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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

It’s not about who matters more; it’s about who matters now

#BlackLivesMatter. #BlueLivesMatter. #AllLivesMatter.

We’ve reached the point in which seeing a hashtag and the words “lives” and “matter” in the same phrase fill us with intense anger and a desire to close all internet tabs and throw the computer out a window. Maybe that’s just me. Regardless, the emotions I feel are not because of the movement itself. They stem from the reactions to the movement.

I’m not arguing all lives don’t matter, because that is not the case. I am a firm believer in the idea that every life is equal, regardless of ethnicity, past or future action. As I hold this ideal and witness the online trainwreck that is the #AllLivesMatter movement, I am disgusted.

You’d think this movement would be my cup of tea, right? Equality and awareness of equality sounds great in theory. But that is not what this movement is. By responding to another group’s cry for help with only the acknowledgement that they aren’t the only ones who matter, we are belittling their feelings and not only deciding that their problems are no different from everyone else’s, but trying to make this decision public opinion.

Dear readers, this is how society falls apart.

Saying black lives matter is not saying that other lives don’t. The fact that the black community feels compelled to make this statement is awful. The idea that their lives matter should not have to be stated, and the fact that they feel enough people don’t agree that their lives matter is, quite frankly, disgusting.

The worst part about all of this is, rather than offer support and understanding to our fellow world citizens, we just start screaming that other lives matter, too. OK. Yes, your life matters, too. Yes, everyone has it hard in this world. No one has a perfect situation free from prejudice, bias or hatred. However, as a person, when someone is upset by the way he or she is being treated, the appropriate response is not “me, too” when your situation is nothing like his or hers.

This is something we learn in elementary school. When someone is sad, you don’t just reply by yelling, “I’m sad too, though!” and completely ignore the rest of his or her story. You listen empathetically, offering words of support and an understanding ear. This is exacerbated infinitely when the situation is involving wrongful death and intense prejudice.

If you are white, you cannot pretend to understand the plight of black people in this country. You can offer support. You can be kind. But you do not “get it.” It is nowhere near comparable to anything the white population has experienced in recent history.

The phrase “Black Lives Matter” does not mean the rest of lives don’t. But the phrase “All Lives Matter” only serves to belittle the cry for help from the black community and say their stories are not worth hearing or paying any attention to. At this moment in time, the lives of black people are at risk. These are stories worth hearing. This is a flaw in our society that needs fixing, and it will not be fixed if everyone else is so intent on making sure that no one feels anyone else’s problems may actually be a bigger deal than theirs.

So, I suppose what I’m trying to get across here is to stop. Stop thinking that #BlackLivesMatter means #OnlyBlackLivesMatterAndIfYoureNotBlackYourLifeDoesntMatter. If you feel this way, you are entirely missing the point of this movement. Spreading awareness through the internet is a brilliant way to share facts and feelings with the world but screeches to a halt when a countermovement decides their feelings matter more.

All lives do matter, but right now, the black community is under the impression that theirs do not. This is incredibly sad, and we need to fix this. Being selfish and egocentric is not the way to do it.

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Taylor Cavaliere is a UF psychology and journalism sophomore. Her column appears on Mondays.

#BlackLivesMatter. #BlueLivesMatter. #AllLivesMatter.

We’ve reached the point in which seeing a hashtag and the words ‘lives’ and ‘matter’ in the same phrase fill us with intense anger and a desire to close all internet tabs and throw the computer out a window. Maybe that’s just me. Regardless, the emotions I feel are not because of the movement itself. They stem from the reactions to the movement.

I’m not arguing that not all lives matter, because that is not the case. I am a firm believer in the idea that every life is equal, regardless of ethnicity, past action, or future action. As I hold this ideal and witness the online trainwreck that is the #AllLivesMatter movement, I am disgusted.

You’d think that this movement would be my cup of tea, right? Equality and awareness of equality sounds great in theory. But that is not what this movement is. By responding to another group’s cry for help with only the acknowledgement that they aren’t the only ones who matter, we are belittling their feelings and not only deciding that their problems are no different from everyone else’s, but trying to make this decision public opinion.

Dear readers, this is how society falls apart.

Saying that black lives matter is not saying that other lives don’t. The fact that the black community feels compelled to make this statement is awful. The idea that their lives matter should not have to be stated, and the fact that they feel that enough people don’t agree that their lives matter is, quite frankly, disgusting.

The worst part about all of this is that, rather than offer support and understanding of our fellow world citizens, we just start screaming that other lives matter, too. Okay. Yes, your life matters, too. Yes, everyone has it hard in this world. No one has a perfect situation free from prejudice, bias or hatred. However, as a person, when someone is upset by the way they are being treated, the appropriate response is not “me, too” when your situation is nothing like theirs.

This is something we learn in elementary school. When someone is sad, you don’t just reply by yelling, “I’m sad too, though!” and completely ignoring the rest of their story. You listen empathetically, offering words of support and an understanding ear. This is exacerbated infinitely when the situation is involving wrongful death and intense prejudice.

If you are white, you cannot pretend to understand the plight of black people in this country. You can offer support. You can be kind. But you do not “get it.” It is nowhere near comparable to anything the white population has experienced in recent history. The phrase “Black Lives Matter” does not mean that the rest of lives don’t. But the phrase “All Lives Matter” only serves to belittle the cry for help from the black community and to say that their stories are not worth hearing or paying any attention to. At this moment in time, the lives of black people are at risk. These are stories worth hearing. This is a flaw in our society that needs fixing, and it will not be fixed if everyone else is so intent on making sure that no one feels that anyone else’s problems may actually be a bigger deal than theirs.

So, I suppose what I’m trying to get across here is to stop. Stop thinking that #BlackLivesMatter means #OnlyBlackLivesMatterAndIfYoureNotBlackYourLifeDoesntMatter. If you feel this way, you are entirely missing the point of this movement. Spreading awareness through the internet is a brilliant way to share facts and feelings with the world, but screeches to a halt when a counter-movement decides that their feelings matter more. All lives do matter, but right now, the black community is under the impression that theirs do not. This is incredibly sad, and we need to fix this. Being selfish and egocentric is not the way to do it.

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