The movement to protect the rights of black people is becoming more popular and covers many countries around the world. People are fighting for equal rights and opportunities and a world without ethnic discrimination. However, the white population does not always support this initiative, treating the movement and its slogans with disdain. ‘All Lives Matter’ is associated with white supremacy, demonstrates prejudice, and minimizes the precise concerns that ‘Black Lives Matter’ is intended to emphasize.
The privilege of the white population in the field of choice of work is evident. White Americans believe that immigrants, including blacks, are taking away their jobs (Mehta 287). Two more beliefs that the author cites are associated with increased criminal ratings and the introduction of a foreign culture (Mehta 287). All these prejudices turn out to be debunked, convincing that blacks in no way oppress the white population in modern realities. Ethnic minorities and blacks are in a much more disadvantageous position than whites, so they do not take away their jobs but take what is left (Mehta 288). Blacks are often blamed for the increase in crime rates. However, studies have not revealed a link between the ethnic composition of the population and crime. Moreover, blacks are more likely to be wrongfully convicted than whites (McWhorter 428). The ‘All Lives Matter’ slogan used by white activists is similarly based on the prejudice that blacks oppress whites for greater rights.
The slogan ‘All Lives Matter’ highlights what activists have been fighting for years. The white population cannot accept that public attention is not focused on them. The slogan diverts attention from the critical problems of the oppressed population (Coryell 399). Various people gather under this slogan; some are against the expansion of the rights of black people, and others are in favor of these initiatives but do not understand the mechanisms (Coryell 398). Those who see ‘All Lives Matter’ as opposed to ‘Black Lives Matter’ see the latter as meaning something along the lines of ‘Only Black Lives Matter’ (Atkins 1). ‘Black Lives Matter’ has proven challenging to understand due to how they show resistance to white supremacy. However, the ‘All Lives Matter’ slogan is dangerous, using the black rights activist movement to demonstrate their disapproval of the tolerant society.
American democracy is full of contradictions, forcing people to face differences. This prevents Americans from achieving the desired tolerant community (Boyd 388). The slogan ‘All Lives Matter’ is just a confirmation of this theory. The very need to oppose the movement for equal rights and recognition testifies to the contradictions of modern society. The Internet has become a field in which hatred for people who are different is actively fomented (Boyd 389). The less this space is regulated, the more people allow themselves. ‘All Lives Matter’ is an excellent way to hide behind a good message while ignoring other people’s problems.
Despite its seemingly safe message, the slogan ‘All Lives matter’ turns out to be racist and downright threatening. The slogan is used in opposition to ‘Black Lives Matter,’ diverting attention from the real problems of the black population. This slogan embodies white people’s fear of losing their dominant social position. It is based on the prejudice that equal rights with the black population infringe on their rights. To combat this problem, it is necessary to recognize that although it is as contradictory as possible, such an opinion exists, and many people adhere to it (Blanda 385). It is necessary to make people believe that the time of white domination should become a thing of the past, creating a truly safe and tolerant environment for the entire population.
Works Cited
Atkins, Ashley. “Black Lives Matter or All Lives Matter? Color-Blindness and Epistemic Injustice.” Social Epistemology, vol. 33, no. 1, 2019, pp. 1-22.
Blanda, Sean. “The ‘Other Side’ Is Not Dumb.” Medium, 2019. The ‘Other Side’ Is Not Dumb. Is it possible we’re not right about… | by Sean Blanda | Human Parts (medium.com).
Boyd, Danah. “Why America Is Self-Segregating.” Data & Society: Points, 2017. Why America is Self-Segregating. The United States has always been a… | by danah boyd | Data & Society: Points (datasociety.net).
Coryell, Kelly. All Words Matter: The Manipulation Behind “All Lives Matter”, In Graff, Gerald, and Birkenstein, Cathy. They Say / I Say, “United Kingdom, W. W. Norton, 2021.
McWhorter, John. “Could Black English Mean a Prison Sentence?” The Atlantic, 2019.
Mehta, Suketu. This Land Is Our Land: An Immigrant’s Manifesto. United Kingdom, Random House, 2019.