Examining Black Lives Matter
If you listen to Black Lives Matter proponents, you may feel that they are speaking a different language – and, in some ways, you will be right. And more to the point, you will discover that the words and concepts used, don’t mean the same to you as they do those using them, nor to others. The words have been high-jacked; their meanings changed. On the surface – you may agree with the words; in many cases, you will, but probing the presuppositions, you suddenly realize that you signed up for something quite different.
That’s the liberal game. To switch meanings. To create organizations with high-sounding and noble names – names that seem to represent causes and concerns that no one would or should find objectionable. And, you discover that the cause is actually contrary, in some way, to the name of the movement. Who disagrees? – black lives matter! Yes. Shout it out. Yes. It must be said. But, wait, are you suggesting the only way the culture can right its wrongs is a revolution? Whoa. I am not for that. Can I agree with the affirmation, or do I have to sign-on for the whole enchilada? Ah – the whole deal! Well, I am not in then. O, now, I don’t care! Now, I don’t think black lives matter? Now, I am your enemy? But, wait – I said … O, well.
They are all a part of the same social transformation effort. They are totalitarian, post-modern, all-or-nothing organizations. Planned Parenthood – what a great idea. But they do what? The National Organization for Women? Wait – they stand for …? The American Civil Liberties Union – a group promoting free speech and human rights? Wow. But you said they did what? And, they were responsible for that? We don’t have time for an exhaustive list of these so-called ‘progressive’ organizations. They only get worse. Harmful to Minors was a book title, the sub-title was, The Perils of Protecting Children From Sex, a cause designed to stop censorship of sexual materials to minors, an advocacy group for sexual liberty for minors. I hope you can translate the implications of that. Sadly, the leaders of these organizations are not fringe. They are mainstream. Now in power. And well funded. For example, former Attorney General Jocelyn Elders serving under President Bill Clinton wrote the foreword to the book, Harmful to Minors. Without venturing more deeply into this swamp – we have to ask. What has happened to our nation under this liberal umbrella of freedom and free speech? While, at the same time, religious speech, specifically Christian speech, more explicitly – prayer, to God, the Father, in the name of Jesus, has virtually be criminalized. While we, passively, agree. It could, speaking out, you see, cost us our jobs? Friendships? – so we were silent. And now, it may cost us our nation. And that is not an overreaction. We are teetering.
You might suggest that I am unfairly associating these organizations with one another, or with Black Lives Matter. I think not. They are a part of a liberal movement to fundamentally change, if not, replace the current government, dethrone Christianity’s influence, and alter the culture. The movement is racial, trans, libertine, anti-Christian, anti-American. Anti-traditional and anti-family. And now, the cause, Black Lives Matter has the backing of pro-sports teams, activities in public venues, educational and social organizations, governors and mayors. This is the new idol before whom everyone should bow.
So what do they really stand for?
THE BLM Creed
Here it is, in their words, from their own website: blacklivesmatter.com/whatwebelieve. They began as a “chapter-based, member-led organization whose mission was to build local power and to intervene when violence was inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes.” They monitor police-on-black violence, and sadly, ignore black-on-black violence. At the heart of the movement, the defund-police effort is about the redirection of money into the black community. For BLM, the world, particularly the USA, is anti-Blackness. And those of color do not have the “social, economic, and political power to thrive.” Banding together, as a class, a Marxist idea, will energize the class struggle and bring about desired change, and if necessary, a revolution.
All police action against or involving blacks is viewed, whatever the cause as “state-sanctioned violence and anti-Black racism.” Collectively, the goal is to create, community-by-community, a way “to connect Black people, from all over the world…” This is both local and global, simultaneously. It is a movement of those who desire “justice to act together in their communities.” The language of the movement is that of oppression, “the rampant and deliberate violence inflicted on us by the state.” Statistics simply do not bear this out. The evidence offered is situational, anecdotal, though no less painful or true. But the micro-stories, the snapshots of George Floyd, Freddie Gray, Trayvon Martin, Eric Gardner, Michael Brown and more, are now posters for the cause. Enraged by these deaths – the Black Lives Matter movement is just that – a movement of rage and revenge, in the name of justice, against “state-sanctioned violence and anti-Black racism.”
