In my last blog post I spoke of a “sea of bodies” that we’re wading through. That was in light of the recent terror attacks around the world (Turkey, Pakistan, Paris, Orlando, etc.). It was infuriating to me that the world blew off the Iraqi, Turkish, and Pakistani attacks. Equally maddening is the cesspool of hate Americans seem to be gleefully splashing in.
Black lives matter.
Sure, one could “correct me” by saying “all lives matter,” and they’d not be wrong; absolutely they do! But the problem is that until black lives matter, gay lives matter, Muslim lives matter, women’s lives matter, and non-American lives matter, then not all lives truly matter.
My friend, John Pavlovitz, says it best:
“The trigger only has one purpose: to be pulled.
The bullet only has one purpose: to penetrate.
The gun only has one purpose: violence.”
He’s exactly right. We could go around and around all day long about the circumstances in which the trigger is pulled, but the fact remains that it’s meant “to be pulled.”
Glorifying guns above the lives of others seems to be the American way (‘Merica). More to the point, it seems to be the white, straight, NRA flag-waving way.
Let me be clear–I’m not placing the blame on the guns. I’m placing it on the gun owners with their fingers on the trigger, both literally and figuratively (including irresponsible, hate-filled police officers).
I’m all for 2nd Amendment rights, but allow me to pose the following thoughts:
What if black lives mattered? What if gay lives mattered? What if transgender lives mattered? What if Muslim lives mattered?
Undoubtedly, many would cry out, “They do matter!”
There’s an exercise I go through in my mind on a regular basis I’d like to take you through. Of course, these questions are rhetorical.
How would you respond if your child wanted to marry a black person (presuming your child isn’t black)?
What if your child told you she/he was gay and she/he was in love?
If your child fell in love with a Muslim, how would that make you feel?
How would you feel if your child fell in love with a transgender person?
Absolutely “all lives matter,” but black people are fully aware of the prejudice held against them. Many, in fact, vividly recall what a segregated life was like.
Black lives matter.
Muslim-Americans, like the Japanese-Americans of WWII, face constant discrimination and are suspected to be terrorists.
Muslim lives matter.
The LGBT community live their lives in continual fear, wondering if they’ll even make it home alive that day (many continue to live “in the closet” for this very reason).
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender lives matter.
By no means am I saying straight, white, gun toting lives don’t matter; they do. But they (I) haven’t been historically enslaved to rapists, suspected of terrorism on a daily basis, or threatened with death for falling in love with a heterosexual white person.
LIVES MATTER.
Businesses, churches, organizations, and individuals who place contingencies on promoting, loving, and accepting others based on reasons of color, religion, gender, or sexual orientation should immediately reconsider their positions on those issues.
The fetor of those who bathe in the cesspool of hate is repulsive.
They’re not fooling anyone. They smell like shit.