Re:Zuckerberg Asks Employees to Stop Crossing Out “Black Liv...
by wpietri on Thursday February 25, 2016 @02:15PM
(#11176954)
> The statement "Black Lives Matter" offends me, because it makes the assumption that because I'm not black, I don't think black lives matter
No. Statements don't make assumptions. People make assumptions. And you are the particular person making these assumptions. Personally, I make different ones.
The way I (as another white person) read it is as a wake-up call. I think it wouldn't work as a slogan if white people truly thought that black lives didn't matter. It's a reminder to me that although black lives do matter to me, the system I participate in (and benefit from) treats black lives as worth less.
To me, "Black Lives Matter" is just the opposite of ethnocentric thinking. It's a way to expose existing ethnic bias so we can fight ethnocentric systems. Until people admit there's a problem, we can't fix the problem. When I hear (or say) "Black Lives Matter", I think it's a way of pointing out the ongoing disadvantages that are carried forward from our deeply egregious past.
No. Statements don't make assumptions. People make assumptions. And you are the particular person making these assumptions. Personally, I make different ones.
The way I (as another white person) read it is as a wake-up call. I think it wouldn't work as a slogan if white people truly thought that black lives didn't matter. It's a reminder to me that although black lives do matter to me, the system I participate in (and benefit from) treats black lives as worth less.
To me, "Black Lives Matter" is just the opposite of ethnocentric thinking. It's a way to expose existing ethnic bias so we can fight ethnocentric systems. Until people admit there's a problem, we can't fix the problem. When I hear (or say) "Black Lives Matter", I think it's a way of pointing out the ongoing disadvantages that are carried forward from our deeply egregious past.