Listen to the Language
“Every day, we recommit to healing ourselves and each other, and to co-creating alongside comrades, allies, and family a culture where each person feels seen, heard, and supported.” The language is incredibly revealing. This is not a movement in which God heals, but one of “healing ourselves and each other.” It is a movement of human “co-creators,” comrades and allies. It is not a culture of families – notice the crafting of the language, but rather a movement designed to “family a culture.” Here is more of the creed. “We acknowledge, respect, and celebrate differences and commonalities. We work vigorously for freedom and justice for Black people and, by extension, all people.” But, as is often stated, black lives must matter first. “We are unapologetically Black in our positioning. In affirming that Black Lives Matter, we need not qualify our position. To love and desire freedom and justice for ourselves is a prerequisite for wanting the same for others. We see ourselves as part of the global Black family, and we are aware of the different ways we are impacted or privileged as Black people who exist in different parts of the world. We are guided by the fact that all Black lives matter, regardless of actual or perceived sexual identity, gender identity, gender expression, economic status, ability, disability, religious beliefs or disbeliefs, immigration status, or location.”
Note the inclusion of the LGBTQ movement. “We make space for transgender brothers and sisters to participate and lead. We are self-reflexive and do the work required to dismantle cisgender privilege and uplift Black trans folk, especially Black trans women who continue to be disproportionately impacted by trans-antagonistic violence.” And, at its heart, is radical feminism. “We build a space that affirms Black women and is free from sexism, misogyny, and environments in which men are centered.”
No one would guess, watching the BLM protests, but here is what is declared, though not practiced, “We practice empathy.” Tell that the many who have been wounded and the damage to inner cities as a result of the rioting of the past six weeks. “We make our spaces family-friendly and enable parents to fully participate with their children.” So, the goal is a movement of families, children mentored in the cause, raised to see the world in terms of oppression. However, the creed follows tellingly, “We dismantle the patriarchal practice that requires mothers to work ‘double shifts’ so that they can mother in private even as they participate in public justice work.” It is often true that a working mother has a second full-time job at home. That is lamentable. But to frame the issue in the narrative of oppression, as patriarchal, misses the point of the women’s right to work movement, and of the economic stressors of our times. The language suggests an enslaved wife who is forced to work. It is telling of the anti-male narrative. But, don’t trust me – listen to the creed.
What About the Family?
“We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and “villages” that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable.” Now we have it. Away with Mom and Dad, and apple pie. Down with the nuclear family, and in its place, let’s create ‘the village,’ where humans live together, and collectively raise their children.
Does anything get more radical than this? Maybe. Here’s more.
“We foster a queer‐affirming network. When we gather, we do so with the intention of freeing ourselves from the tight grip of heteronormative thinking, or rather, the belief that all in the world are heterosexual (unless s/he or they disclose otherwise).” And, “We cultivate an intergenerational and communal network free from ageism. We believe that all people, regardless of age, show up with the capacity to lead and learn. We embody and practice justice, liberation, and peace in our engagements with one another.”
No family – a village. No men – at least in leadership. No church. No Creator. No need for divine healing. No fixed roles. Complete egalitarianism of adults and children. No gender. Fluidity.
Bait and Switch
This is not about black lives mattering. This is about a revolution. A communal (or, dare I say, communist) revolution. A faith revolution. A cultural and gender revolution.
Do you believe that black lives matter? Yes. Do you support the Black Lives Matter movement, then? No! Its tricky isn’t is. It is designed that way. Its all about making you defensive, making you the bad guy in favor of oppression.
We need a spiritual awakening!
P, Douglas Small – Perspective
