ANALYSIS OF BLM BELIEFS: ACCORDING TO THEIR OWN WORDS FROM THEIR WEBSITE

As a major national / global social movement that is now officially highly publicized (unavoidably so) not just from preexisting media sources but from the founders themselves, Black Lives Matter is within the public discourse and thus is justifiably under scrutiny.

This analysis is not done for purposes of exposing, demoralizing, nor negating their rights whatever they may be nor what they may claim them to be, but rather for a generalized examination of the movement within the context of wider scale human affairs. In other words, reasonably objective, but nonetheless somewhat influenced by my understanding of worldly things and views of humanity—I try to dig deep and analyze many things before making bold statements . . . to an internally dysmorphic state, in all honesty.

Ideally, this text will provide insight to those within and outside of the movement, and hopefully act an intellectually stimulating and heartfelt analytical process for humanity to progress through this time-space Earthly existence we all share as bipedal, emotional, intellectual, and psychologically complex creatures we are.

The core beliefs are described in statements on BLM’s website, which are copied and thereafter analyzed on a variety of spectrums—chosen based on their seeming relevance to each tenet. As is fundamental to human ontology, using words to manifest meaning naturally leads to misinterpretations and misunderstandings, as words themselves can only be truly understood esoterically by the individual (or whatever highly cohesive culture) that established it, as there is always significant social and psychological context for each and every word every person uses at all times. That being said, despite significant anomie throughout modern global society, I will attempt to provide some background information to give some level of context to what I believe is related to the statements.

Please understand that not everyone on this planet shares these beliefs, nor can two people ever fully understand another’s analytical or reasoning skills—an innate nuance of the human condition. There is no intended offense to anyone or their identities that these analyses are given, and counter-statements are welcomed as are pointing out contradictions, offensiveness, etc. I never intend to harm anyone, but sensitive topics tend to do that, so please read with caution and please digest anything before reacting too harshly, even for your own sake.

I have a hard time with humanity and love them all at the same time, and I believe many other people often fluctuate between various paradoxical internalizations . . . perhaps the real reason “mental illness” is supposedly on the rise isn’t any flaws of individuals states of minds, but a natural phenomena of how great our ontology is, grappling with normlessness until we KNOW with our hearts and minds that our collective action is right, and we are ready to move forward more confidently. Who knows for sure. Nonetheless, I must conclude this introduction by saying that resolutions and revelations are a good thing, and I have many that could save humanity from existential threats, because there are things that could render political ideology completely obsolete when our actual physical existence ends. I say “we” and “our” as general collective humanity . . . though unfortunately so many (too many) people don’t believe in such a concept. And I don’t always draw the lines between “personal” or “self” and “other” as many people do in various enclaves of society. To me, We are all One but it’s gonna be some serious work, enlightenment, and maturing, and deep bonding for that to manifest. Now, let’s get to it.

“Four years ago, what is now known as the Black Lives Matter Global Network began to organize. It started out 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.”

the slogan / title When crafting a slogan, title, acronym, symbol, etc., social influencers, business persons/marketers, and politicians have to make several decisions, such as their target audience/customer/individuals or groups that intend to persuade/gather/organize/influence. The more generic or general the statement, the more people it can be aimed at or the larger base of potential partakers. It’s target audience is wide.While a high fashion line might specifically NOT want lots of people but only specific types of people who will act as ads for their products or way of life, Black Lives Matter is an incredibly general statement that is designed to include anyone and everyone. Further, by saying “Black Lives Matter”, they don’t negate non-Black people from partaking, they reference a general belief that they hope to either nationalize or spread and create a similar “group-think” so to speak. Through its ambivalence, they make it inhumane to disagree with it. “Water is Life” would be another example of a slogan that pretty much every single human being would adhere to. It is a blatant, obviously true statement that is widely accepted as true and should be, albeit subjective. People fail to realize the Nazi party began as a national socialist party, which convinced a lot of people to partake because of the seeming inherent goodness of caring for all people through socialism, particularly under rather impoverished living conditions of the working class at the time. Although this is perhaps a dissimilar example, it is worth noting at least.

Additionally, the name provides no real guidance as to what the movement is about or intended to do. It is natural to assume at first glance that is to support black people’s status in the United States. We know the founders have been publicized as officially using newly found wealth to purchase several expensive homes around the country. It is nothing new that leadership persons have used funds from a movement to satisfy their personal material desires, corruptly and selfishly. But the popularity of the movement leads to the wondering of whether or not the title is a misnomer of sorts…that is: what is their true intention, who is it intended to support and how?

