I would first want to show appreciation Stephanie Manning'sperspective on the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. My only wish is that we could have this conversation face-to-face, but I am grateful enough to have Odyssey as a platform to address these issues.

Here are my contestation towards each of Stephanie Manning's dislikes in the Black Lives Matter Movement.

What I dislike:

BLM is supposed to encourage and celebrate diversity, but many in the movement do not do that at all. Take me for instance. I obviously have conservative values and I also stand by the statement that "I don't see color." It's true. I don't really take note of a person's skin color unless they bring my attention to it. For some reason, many people who I know are involved in this movement say that I'm racist for believing these things. These viewpoints don't fall under the definition of racism so I don't understand why my point of view is racist or hateful just because it is different than those in the BLM movement. I'd like to acknowledge that this has been the case for me and several others I know, as well as what I've seen in the media but I am fully aware that everyone is different and I would love to hear some different viewpoints on this subject in particular.

1. Everyone see's color (of course excluding the blind and colorblind population). It's a fact. Try to imagine a person. Any person, and tell me you do not automatically visualize or associate a certain pigmentation with them. Color is an inextricable trait associated with the way we understand the world. Take Harvard’s project implicit test (https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/user/agg/blindspot/tablet.htm). Although they wipe color from the faces it's only to control the experiment. We see color in their faces regardless of the gray scale obscuring their identity. Tell me your timings are the equal for blacks and whites.

Mine are not. We all have an inclination towards one thing or another. No human being can ever be unbiased. I accept this as a truth.

BLM focuses on black women and their specific oppression, which is great and 100% valid. My only issue with this is that black women aren't the only women who are subject to sexism. Sexism is a huge problem in the world and focusing on just one particular race's issues with sexism isn't going to fix it. That also goes for LGBTQ issues.

2. Your argument of how not only black women face sexism could be applicable to anyone or any subject. By incorporating a larger realm, of all women, is an injustice to the movement itself. We all understand that women have been and still are being discriminated against, but the reason we are focusing on black lives is because the amount of exploitation, deprivation of rights, and dehumanization the black demographic has experienced.

BLM wants to have "black villages" where black people all live in the same area and act as one big family by taking care of each others' children and expenses. I dislike this one particularly because it encourages segregation and separation. This is my biggest pet peeve with Black Lives Matter because I constantly see them trying to separate people by race. Instead of "black villages" can we just have "people villages?" I don't understand why our society feels like we can't love each other the same way if we are of a different race. This is proven wrong by many who are in interracial relationships or those who adopt children of a different color. To be honest, I feel like the concept of "black villages" is a big slap in the face to those people, but I would really like to learn more about this concept because my interpretation could be wrong.

3. I have never heard of a 'black village.' In what consists of my current lexicon, I believe you are referring to a ghetto. I can assure you that they do not act as one big happy family. I have lived next to Baltimore, Maryland my entire life. My father's side of the family grew up in those neighborhoods. If you go to a small rural town in Mexico, named Tepic, there you will find a village that acts as a family, where you can go outside to a store and say hello to your aunt. Or where you can be short on change and still be allowed to exit the store because they trust that you will come back to pay. I know of no place in our capitalistic society where this is true. And again by extending this black village to people village is the same as going from Black Lives Matter to All Lives Matter.

To better explain this to you, I refer to Kris Stubs' analogy:

"Analogies by their very nature are simplifications. If they do their job right, they at least make the reader consider how another side sees an issue." - Kris Stubs

For years, our house has burning on fire, and the response for two centuries and more, is that there is not enough water to put out the flames. Mist has finally started to scintillate on our dessicated ashes. Green has sprouted from the gray, and when someone brings up the all lives matter to try to include everyone, is like picking our first bloom as if it were a weed.

The last thing I dislike about Black Lives Matter is that I feel as though it has done more bad than good. Racial tensions are worse than they were in the 90's (LA riots) and a lot of violence has occurred in relation to this movement. While I agree that police need to be wearing body cameras while on duty so they can be held accountable, I also think that some hypocrisy has arisen within this movement. Black-on-black crime in places like Chicago is worse than ever and I wish it was mentioned on the BLM website. Since BLM is supposed to be about black lives all over the world, why is it that not much attention is given to the people of color who don't have a privileged upbringing and then get into trouble as teenagers and later get shot and killed by people who are involved with drugs and gangs? This is a tragic norm in our country and if we are saying "black lives matter," then why aren't we paying attention to all black lives?

4. This ties into what is filtered by the news. Personally, I believe what we see on social media, particularly of police brutality, is longlast exposure of the unmitigated suffering. We are finally seeing what has always been present. The events were never new, only the cameras are.

Moreover, we are only able to reflect and discuss on matters that we are exposed to. The media is sensationalized, politics has devolved into entertainment that to me seems as though it has turned into an indefinite parody of the #SoGoneChallenge.

But your claim of broadening Black Lives Matter towards the African continent does not hold substance. To be frank, our country, as one collective group, is finally beginning to openly discuss our own ethical problems. To have civilians address the issues abroad is farfetched. Our typical nine to five schedule is circumscribed to our own problems. How could we possibly address a whole other continent's lifetime of pain when we can barely even grasp the tragedy in Syria that has been occurring for the last 10 years. It’s not until bombs come cascading down a child’s innocence and youth that we can afford a transient moment of silence (more).

But I agree with you, we need to stop pointing fingers at one another. We are all worthy of equality, and share the blame in this what is now a product of our silence: Trump.

Moreover, those who resonate with the black lives movement can say they are not silent, but when we point at the white male and say you do not understand, you are privileged, is the same as condemning the whole race for one person’s terrorist attacks, or degrading immigrants by labeling them as illegals.

What people do not see is that we are breeding a generation of anthemia. Blacks point at whites, whites point at black. People need to start seeing both with and without color, and start holding the individual accountable for their actions, not their entire race.

Lastly, although society may not be ready, I certainly am.