Summary: Language Philosopher and author Ian Olasov wrote an article expressing the current issue in the BLM movement. The article is titled, “How Did All Lives Matter Come to Oppose Black Lives Matter? A Philosopher of Language Weighs In.” Olasov explains that the debate going on between the “Black Lives Matter” movement and the “All Lives Matter” rally is not based on rather specific lives matter or not. This whole argument is actually stimulated over the use of words chosen by the two groups. Olasov tackles how the use or terms is what’s actually causing the separation of protesters in this division. Not the matter of one ethnicity being more or less superior than the other. The author places examples of how words are commonly placed together
In the article “The Problem with Saying All Lives Matter”, Tyler Huckabee (2015) states that it’s decreasing the relevant of “All Black Lives” and represents a complete misunderstanding of the phrase “Black lives Matter. He acknowledges the view that people are not decreasing the relevant truth of “All Black Lives Matter”, but the emphasis of his argument is to educate people who don’t see the flaw and what the outcome of this movement may be in result. He provides an example of, a 17-year-old boy named Trayvon Martin, who was fatally shot while he was walking back from a convenience store. Due to this incident, three women named Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi (Founders of BLM) began tweeting #blacklivesmatter, it had transformed
After reading Haney Lopez’s White By Law, I was interested in discussing how his concepts applied to contemporary issues like the Black Lives Matter Movement and All Lives Matter Movement. Despite seventeen years time difference, between the book’s publishing date and the new social movements, Haney Lopez’s work is able to remain relevant and touch upon contemporary issues. Curiosity led me to attend Professor Haney Lopez’s office hours in the Boalt School of Law. Haney Lopez explains the Black Lives Matter Movement as using race to recognize the racial discrimination that African Americans experience within society and allows for these community specific issues to be addressed. Whereas, the All Lives Matter Movement is problematic as it assumes
Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a loosely‐coordinated, nationwide movement dedicated to ending police brutality that rose to prominence in late 2014. It takes its name from a hashtag started by three Black feminist activists Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi but the movement and the hashtag are not identical (Freelon, McIlwain, & Clark, 2016). BLM has achieved national reputation through their online and offline organizing, obtaining extensive news media coverage and glowing references in music and entertainment television. Based on a horrendous incident that sparked a concern for a lot of Black people across the world, the sudden need for a social movement was born called BLM. Black Lives Matter is a national organization working for the validity of Black life and also working to rebuild the Black liberation movement. Black Lives Matter broadens the conversation and highlight the incidents around state violence to include the ways in which Black people are intentionally left powerless at the hands of the state. This referring to the ways in which Black lives are deprived of basic human rights and dignity. According to the article The Murder of Walter Scott, which talks about race and class, “African Americans are less than 13% of the U.S. population yet they are nearly 50% of those killed by the police. North Charleston has a population of 104,000, 47% Black and the police force is 80% white (Miah, 2015)”.
“The Word “Nigga” Is Only for Slaves and Sambos” was written by Rob Nelson and first published in a university newspaper in North Carolina. Later on, the article was so meaningful that it was re-published in the academic journal, the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. In the article “The Word “Nigga” is only for Slaves and Sambos”, Rob Nelson uses ethos, logos, and especially skillful pathos appeals based on the history of slavery and the illustration about the future of African American, to prove why he thinks the “N-word” is not acceptable. By using ethical argument and those clever appeals, Rob Nelson definitely persuades his young African American audience.
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee writes, “Nigger-lover is just one of those terms that don't mean anything—like snot-nose. It's hard to explain—ignorant, trashy people use it when they think somebody's favoring Negroes over and above themselves. It's slipped into usage with some people like ourselves, when they want a common, ugly term to label somebody.” Black lives matter and all life matter contradict each other when they are used incorrectly. Overall, saying that all lives matter is more true than black lives matter. Even though it’s true black lives matter, all lives matter shows we cannot discriminate against individuals. Some feel that all lives matter is racist because of the way it was used to show
With a background affected tremendously by the dark history of African Americans, language has become a significant problem to what the term Black English really means to different people. In If Black Language Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is, James Baldwin attempts to analyze what a language really means and how Black English evolved to fulfill an important role for Americans. Black English sounds proper to blacks, but to whites it may not be a proper use of language. Throughout this essay, Baldwin uses a specific tone and relates to his audience by opening his mind to both emotion and logic while still upholding his credibility. Baldwin tries to persuade the audience to respect the language of Black English using his personal experience. The history of different languages mentioned in the essay is used to help convince the audience of thinking about the term language from a new perspective. Whites and Blacks both may speak the same language, but that does not mean that they understand each other because the language can be spoken in different matters. As Baldwin states, “The white man could not possibly understand, and that, indeed, he cannot understand, until today”. A white man or black man had to be careful about the words they used in front of each other because some words would be considered offensive for one another. Baldwin uses African American language and culture to reveal the impact that the English language Americans use has created.
