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Black Lives Matter, Blue Lives Matter, All Lives Matter

These three statements are all true and can co-exist

By Chris HearnPublished 4 years ago 5 min read
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Image by Clay Banks on Unsplash

At this point, I would say I have watched maybe 100 hours of livestreams and video from the various protests that have been happening across the US (and sometimes in other countries, like my native Canada). After all, A&E's Live PD is cancelled and this is kind of the next best thing.

Most of the protests I've been watching are Black Lives Matter protests, of course. But there are also a number of "Back the Blue" or Blue Lives Matter rallies going on as well. Generally, whenever there is a Blue Lives Matter protest, Black Lives Matter protesters show up to show their displeasure. And it can get quite heated, with one side screaming "Black Lives Matter" and the other screaming "All Lives Matter" and "Blue Lives Matter" back and forth to each other until everyone gets tired and goes home, or someone gets punched out.

And, as too often is the case in America, the phrase you are screaming is directly influenced by what end of the political spectrum a person lies. The All Lives Matter folks tend to also be flying Trump flags and call themselves Patriots or some such thing. Meanwhile, the Black Lives Matter folks may be flying the ANTIFA flag, or Black Lives Matter flags, or what have you. That is to say, they are firmly left-wing.

Here is the thing though: This division does NOT need to exist. Both sides seem to be deeply offended by the mantra the other side is using. And it really doesn't need to be like this. But, it's 2020, and this is the way it is.

Black lives have to matter. There is no way around it. Racism is a problem in the US and elsewhere. That can't be denied. And there has been an issue with racial profiling and needless brutality and death at the hands of police when it comes to African-Americans. That also can't be denied. So, it is understandable that people are upset and angry and want change. It's understandable that the Black Lives Matter movement was started and has grown to such prominence. People are tired of what they are seeing and they aren't seeing the change that needs to happen.

However, given the type of career and life cops have chosen, they are targets of violence, abuse and hate as well. We need the police. It is a job that the vast majority of us don't want to do or for that matter could possibly do. Just a few days ago, two police officers in Los Angeles were ambushed and shot. They were targeted for being cops. Two police officers in Tulsa, Oklahoma were shot while trying to subdue an uncooperative suspect. The job is a dangerous job, there is no two ways about it. And, there are a lot of people out there who are grateful for the work they do. But sadly, a large number that aren't.

So, when police supporters see BLM protesters screaming about how much they hate cops, hold signs that say ACAB (All Cops Are Bastards), throwing stuff at cops who haven't done anything wrong during rowdy protests they understandably stand up and say, "Hey, Blue Lives Matter as well!". And they aren't wrong. Some of those out there saying Blue Lives Matter are doing so because they have family and friends who work in Law Enforcement and know just how dangerous the occupation can be. These are people who wait up at night hoping that their loved one comes home safe after spending a day or night on the street trying to keep a community safe.

And saying Blue Lives Matter doesn't need to be seen as undermining the importance of Black Lives Matter at all. But that is the way it is seen by BLM protesters. They see it as an insult, taking away from the BLM movement and it's important message. Well, it really does not have to be that way.

And then, you have All Lives Matter. And, it's fair to say that this phrase was inevitable. The title Black Lives Matter has never been a good one, really, and it most definitely opens the door to people saying, "Hey, wait a minute. Shouldn't ALL lives matter?" And they are right. All lives need to matter. And that includes every business owner of a wide range of ethnicities who have had their businesses damaged or destroyed in the riots that we have seen some of the BLM protests morph into.

Sadly, there has been so much justification for the violence and destruction, with claims that it's just property and is not as important as lives, and that these people can get insurance payments. When BLM protesters say stuff like this they sound clueless and don't seem to understand the horrible impact they are having on the people that own that property. Imagine working your whole life, putting your blood, sweat in tears into building up a business. Then, in a night of rioting it gets burned to the ground. And the response is, "Hey, it's only property." Meanwhile the owner of that business has lost everything they worked so hard for with no assurance that the damage will be covered by their insurance policy. So, as long as there are BLM protesters who seem to think that the lives of these folks don't matter, it seems fair to say All Lives Matter.

The biggest problem is not these phrases. All of these phrases are legitimate and worthwhile. They don't have to cause division and they can co-exist quite fine. The problem is that those using these phrases don't seem interested in hearing what the people using the phrases they oppose are saying. There needs to be far more honest, open and above all CALM discussion about why people are using the phrases they are using. There needs to be less over-the-top knee jerk reaction, and far more understanding about what these phrases mean to people. Right now, people seem far more interested at screaming at each other and trying to cancel one another out than actually discussing the issues that are important to them. It's not healthy and it's not helping anyone's cause. Listen. Black Lives Matter. Blue Lives Matter. All Lives Matter.

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About the Creator

Chris Hearn

I'm a 47 year old writer, amateur photographer and amateur dad living in Winnipeg, MB, Canada.

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