- Joined
- Jan 21, 2013
- Messages
- 25,357
- Reaction score
- 11,557
- Location
- Post-Trump America
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Moderate
I am not one to jump aboard the latest political craze and I have never really been a political activist. I am just interested in politics and the elections. However, Black Lives Matter keeps on popping up in the news and I really don't understand the concept or what they are trying to accomplish.
As a white suburban kid who grew up in a predominately upper middle class white/asian neighborhood. I would like to believe I was never subjected to racism or looked at differently. Certainly I've been told that because of where I am from and the color of my skin, I cannot possibly have experienced racism. But this is not true!!!! I have had a tough time growing up because I was in and out of hospitals for most of my early life due to being born with a Cleft Palate and other complications from that. Thankfully everything is working A-OK now but my voice is still a little messed up from the experience. I would also say that if you knew me well enough you could see that my face is a little different looking than other people, but it's not really noticeable.
I am comfortable saying this and am well aware of this I do not live in denial about how I was born. While my job in the working as an IT technician for a non-profit in the poorer areas of Newark NJ have brought me in closer to the black community. I still don't understand what the Black Lives Matter Movement is all about. I myself have not had much help in the way of healing physically, mentally, and emotionally due to my birth effects. I was the first person in my family to graduate college and I am one of the only people in my friends group that actually has a stable job in the field I want to work in. So despite all my limitations, I think I am a pretty successful person.
My conservative white friends tell me that BLM is a cop hating group created out of the lies that came out of the black community during the Trayvon Martin case (and I was in school in that area while that took place so I know the lies well). My Black friends tell me that BLM is a social movement meant to raise awareness and bring communities together in order to deal with racism and police brutality...
Yet after the Dallas cops got murdered in the streets due to a sick man associated with BLM, who wanted to hurt white people and kill white cops... It leaves me with questions regarding this group.
Are you telling me that after all I've accomplished and all I've been through, I can't understand racism?? Really? Why is being black in America in 2016 worse than what I've gone through after 18 surgeries and having to grow up faster and stronger than most of my friends?
I've been told that Black Lives Matter is NOT racist even though there is Black specifically listed in the title of the group's name and that the group predominately favors black people. So why is that not racist? There is a thread currently on this forum that says All Lives Matter is a racist statement. What???!!!! This makes no sense to me.
By chanting Black Lives Matter over and over again at trials and at protests how does that include everyone?? How does that overcome racism? Do these people think the majority of white people think that Black Lives DON'T Matter???
I've heard this group advocate for safe places to talk about racism, before. Safe places from what? From white people? That's what I feel, if I am mistaken by this please lay out to me what a safe place is. Could I join this safe place even though I am a middle class white person? or is it only safe for black people? How is that inclusion?
What policies specifically does BLM advocate for? All I hear is stop police brutality, but if you look at the big picture, 90% of cops are great people! What should the cops be doing differently? I think this is an extreme biased opinion for this group to have because most cops who get in trouble in this type of situation are found innocent after the fact by a jury of their peers who have an unbias opinion on the matter! So why does that keep happening? Do you really think the court system is that corrupt for cops to always be found innocent? And if you are really pissed off at the cops in this manner why are you always saying cops are good people and we are not a cop hating group?
SO as with most political groups. I find it to be a bit hypocritical and unsure of what they actually want to accomplish. I've visited their website before and from the looks of it they just want to have a conversation about racism, but we have been having conversations about racism for fifty years!!! Yet these people still act like its the 1800s and that slavery is still mainstream...
So I am lost here, please someone explain this better to me.
As a white suburban kid who grew up in a predominately upper middle class white/asian neighborhood. I would like to believe I was never subjected to racism or looked at differently. Certainly I've been told that because of where I am from and the color of my skin, I cannot possibly have experienced racism. But this is not true!!!! I have had a tough time growing up because I was in and out of hospitals for most of my early life due to being born with a Cleft Palate and other complications from that. Thankfully everything is working A-OK now but my voice is still a little messed up from the experience. I would also say that if you knew me well enough you could see that my face is a little different looking than other people, but it's not really noticeable.
I am comfortable saying this and am well aware of this I do not live in denial about how I was born. While my job in the working as an IT technician for a non-profit in the poorer areas of Newark NJ have brought me in closer to the black community. I still don't understand what the Black Lives Matter Movement is all about. I myself have not had much help in the way of healing physically, mentally, and emotionally due to my birth effects. I was the first person in my family to graduate college and I am one of the only people in my friends group that actually has a stable job in the field I want to work in. So despite all my limitations, I think I am a pretty successful person.
My conservative white friends tell me that BLM is a cop hating group created out of the lies that came out of the black community during the Trayvon Martin case (and I was in school in that area while that took place so I know the lies well). My Black friends tell me that BLM is a social movement meant to raise awareness and bring communities together in order to deal with racism and police brutality...
Yet after the Dallas cops got murdered in the streets due to a sick man associated with BLM, who wanted to hurt white people and kill white cops... It leaves me with questions regarding this group.
Are you telling me that after all I've accomplished and all I've been through, I can't understand racism?? Really? Why is being black in America in 2016 worse than what I've gone through after 18 surgeries and having to grow up faster and stronger than most of my friends?
I've been told that Black Lives Matter is NOT racist even though there is Black specifically listed in the title of the group's name and that the group predominately favors black people. So why is that not racist? There is a thread currently on this forum that says All Lives Matter is a racist statement. What???!!!! This makes no sense to me.
By chanting Black Lives Matter over and over again at trials and at protests how does that include everyone?? How does that overcome racism? Do these people think the majority of white people think that Black Lives DON'T Matter???
I've heard this group advocate for safe places to talk about racism, before. Safe places from what? From white people? That's what I feel, if I am mistaken by this please lay out to me what a safe place is. Could I join this safe place even though I am a middle class white person? or is it only safe for black people? How is that inclusion?
What policies specifically does BLM advocate for? All I hear is stop police brutality, but if you look at the big picture, 90% of cops are great people! What should the cops be doing differently? I think this is an extreme biased opinion for this group to have because most cops who get in trouble in this type of situation are found innocent after the fact by a jury of their peers who have an unbias opinion on the matter! So why does that keep happening? Do you really think the court system is that corrupt for cops to always be found innocent? And if you are really pissed off at the cops in this manner why are you always saying cops are good people and we are not a cop hating group?
SO as with most political groups. I find it to be a bit hypocritical and unsure of what they actually want to accomplish. I've visited their website before and from the looks of it they just want to have a conversation about racism, but we have been having conversations about racism for fifty years!!! Yet these people still act like its the 1800s and that slavery is still mainstream...
So I am lost here, please someone explain this better to me.