It has been a trying time for the U.S. this last week, and it seems as if our country's citizens are more divided now than we have been since history's past. The events that have unfolded have lit up social media like a supernova, and the repercussions are Americans taking sides, a clear line drawn in the sand.
In a world so connected these days, it's no longer a matter of forming an opinion based on what TV and newspapers share with us. People are now part of actual media coverage, streaming live video for the world to see, without biased opinion and rhetoric from editors. This raw coverage allows society to form their own opinions, cultivating sometimes outrageous ideas that cause divisions amongst people. More recently, hashtags are the cause of such division.
Everything is a hashtag competition, someone always trying to outdo or demean another campaign. This behavior shows that we still live in a dog eat dog world, which is unfortunate. This does nothing but feed the growth of evil, hate and inequality.
Because of this unspoken competition, the good that can actually come from the hashtag culture our society has created gets drowned in negativity. It is no longer a matter of creating awareness for important ideas that could actually change by bringing people together to fight for it, but rather trying to one up each other when situations don't even warrant it.
July 2013, this is when the #BlackLivesMatter movement was enacted following the death of Trayvon Martin and the acquittal of the officer who shot him dead. The BLM movement is one of peace, to bring awareness to the unjust treatment of the black community by law enforcement. The reasons for the generalized treatment and conservative thoughts, even though inhumane, are contrived from our Nation's deep and unruly past.
This hashtag that was for an exclusive community, to bring inclusivity, was counteracted by the #AllLivesMatter campaign. This hashtag itself is true in what it states, but the problem with it is the means in which it was created. Yes, all lives matter, but this is obviously not everyone's thought process, otherwise we would not still be dealing with the very issues Dr. King died fighting for. The creation of ALM was to try and take away from important issues that need to be addressed, blaming those who support BLM for using a 'race card'. This is where the competition entered and choosing sides began happening.
Very similar to this, in April 2016, Black Girls Rock aired on BET, celebrating Black Woman all over the country. Twitter was full of beautiful and inspiring #BlackGirlsRock tweets, only to be rivaled by #WhiteGirlsRock. Is this necessary? When have white girls not been inclusive? This was an attempt to throw shade on something that was helping to create inspiration and confidence within woman and young girls of color... completely unnecessary.
And now, you have those who do not speak up about innocent black people being murdered by cops, until something happens to cops - and then you have #BlueLivesMatter. This is not to downplay the innocent lives lost of those who serve to protect, but to show that there is a clear division. Violence fought with violence is never okay, and the loss of an innocent life, no matter your race or job title, can never be justified.
Point being, if there wasn't a problem with prejudice and race, then there would be no need for the the back and forth hashtag banter. This is not a social media competition, to see what gets more retweets. This is reality, real lives being lost, our youth being exposed to brutality, and a future that is scary to think about. If you truly believe that all lives matter, then let your attitude and actions show real support of that. Because as of now, it's still a one sided, divided war we are fighting. Don't get caught up in the hashtag culture and lose your decency and dignity. Rise above, and stand united.