Most importantly: those who understand race as a social construction with nothing inherently “racial” about the divides created by and among human beings, it is obvious that using the term “black” to define people and categorize them is a perpetuation of the concept of race as well as the particular race of “black” people. In other words, nobody actually knows was race even is, for it is not backed by scientific designations such as genetics. Skin color is the predominate basis of racial divides in American traditional narratives, but skin color is a phenotypical manifestation of a fairly insignificant aspect of human genetics. While the experience of life can prove that race or skin color as a sincere aspect of social reality, there is little to nothing scientific to justify it. “My skin is my sin” is one of the narrative thought processes to describe the experience of life from some people who “are” black, and while it is holds experientially true, it is not a great narrative to perpetuate and probably should be overcome and will inevitably be overcome as time passes, globalization continues, and narratives about racial conceptions are challenged, as well as multi-‘racial’ descendants continue through the ages (effectively rendering an entire future generation of human “mutts”).

(I) The concept may rub people the wrong way, but (II) it is arguably a good thing, but (III) not a necessary thing for good.

“violence [] inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes.” I could argue that this should be backed by sociologically sound data. There is plenty, and unfortunately many of the proponents of racial-oppressive narratives don’t utilize it and don’t know how to utilize it properly and fairly…but the worst part is that they get away with using rhetoric.

As the saying goes “falsehood flies and the truth comes limping along afterward.” I won’t, because that would be demoralizing and unreasonable on a few levels:

I) it would fail to give creedence to another human being’s experience

II) I’ve lived in the United States, and there are a number of things that are inarguably real, such as:

cops pulling over black drivers for no reason (only to search for one later, which from a legal standpoint is a violation of the “probable cause” aspect of due process under the constitution, but they get away with it because they can make something up like “failed to signal a turn” or “was doing 32 mph in a 30 mph zone”… municipalities/state governments using zoning rules to segregate the “races” to at least some degree, significant numbers of black juveniles with criminal charges that could be dealt with through family, community, church involvement but end up becoming state issues and a record of the individual is created,

In the years since, we’ve committed to struggling together and to imagining and creating a world free of anti-Blackness, where every Black person has the social, economic, and political power to thrive.

Black Lives Matter began as a call to action in response to state-sanctioned violence and anti-Black racism. Our intention from the very beginning was to connect Black people from all over the world who have a shared desire for justice to act together in their communities. The impetus for that commitment was, and still is, the rampant and deliberate violence inflicted on us by the state.

Enraged by the death of Trayvon Martin and the subsequent acquittal of his killer, George Zimmerman, and inspired by the 31-day takeover of the Florida State Capitol by POWER U and the Dream Defenders, we took to the streets. A year later, we set out together on the Black Lives Matter Freedom Ride to Ferguson, in search of justice for Mike Brown and all of those who have been torn apart by state-sanctioned violence and anti-Black racism. Forever changed, we returned home and began building the infrastructure for the Black Lives Matter Global Network, which, even in its infancy, has become a political home for many.

Ferguson helped to catalyze a movement to which we’ve all helped give life. Organizers who call this network home have ousted anti-Black politicians, won critical legislation to benefit Black lives, and changed the terms of the debate on Blackness around the world. Through movement and relationship building, we have also helped catalyze other movements and shifted culture with an eye toward the dangerous impacts of anti-Blackness.

These are the results of our collective efforts.

The Black Lives Matter Global Network is as powerful as it is because of our membership, our partners, our supporters, our staff, and you. Our continued commitment to liberation for all Black people means we are continuing the work of our ancestors and fighting for our collective freedom because it is our duty.

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.

We acknowledge, respect, and celebrate differences and commonalities.

We work vigorously for freedom and justice for Black people and, by extension, all people.

We intentionally build and nurture a beloved community that is bonded together through a beautiful struggle that is restorative, not depleting.

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.

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.

We build a space that affirms Black women and is free from sexism, misogyny, and environments in which men are centered.

We practice empathy. We engage comrades with the intent to learn about and connect with their contexts.

We make our spaces family-friendly and enable parents to fully participate with their children. 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.

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.

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).

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.

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