The folks i know and have talked to know the difference, but i admit that i am extrapolating to the greater population and that may not be the case.
Why does that matter so much though? I think people would run from a hardline BLM candidate or set of policies once those policies had the light of public opinion shown on them. I think most folks are centrists, and their support of BLM/blm would be no different. Like i posted before, i think the majority of BLMs official platform is something a lot of folks can get behind and those are the people supporting the blm movement. Its only a few out of the whole list of BLM policies that are pretty “out there” for center-left or even center-right folks.
Explain the exclusion of straight men except as villains:
"We are self-reflexive and do the work required to dismantle cisgender privilege and uplift Black trans folk, especially Black trans women who continue to be disproportionately impacted by trans-antagonistic violence.
We build a space that affirms Black women and is free from sexism, misogyny, and environments in which men are centered."
No fathers?
“extended families and “villages” that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable.”
I mentioned supporters’ ignorance of BLM’s agenda. And if you support a movement while ignorant of its agenda, or worse, while also not agreeing with it (if you knew it), then sorry, you don’t get a pass because your heart is in the right place.
So it’s a political movement, not a humanitarian one. And what do political movements seek? Power.
I would like to give thanks to @Californiagrown for being a voice of reason on this thread, and to point out to others that stating support for BLM is not endorsing an organization, but supporting your brother, colleague, friend, and neighbor. I fully support support the statement BLM, but not necessarily any official group or foundation that goes under that banner.
I have spent many hours and raised funds for underrepresented groups to have access to college, STEM majors, and feel comfortable and like they belong. I have listened to and seen students of color struggle in college courses or situations where they look “different” than the others. When I say I support BLM, I say I support them.
I’m very surprised to hear that others take this as an attack on the white, nuclear family. Or heterosexuals. These groups have always “mattered”, always felt welcome and supported, and the statement BLM in no way changes that. As a white, heterosexual male in a nuclear family, I have never felt marginalized, threatened, unwelcome, or victimized. By saying “BLM”, I am saying I want others to feel that way too.
You are also, whether you intend to or not, endorsing the political group. Also, no one has said anything against the idea of blacks lives mattering; anything negative has been directed at the Marxist agenda of the BLM organization.
I live in a diverse city in California, and I don’t know a single person that equates the stating or posting of “BLM” with supporting a Marxist agenda or any political agenda at all. Saying “black lives matter” is not a political statement, but one of humanity and compassion.
That’s the point. Whether or not you intend to support their Marxist agenda, you legitimize it by repeating that 3 word slogan. Think of it this way, if someone were to say, “I don’t support black lives matter,” would you know if they mean the idea or the political movement?
Couldn’t disagree more. This is not a political statement to me or anyone I know.
I would assume the “idea”, unless they were to articulate otherwise. You could say “I believe that black lives matter, but I do not agree with the Black Livers Matter Global Network Foundation”.
Thank you for the engaging in the respectful exchange of ideas.
Because the movement and the idea are basically interchangeable.
Again, this illustrates the point that the movement and the sentiment are so closely connected in our minds and in our usage that you need to specify what you mean. And, given that the general public probably believes that the sentiment they agree with follows the agenda of the movement, you risk being labelled a racist if you say you do not agree with BLM the movement. What would be the reaction to saying you believe black lives matter but do not agree with the BLM political movement? I’ll take a guess…“what’s the difference?” So you risk being cancelled because others are ignorant.
I hear you, but simply don’t agree or see it that way at all. By saying or supporting BLM, I am making no statement on my political support of Marxism, my views on the nuclear family, etc… You have chosen to connect them in a way that society has not.
I know many who vocally and vehemently support BLM. If I were to ask any of them “Why is stating support for BLM important to you?”. None, zero, zilch will say “It’s really important to me to support Marxism”.
Wasn’t being disrespectful although the definition might wrongly imply that. I was describing the phenomenon of supporting a movement while pretending not to or not knowingly supporting the movement. Here is a definition:
" In political jargon, a ‘useful idiot’ is a derogatory term for a person perceived as propagandizing for a cause without fully comprehending the cause’s goals, and who is cynically used by the cause’s leaders. The term was originally used during the Cold War to describe non-communists regarded as susceptible to communist propaganda and manipulation. The term has often been attributed to Vladimir Lenin but this attribution is unsubstantiated."
Thanks for clarifying. I understand your viewpoint but simply don’t agree with it. The statement “Black Lives Matter” has a self-evident meaning. That meaning, I agree with. If I were to donate money toward a cause or causes to help make that statement a reality, I would do research to find a charity that aligns with my interests and beliefs. I think you know, as well, that when someone is supporting BLM, they are doing so to support their brothers and follow humans, and not supporting an economic theory.
There are actually two BLM organizations. The one we have been discussing here, and one that has basically just collected money and done nothing. It is a one employee organization of a guy who lives in California. He has stuff about meeting with police and such, but has never done so. NPR had a piece on scam organization BLM recently, and donors are asking for their money back.
Some on here are making a mountain out of a mole hill on the details of the BLM organization. I do not support either BLM organizations, but do want to see everyone treated as equals (which is not what is being advocated for on the BLM organization’s website that we have been talking about).
Because you know what you mean. But does everybody else?
I have not chosen anything; I am merely more aware than society. The question is, knowing this about the general public, does it make it easier for BLM to advance its agenda? Right now the argument is policing. What does BLM’s agenda have to do with the police? Nothing. It’s all about LGBTQ rights and single mothers. Am I wrong to see something wrong about a movement that is using one issue to allow its real agenda to fly under the radar?
Given that BLM is receiving a lot of money in donations, how is it a molehill?
I should have worded a bit better. I disagree with the organization. My mountain out of a molehill statement should be clarified. I think a few of the posts towards @Californiagrown and @antiquity were a bit too much. Things like calling them Marxists / Communists is what I meant with that statement.
I think a bit of strawmaning was going on. I inferred that they support the ideals of the majority of protestors, not the organization, but then statements like if you support BLM movement you are a Marxist or such were made towards them. It isn’t what they meant.
I have been convinced by the BLM website that when talking with others it is important to say something like “I support what a majority of BLM protestors want, but not the organization, and this is because of the reasons talked about in this thread”.