Sorry, I ain’t sorry

First things first: I really am sorry for going on an unexplained hiatus. Sometimes life really does get in the way, and other things just take priority. And that’s okay.

However, there always comes a time where I really cannot keep my mouth shut any longer, and that time is now. My friend asked me for help, and I will always be there for anyone who asks. Within reason, of course. I mean, don’t ask me to go on a quest to find the Holy Grail. That would just end up with me freaking out on you because we’re being followed by some kind of sinister cult who doesn’t want us to find it (yes, I’ve finally watched the Da Vinci Code). But I digress.

I just want to say a few things about the BlackLivesMatter movement.

1. Of course all lives matter. No life is more important than another, and no one said so to begin with. Although, technically, historically speaking, people have said just that, which brings me to my second point
2. Black lives do not seem to matter as much as White lives. Just turn on your TV or open a news website, and you’ll find an account of Black lives being taken, without any form of justice being served. There are too many names that come to mind of unarmed Black men being gunned down or otherwise murdered, for trivial reasons.
3. As much as we’d like to think we have evolved enough to have eradicated racism from our society, it is still deeply embedded in our lives, in many different forms.
4. BlackLivesMatter is one way to draw attention to racism, and it is not in itself a racist attack on White lives. The movement is just trying to get justice for all the Black lives which were taken from this earth too soon.
5. Making a joke of the movement is not only insensitive, but utterly disrespectful of the very real pain the victims and their loved ones have experienced. Shame on those who think it’s appropriate to make light of the movement by essentially turning it into a meme.
6. While it is true that we are all humans who all bleed red, we can’t deny that there are indeed different races. To deny that is to deny a huge part of human history, and the effects that history has on society today.

It is incredibly frustrating to have to tell my friend to not say anything in defence of the movement, because it’s just not worth the energy. We should be able to enter a healthy debate about issues as important as this one. The trouble is that an invitation for a debate is often met with ignorance and a refusal to listen. No one is saying that Black lives matter more than all other lives. Any life taken by senseless acts of violence is one too many. But please, listen when someone is trying to tell you something. Don’t dismiss them. Do not talk over them. Just listen. Maybe you’ll learn something.

Talk to you later,

Mel ♥