For those of you that think ‘all lives matter’ heres a quick and easy explanation

[TeddyIsaHe]

MN can be extremely racist at times, most posters that have been here for a while will know this.

All lives can’t matter until black lives do. It’s something we ALL need to understand and I think this makes it very easy for people to grasp.

I think that this is the most condescending thread Ive ever read on mumsnet!!!

Teddyisahe clearly thinks we are all stupid.............

@callmeadoctor lol! do more reading on mumsnet
condescending enough or should I add a 'dear'?

Ha ha, absolutely add a dear

love you too lilmishap

I read an article this weekend which said 'all lives don't matter until black lives matter'. I thought it was a neat summary. Until everyone feels that black lives matter then the statement 'all lives matter' is, by default, untrue.

All life matters is true in my book.
White lives are not more important than black lives, but neither are black lives more important than white lives. It is the life that is important not the colour.
What has happened to one black person in USA is awful, however looting and rioting does not bring the dead person back. Instead more people get killed.
The USA had a black president but he did not stamp out racism or even make some states treat people equally.
This analogy about cancers is mad, I can't think of a good cancer to have.
If everyone just treated all people equally, surely that would be best.

A very eloquent law professor wrote a letter to a student who complained that he had worn a T-shirt that had Black Lives Matter on. My own paraphrasing of one of his points:

Black Lives Matter does not mean "Only Black Lives Matter." There are some implicit words before Black Lives Matter, but they are something along the lines of "Because of the mistreatment and murder of black people at the hands of the police and the systemic racism that causes it, it is important that we emphasise to those in charge that Black Lives Matter."

Full text: imgur.com/a/YkDVQ

@JustOneMoreStep actually what we need to be doing is being anti-racist and not assuming a single thing that George Floyd’s family thinks.

Be an ally, don’t presume to know a thing. Educate, donate, teach, learn, be vocal.

If you are white, you have experienced white privilege all your life even if you don’t recognise or understand it.

@caringcarer

All life matters is true in my book. White lives are not more important than black lives, but neither are black lives more important than white lives. It is the life that is important not the colour. What has happened to one black person in USA is awful, however looting and rioting does not bring the dead person back. Instead more people get killed. The USA had a black president but he did not stamp out racism or even make some states treat people equally. This analogy about cancers is mad, I can't think of a good cancer to have. If everyone just treated all people equally, surely that would be best.

No-one is arguing that black lives matter more than white lives.

Yes, of course it would be best if everyone just treated all people equally. But this is very far from the reality of black life in America in 2020.

Exactly @Ibake

@Sally872

"It is not enough to not be racist, you have to be anti-racist. "

Saw this on social media and think it makes a good point.

Either you are pro- or anti-. You cannot be both at the same time.

If you are not a racist then by default you are already 'anti-racist'.

@randomer

You want racism? Take a squint at GN.

What is GN?

A good analogy I read today was when one child is hurt and you tend to them and the other child says 'What about me?' and you say 'you matter too but right now it's your brother that needs to be helped.' But tbh it's a clear slogan to me as quite obviously, black people have been treated as if their lives don't matter and they're fighting against that racist and engrained attitude.

If everyone just treated all people equally, surely that would be best
But white people have never felt the need to make black people aware our lives matter because we were being killed disproportionately by the police we pay taxes for.

It's not an issue that affects us all equally so wishy washy thinking isn't helping.
The USA had a black president but he did not stamp out racism The UK and USA has a history of wealthy men becoming PM or President - both countries still have poor people.

@cheesyrats

Sadly it’s not as clear cut as that. People can be ‘not racist’ and will just quietly not be racist. Being anti-racist is speaking up to EVERY SINGLE PERSON you encounter and call them out. Even if it’s just a ‘funny’ joke. You raise your kids to understand race and racism and they grow up as black allies. And you include black people into your life, even if it through children’s books, films, plays whatever. It becomes a normality.

Not like it is atm.

Saw this today ...

The fact that people find BLM triggering is hilarious.

People only say “all lives matter” when they see BLM. So what are you doing for “all lives” then the rest of the time? Give examples please.

Because what you really mean, is others’ lives don’t matter to me. You want to shut down that conversation - not help anyone else.

Unless you have examples of how all lives matter to you... what have you done to practice this?

To each and every white supremacist on this thread. Belittling and dehumanising a black person is what you have done for centuries. It is deeply ingrained in you. If I didn’t know better, I would think you were born like this.

George Floyd is dead. He called for his mum as he lay dying. Thank your lucky stars that you are white and this is not your reality that in the western world, your child dying under the knee of a white policeman. You dehumanise black people and then pathetically decry the term Karen. White fragility is really quite something.

The USA had a black president but he did not stamp out racism or even make some states treat people equally

This statement is just ridiculous. So you expect the FIRST black president in history to completely eradicate hundreds and hundreds of years of brutal oppression and systemic racism??? I mean, he could’ve spent his entire time in office solely focusing on that and he still wouldn’t have fixed it. Not to mention if he spent anytime at all concentrating on those issues he was absolutely vilified.

Re black people, and paraphrasing something i saw online...

Be glad they’re asking for equality, and not revenge.

You know you wouldn’t want to be a black person in America (or maybe the UK). Consider why... use your imagination or maybe read a little. Listen for listenings sake, not to “win”.... if someone raises an issue, maybe take them at face value.

And don’t act shocked. As others have said, it’s not getting worse, it’s just now being recorded. (Thank you smart phones)

You know you wouldn’t want to be a black person in America (or maybe the UK). Consider why...

This is it. Nobody chose anything and pity is not selfless.

The thing is, all lives do matter. But because some people act as though black lives matter less or not at all, by saying “all lives matter” in this huge context, you are diminishing it. (You being whoever is saying/tweeting it, not anyone here specifically.)

If opening your mouth makes you part of the problem, try shutting it and listening