Does Black Lives Matter Mean Only Black Lives Matter?
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“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
-Martin Luther King
According to Wikipedia, the name Buttigieg is Maltese and means ‘father of chickens.’ Seems odd, but then the egg doesn’t fall far from the bird, and listening to Mayor Pete abjectly apologizing for having years ago said that all lives matter – I hear chickens clucking. I hear cowardice. He didn’t realize that the phrase had been “coined” to interfere with the political slogan of a political group and with their power, he said. “Coined!”
He failed to recognized that words are no longer defined by the dictionary or common usage, but by the needs of a powerful well-funded and increasingly solipsistic corporation. Coined? No, don’t ask Jesus, don’t ask the Buddha or any of the humanist traditions of most any religion over thousands of years. Don’t read any of the Humanist philosophers new or old – listen to us. We’re the college students and we know.
What the attitude proves is that we are to take “Black Lives Matter” to mean that only black lives matter and to do otherwise will require that “Racist” be branded across one’s forehead or a scarlet R be embroidered on one’s overcoat – forever. “Respect for our existence” read one BLM sign I remember. Can we assume the respect is mutual? If not, if we are not equal and not brothers, don’t expect anything but resistance.
Now I can understand why Mr. Buttigieg feels it necessary to bow and scrape at an altar of the new corporate left. One can’t rely on simply convincing liberals of your liberal credentials any more, much less the ability to lead the most complex country at a most complicated time. In fact independent thought is ipso facto, political suicide. Calling attention to other sinned against races and nationalities will erode the power of BLM. Thou shalt not, thou old white male, for thou mattereth not.
No, one has to address the power centers who dictate what is to be applauded, approved or allowed and it certainly isn’t about black lives any more – it’s about Black Lives Matter the organization and don’t you forget it, you racist old privileged white male bastard.
Yes, I said New Left, but it isn’t new or particularly left in the old sense of labor rights and equality under the law, it’s about vengeance and power. It’s not about leveling the playing field, it’s about turning the tables, It’s about getting back at an entire race for the abuses of the American South. It’s not about valuing our mutual humanity, it’s about creating classes to be treated as classes and not as people whose lives matter. It’s so akin to those failed movements from Marx to Chairman Mao now being raised from the dead like Zombies by a new generation with the same old self-righteousness.
No, the stated case of BLM; that their slogans will not be questioned, is unsupportable and racist and stinks of the same arrogance we see in the new Republicans. It’s “only my race matters.” It’s the kid with the rifle saying “I’m the Captain now.”
Time to stand up for something, Mayor Pete. Time to represent something other than some group and to stand up for the dignity and rights and humanity of all of us. We all matter. We’re all Americans and we are all human and all of us matter. If justice for you means injustice for me or anyone else it’s not justice. If equal protection under the law is to be set aside in favor of different law for different racial groups then as a nation we are damned and no longer a nation.
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We have come to automatically support the many groups that make up what we foolishly call the Left. We automatically think that if people are angry enough, what they do is proper. We assume that what policies and tactics are used are sanctified by anger and that whoever makes the most noise in the street is the best advocate for those for whom they advocate and that their slogans and tactics are not to be interfered with as being as important or more important than the justice they claim to seek.
As you know, I have no gods but what serves me for religion is a reverence for life. I have a reverence for our shared humanity and shared worth and rights and I will not confuse the slogans and marketing strategy of zealous people with that belief that life matters and should be respected and valued.
I’ve some strong feelings about this organization but were I to share them I would be classified as a “Racist.” But, I’m one of the “All Lives Matter” folk.