onto the idea of low vitamin D levels being the cause. This is highly speculative!

This is the young man who was shot at point blank range for the crime of being black.
His whole life ahead of him, 25 years old. His poor mother.
The perpetrators weren't even charged for 2 months following his murder.

He would not have been murdered if he wasn't black.

The authorities would have been much quicker to decide to prosecute if he wasn't black.

I think these facts are incontrovertible.

So, yeah, in a lot of places (all places?) black lives are worth a lot less than white. This just illustrates it very clearly. How we change that, I have no idea. I get that some individuals are racist shit, but when it is so evident that authorities are too, it makes me despair that things will ever change.

DripDrip

I agree with the points you make, but calling people 'Karens' like it's a derogatory term is offensive. Your words lose their power and your (very good) points get lost!

Shocked by first few responses 😲

The British middle classes accept racism exists but only the kind associated with Tommy Robinson, Britain First, the BNP and the National Front. It’s nothing to do with decent people like them.

The murder of Ahmaud Arbery is horrific. The fact that the video evidence is the only reason this men will have their account of the story questioned is also horrific. The disparity between the way black and white people are treated is huge. Of course all lives matter, but people of colour are not on an equal footing and never have been. The outrage shown by many, many people shows that things are slowly moving in the right direction, but equality is still a way off.

posters are latching onto the idea of low vitamin D levels being the cause

I was chatting to a pharmacist about this the other day. He pointed out that if you have been ill and indoors your Vitamin D levels ARE likely to be lower than normal anyway...

Ridiculous thread title

I said what I said.

YANBU

Anyone whose says ‘all lives matter’ when discussing this needs to go and educate themselves!

I suppose people might say it because to them it is true? If you asked me, "Do black lives matter" I would say, of course they do. All lives matter.

Which isn't the same as being aware that in a societal sense far less value is placed on black lives.

The response ‘all lives matter’ spectacularly highlights part of the issue.

All lives matter. There are some disgusting people in the world but the extremely small minority dose not represent society as a whole. I think you are unreasonable for thinking it dose

Are you for real? This happens all the time in America, so hardly a minority.

The country and legal system is so corrupt that the perpetrators are frequently allowed to get away with it.

For a site that seems pretty liberal overall, there is a massive blind spot when it comes to racism.

I don't think this site is that liberal, not anymore anyway. The amount of negative threads started about Meghan Markle is proof of that for one, and the low-key racism on them is shocking.

The fact that anyone can read about this horrendous murder and just respond 'yes, but all lives matter' just shows the level of ignorance the world is in.

That Grey's clip is heartbreaking.

I think that's a bit inflammatory OP. For most people, ALL lives matter, end of. For those that don't think that way, NO lives matter.

Shocked by first few responses 😲

I'm not. This par for the course when racism is discussed. Disgraceful.

All lives matter. There are some disgusting people in the world but the extremely small minority dose not represent society as a whole. I think you are unreasonable for thinking it dose

If ever there was a point spectacularly missed, there it is.

Even 30 seconds doing a little research would tell you what the problem is.

If you think about this, the 64 year old father currently under arrest would have been born in the 1950's. So many of the Klu Kluxers of that time would have had children - do you think they were brought up to be loving, tolerant humans or do you think it more likely that the hate was just nurtured and fed and mushroomed? I would question if it is a really small minority; most might not go so far as to commit murder but to quietly endorse it? Plenty of that going on. & what has Trump had to say about it? That it's a very sad thing. I don't detect much outrage here, or any motivation to do much about it. It will soon be old news. Where is the genuine discourse?? That you should even have to ask this question is really disgraceful and anyone who votes that YABU is part of the problem.

@LyingWitchInTheWardrobe you’ve completely missed the point. Whether that’s through ignorance or goadiness I’m not sure.

For most people, ALL lives matter, end of.

Yes, all lives matter. However they matter on a scale, and black lives are nowhere near the top. By saying 'all lives matter', you are making it an empty sentiment, closing down the discussion of why we need to consider black lives and deaths in proportion to others.

I do feel that it's worse in some countries than others. My best friend is black and he went to the USA on holiday. He did have a fun time but he was telling me about pubs specially for black people and that kind of thing simply doesn't exist around here. He did feel that there was more racial segregation than in western Europe.

DripDrip

OK, you're entitled to say whatever you like. However, I'm called Karen, and I get so annoyed when people use my name as a By Word for racist, Chav or anything else they hate.