Rarely do I read things that shock me anymore. Whether it's Kanye asking for a billion dollars for his "ideas" or a Polish magazine insinuating that all refugees are rapists. However, I just read an article by another writer for the Odyssey which did shock me. Not only was it poorly written, but also plainly ignorant. I would like to discuss why I feel this way, and give my interpretation of some of the things she discussed in her article.
To give you the background, the main idea of her article was that "Blue Lives Matter" and that Beyonce's Superbowl halftime performance suggested otherwise. According to the author, "to say that the halftime show was a disgusting, horrific representation of American society is understatement." I would say this is a bit of an overstatement. First, anyone that bases their opinion of a society on one performance at athletic event needs to reevaluate how they come to conclusions about an entire country.
The article also states that the Black Lives Matter movement as well as the Black Panther Party are racist organizations that perpetuate a "vicious cycle of 'poor me,'" because they allow black people to claim they are victims. Black people are victims of police brutality at a highly disproportional rate, that is a fact. The Merriam-Webster definition of a victim is: "a person who has been attacked, injured, robbed, or killed by someone else." If we are working with the denotative definition given above, it would be nonsensical to argue that many black people are victims of police violence.
I feel that many people do not understand the cause that the Black Lives Matter movement stands for, and I think that her feelings about the halftime show are caused this lack of understanding. I saw a poster online that someone at a Black Lives Matter rally was holding that I think sums up the idea and cause quite well. It read: "Yes, all lives matter, but we're focused on the black ones right now, OK? Because it is very apparent that our judicial system doesn't know that. Plus If you can't see why we're exclaiming #BLACKLIVESMATTER You are part of the problem." There being a Black Lives Matter movement does not devalue the lives of others, this includes cops. Her article and it's rampant carelessness is part of the problem. The first step to fixing a problem is admitting there is one.
I firmly believe that we are all entitled to our opinions, but we have to acknowledge that we see the world through our own filters. That can be skin color, religion, sexual orientation, and a variety of other factors. All the ways we define ourselves, causes us to see the world differently. With that being said, I don't believe that any American entertainer could perfectly represent what American society is to all of us, because it is different to all of us. For example, maybe some Americans would have enjoyed a country singer performing, but that would not be representative of my America; because of the filters I see the world through I might not have as much of a connection.
To sum it all up, the author is apparently not a minority (I am basing this assumption on a profile picture, so I acknowledge that a picture can only tell me so much), As a minority, a woman of color, a I feel angry and unsafe when I read articles that aim to invalidate the racially motivated injustices in our society still happening today. I will call out instances of ignorance to our current truths whenever I see them. I implore you to try to see without your filters, whatever they may be. Do not make sweeping generalizations of an entire race or group of people because this leads to ignorant conclusions. America will be so much more when we take the time to understand the plight of marginalized groups within our society and make the effort to stop police violence.Hey
