Racism

If you pay attention to sports (or to social media), you've probably heard about San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's decision not to stand when the national anthem is played before football games this year. In a locker-room interview, Kaepernick discussed some of the reasons for his protest.

Steve Hayes disagrees with my last post. In his blog Khanya, he argues staunchly that "all lives matter" is not a racist phrase. He has heard the arguments for it, and remains unconvinced. But his reasoning is different from that of the typical "all lives matter" supporter. He looks at a handful of recent articles, and finds them wanting.

Of all the criticisms of the "black lives matter" movement, the most enduring is that the group should not focus on black lives but instead say, "all lives matter." On the surface it sounds like a more inclusive phrase, so why has this suggestion been met with resistance?

One Redditor offered a clear analogy explaining why "black lives matter" is the more accurate phrase.