The fourth word

[Nac Mac Feegle]

Black Lives Matter is the phrase, but there is an implied fourth word.

And, depending on the bias of the listener, that word is different.

It the phrase (Only) Black Lives Matter
Or is it Black Lives Matter (Too) ?

The authoritarian / selfish mindset inserts the former.
While the co-operative / collaborative mindset inserts the latter.

The original intent was the implied (Too).
But the side that is afraid of "Them uppity Blacks" inserts the (Only).

A cry for help became a demand for "special treatment" with one simple change.

A plea becomes a demand

Fear is the key. Frightened people are easy to manipulate.
Don't give in to the forces that want you scared.


In the modern political climate,
Conservatism wants you petrified in fear, hiding behind a gun,
Liberalism wants you hopeful, working to make things better.


Where are you?

[Duckhunter935]

1. Easy way to fix it

[1StrongBlackMan]

3. Stop adding the "only".

[Duckhunter935]

4. I prefer adding "too"

Makes it crystal clear and not open to any interpretation.

[gwheezie]

2. I understand your point but

Black lives matter is a true statement without adding a word.
It might be just me and I understand why people might think it needs further clarification but it seems pretty obvious to me. Black lives matter does not add or subtract from the value of anyone else.

[Duckhunter935]

5. The problem

Is when all lives matter is dismissed to elevate one above all others. I think all should be able to be used equally.

[Igel]

6. The -isms want nothing.

They're abstractions. What's left are the people bearing those -isms.

And that's a rather diverse lot.

Just try telling some people here that they're at the huge risk of 1/7,000,000 of being killed if stopped by police. That's not a huge basis for fear. But they're terrified, and want and teach others to be terrified. People suck at risk assessment.

It works the same in general for risk of deaths by Islamic bomber, but you see how that plays out. We each have our fears based on perceptions.

Where I live, given the demographics, I'm at far greater risk of being killed by a young black man than by a cop. No gun. No terror.

[Warren DeMontague]

7. It's neither. It's an answer to a culture communicating overtly or covertly that they DONT matter.

When police shoot black men at the drop of a hat, over and over again, that's the message being communicated in the starkest terms possible- that their lives don't matter.

So the answer is "fuck you, yes, they do".

That's my read on it, at least.

[Skittles]

8. anyone who wasn't racist instinctively understood the phrase "black lives matter"

seriously

[Captain Stern]

9. I think this is a really good post. Thanks.

When the 'all lives matter' thing came up, I was surprised that anyone even thought there was a reason to express that. My take on it, was that it was a given that other lives mattered, and that the BLM movement was saying "Black Lives Matter Too."

In retrospect, I guess they should have named the movement "Black Lives Matter Too" . But, then again, BLMT sounds too much like a good sandwich.