I want to start off by sending my deepest condolences to the family and friends of everyone who was unjustly murdered this past week, both civilian and officer. None of the events that happened in the past week should have, and none of the lives lost were deserved. I know apologies don't fix the situation, but it's the most any of us can do at the moment.
I've seen a lot of controversy not only lately, but in the past year entirely, about the differences between the "Black Lives Matter" movement and the "All Lives Matter" movement. This controversy is stemmed simply by confusion about the purpose of the BLM side of things, so I'm writing to (hopefully) clear some things up. I understand that not everyone will agree with my personal opinions on the matter, but I also want to state some irrefutable facts.
First off, the statement "black lives matter" is saying just that. There's no need to try to read between the lines to figure out what this is really saying, because it's just that simple. "Black lives matter" does not mean "white lives don't matter." It isn't saying "black lives matter more than other lives." The statement doesn't say "black lives are the only lives that matter." All this is saying is that black lives matter.
The statement "all lives matter" isn't wrong. All lives do matter. However, the "all lives matter" supporters are the ones missing the point of "black lives matter." If you are supporting "all lives matter" over "black lives matter," you are not only missing the point of BLM entirely, you are undermining the real issues occurring in our country. BLM isn't trying to make themselves "more important" than the rest of the world. BLM supporters are only trying to draw attention to the corruption running rampant in American society today.
There are also people taking BLM the wrong way and misinterpreting it to the point of making radical decisions that are beginning to affect innocent lives. In regards to the shootings in Dallas (my hometown) this past week, I've seen a lot all over social media talking about the shooter as if he was a member of BLM. The shooter himself quoted to the police that confronted and attempted to negotiate with him that he was not affiliated with the BLM movement. His statement verbatim has been posted in media outlets all over, yet people are either ignoring this fact or just not doing their research before posting. Accusing every BLM supporter of wanting to kill all police or white people as a whole is equivalent to accusing every Muslim person you come across of being a member of ISIS. It's ignorant, offensive and simply misinformed.
Before you post your opinions, at least do your research. Not everyone is going to agree with everyone else's opinions, but everyone's opinions at least deserve respect, unless that opinion directly harms another person or race. All lives do matter. As of right now, however, we need to be making it our priority as a human race to bring attention to corruption in our society. Use words instead of violence to solve the issues as opposed to adding to them.
