Black Lives Matter

Black Lives Matter Editorial Cartoon Bearman Cartoons

“Black Lives Matter”  For whatever reason since the phrase was first invoked, there is a large population of people who miss the point and respond “All Lives Matter.”   What is missing from their understanding, IMO, is when someone invokes the phrase “Black Lives Matter” they aren’t saying ONLY black lives have meaning but rather “Black Lives Matter TOO”.  It is implied in the phrase and yet so many seem to miss the point.

Let’s say you are at a birthday party and everyone is served cake but you.  You say “I want cake!!”  First, you don’t have to say “I want cake too because clearly everyone else has cake.”  Second, imagine the response is “Everyone wants cake”.  Can you see how demeaning it is.  All your friends are standing around enjoying the delicious confection and have a blind spot to the fact that you have been left out.   But what is worse, is they shut you down when you bring up the injustice.

And just because you support the “Black Lives Matter” cause does NOT mean you are anti police.  As Trevor Noah of the Daily Show clearly points out in this video, you can be Pro Black and Pro Police….and should be.

What do you think?

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25 Responses to “Black Lives Matter”

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  1. George Ford says:

    You explained it perfectly, B!

  2. Karen Gromada says:

    Truly excellent! One of your best!

  3. Binky says:

    That’s a very good way to put it. I wonder if the “too” was added to the phrase initially, would it have made it less controversial?

  4. Tony McGurk says:

    A good explanation of an important matter. The old saying that all men are born equal but some are more equal than others comes to mind

  5. Christine says:

    This is a really smart comparison. Great way of looking at the rhetoric 🙂

  6. Friggin Loon says:

    Nice work there, Bearman

  7. Dave says:

    I can see how they miss the point. I can see how one could tack on #too or #also at the end and I can see how one could also tack on #only.

    I actually think to clear up confusion this is would be better #blacklivesmatteralso, I’m all about that. All life has worth.

    I hope that was clear and didn’t sound racist.

  8. Nate Fakes says:

    Nice cartoon! I agree (and this cartoon/post might help clear any confusion).

  9. lisleman says:

    That’s a good point you make. I never took it to mean Black only. However if you are a closed minded person who see the world as us vs. them then I guess you would see it that way. I suspect those people also follow the take it or leave it attitude. Compromise, respective, openness are a few of the ideas we should be spreading.

  10. G. B. Miller says:

    Perfect sense, but I believe that the original phrase is what they and everyone intended, and woe is the person who goes against it. People get threatened if they say “All Lives Matter”. People go off the deep end of the ocean about it.

    • I disagree. Every person I interact with who has used it means the way I intended. The response all lives matter is well intentioned but misses the point as my example showed

  11. Kit Karidoo says:

    As simple as adding three letters! Good one Bearman

  12. Mark Stokes says:

    Very insightful, Bearman!

  13. Scott says:

    “Black lives matter too”–I was thinking of that, just the other day. The Black Lives Matter movement would be far more effective if it would add that one word.

    Language matters–far more than we realize. It truly matters what words we use–and what words we fail to use.

    Consider the Civil Rights Movement. This movement emerged primarily to achieve equality for Black Americans. But other minority groups, such as Native Americans and Hispanic Americans, benefited as well from the Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Movement is arguably the most effective in U.S. history. And one reason it’s so effective is that its name is not an exclusive one. The civil rights of all Americans can be defended and preserved under the banner of the Civil Rights Movement–because the name, in itself, is an all-inclusive one.

    Consider the Feminist Movement, on the other hand. What has the Feminist Movement created besides controversy? Even the Equal Rights Amendment has never been passed–partly because those who championed it did so under the banner of the Feminist Movement. Unlike “Civil Rights”, “Feminist” is an exclusive term–it excludes all members of the male sex, of all ages. Wouldn’t the Feminist Movement be so much more effective if it simply changed its name to the “Humanist Movement”? I’m not a feminist, I’m not a masculinist–I’m a humanist. Wouldn’t it be great if we all were? “Feminist” shows bias toward the female sex–“humanist” shows no bias toward either sex. And isn’t the whole idea of the Feminist Movement supposed to be that of equal treatment for women–as opposed to superior treatment of women?

    No, “Black Lives Matter” does not necessarily indicate that only Black lives matter–but this is what is implied in such exclusive terminology. If the Black Lives Matter movement changed its name to the “All Lives Matter” movement–or even the “Black Lives Matter Too” movement–it would probably be more effective.

    Words matter too–far more than we realize.



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