In the English language we use words to describe and express meaning within our writing. However, some of these words can be interpreted with different meanings relating within its usage and context. For instance, “Black Lives Matter” is a phrase created to represent a movement that continues to be a problem in our society “black lives.” Why choose the word matter? How does matter correlate to the significance of justice and race to represent black lives? In the book Citizen, by Claudia Rankine and the Spike Lee Film, Fight the Power, both depict/interpret the meaning of “matter” of racial injustice in their writing and film. Rankine’s writing in her vignettes relates to various “matters” of stereotypes and stigmas towards black people in media,
In summation, we looked at social conflict as it related to class, race and ethnicity, gender, and how it explains the Black Lives Matter Movement. As we examined the literature, we asked how and why did the Black Lives Matter Movement begin? What are the problems with the Black Lives Matter Movement? What does social media have to say about the Black Lives Matter Movement? What is the youth’s culture’s input on the Black Lives Matter Movement? How does the Black Lives Matter movement tie back to the police? And where are we going with the Black Lives Matter Movement post-2016? We focused on whether or not the Black Lives Matter movement had the potential to affect change and have a long-lasting impact on society as a social movement. Therefore,
“Black Lives Matter” —an intended progression in society without a hierarchy, merely marching forward by spur of the people. Started by three sisters who continue to keep the organization a chapter-based, left wing social justice operation, it can best be described as “Not a moment, but a movement” by those that follow it. The case that began this outcry involved a man —George Zimmerman— whom, according to Lizette Alvarez and Cara Buckley (2013), “was found not guilty [of] second-degree murder [and] was also acquitted of manslaughter, a lesser charge.” (para. 1). Since its initial start in 2013, the movement follows and protests against police brutality and civil injustice towards individuals of the Black minority; however, this is a prime example of hate breeding hate as the movement, has opened a new floodgate full of antipathy aimed towards the White-community and Law Enforcement Officials. In short, the initial idea of “Black Lives Matter” —which is to bring civil justice to the Black-community— is a good concept, but the execution by its adherents are, ironically, bigoted; the movement needs to either evolve its state of thought or disperse before it further segregates America.
In “Mommy, What Does Nigger Mean?”, author Gloria Naylor explains throughout her piece that reality shapes language and language can shape reality. Naylor explains this, “chicken or the egg dispute” (Naylor 1) through her experiences with the word nigger. Gloria explains how she starts on one side of reality and shaping her language, then comes to another understanding from the boy in her third grade class. Language can be how words are used, what their meaning is and the purpose behind that selection of words. Reality is everyday life and experiences. When in third grade Naylor encounters nigger as a racial derogatory when a boy said “nigger” to her while receiving graded tests back. To Gloria it was anything but a racial put down since
Originating in 2012, the political movement known under the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter has exploded in size and renown. This movement, which was initially inspired after a police officer was acquitted of all charges after fatally shooting an African American individual, seeks to diminish police brutality against African American individuals and systemic racism particularly in the United States. Sweeping the nation, Black Lives Matter has become an international movement and its influence has only increased with time. On the movement’s official website, the following was written regarding the history of the hashtag-inspired entourage, “#BlackLivesMatter was created in 2012 after Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman, was acquitted for his crime, and dead 17-year old Trayvon was posthumously placed on trial for his own murder. Rooted in the experiences of Black people in this country who actively resist our dehumanization, #BlackLivesMatter is a call to action and a response to the virulent anti-Black racism that permeates our society. Black Lives Matter is a unique contribution that goes beyond extrajudicial killings of Black people by police and vigilantes.” (http://blacklivesmatter.com/about/). The #BlackLivesMatter movement asserts that racism is still prevalent in modern society and exists not only in passive forms. Instead, racism apparently can be both overt and implicit.
White people have been the superior race since the very beginning of America. Throughout history white people have owned and ruled almost everything about American culture. Although white people are still the majority and have most of the wealth in America, there is one thing they do not own, the n-word. This one word has caused controversy and conflicts between races in society. The essay “Why Do They Get to Use the N-word But I Can’t” talks about the issue of who can say this word and why are only certain races and social groups allowed to say it.
The Black Lives Matter movement has swept across America. It 's branched out with chapters in over 31 cities and held rallies and boycotts across the United States(Sidner). The Black Lives Matter movement started with the outrage of the death of a young man. It continues to take over headlines and raise awareness on police brutality and inequality. However, the movement has met resistance from the All Lives Matter group. This group thinks that Black Lives Matter is a movement to express hatred towards other races. However, statistics, the views of fellow citizens, and the overall purpose of the Black Lives Matter movement, can prove that the movement wasn 't meant to express hate on other races and that we need to support the movement instead of going against it.
Some folks say and support “Black Lives” and others, “All Lives”. As time go on, things take a turn ‘for the worse’. The ‘turn for the worse’ is due to the mindset of many people and the mass media. With time should come justice, peace and common ground on what is happening, but what if no one is supportive or have no knowledge of what is to come? The saying of “All Lives Matter” is deleterious and ruinous to the “Black Lives Matter” movement and support and to the black community by deteriorating their beliefs, livelihood, and mentality.
Certain words and phrases are often used by communities to collectively define the group of people they belong to. The n-word in particular has had a long history with a load of heavy baggage that has ties with slavery, oppression, and racial inequality. In the past century or so, African-Americans have been turning this word around to define represent them in a more positive manner, simply through accepting the term as their own. Gloria Naylor highlights the usage of the word by black people to represent a cultural identity. She explains how “they transformed ‘nigger’ to signify the varied and complex human