A BREAKDOWN OF THE DIFFERENT ANALOGIES FOR THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT AND WHY ALL LIVES MATTER IS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE
Writer: HILLARY ALTES/ HEALTH HEAD
Illustrations by: LEXI CM/ LIFESTYLE HEAD
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Imagine this: You had a stressful day at work and all you want to do is go home and relax. You decide to draw a bath and light a scented candle to calm your nerves. You grab the matches from your kitchen and light the candle, placing it on your windowsill. After a few minutes, you forget that it’s there and you accidentally knock it over onto your bed. Your comforter catches on fire and the flame spreads across your blankets almost instantly. You try to put it out, but it keeps on spreading. You panic and bolt out of your house, calling 9-1-1 as the flames begin to engulf your home.
By the time the fire department arrives, the fire has taken over your house. The smell of smoke fills the neighborhood and the blaze is only becoming more persistent. The firemen get out of their truck with a hose, and they’re about to save your home when your neighbor steps directly in their path.
“Why aren’t you coming to my house?” She glares pointedly at the firefighters and points to her own home. Other than the overgrown lawn and need for a new paint job, nothing seems to be wrong with her house.
The firefighters are perplexed. “Excuse me?” one of them says, confused as to why she is even mentioning her house right now when your house needs attention immediately or it will burn down. He asks her, “Why would we come to your house?”
The neighbor replies, “It’s unfair if you only go to that house and not my house.” She crosses her arms and looks up at the firefighter. “Don’t all houses matter?”
The firefighter replies, “Well yes, they do, we never said they didn’t. The thing is, that house is on fire and it needs our attention now. Your house doesn’t need us right now.”
I think by now most of you have figured out that I’m not just talking about houses. The house-on-fire analogy is one that is commonly used in reference to the Black Lives Matter movement to display that the statement “All Lives Matter” is counterproductive and misleading. Black Lives Matter is meant to bring attention to the injustices that the Black community faces as a result of their skin color. It also emphasizes that Black people and their contributions to society should not be overlooked. The movement is necessary because racism and its effects are still negatively impacting Black people in America. Saying that Black Lives Matter is not meant to devalue other lives. It just points out that Black lives in America are undervalued and encourages the country to recognize that inequity so that progress can be made.
The statement “All Lives Matter” was formed as a countermovement to Black Lives Matter. On a surface level, it doesn’t seem so bad to say that everyone’s life matters, because that’s true. However, it was created out of the need for everyone to be included in an issue that is disproportionately impacting Black people, which is racism. It’s just like your neighbor saying that their house matters while yours is on fire. It seems incredibly absurd and insensitive. To bring more clarity, here are a few other analogies that further display why saying “All Lives Matter” is problematic and misses the point of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Illustration by Lexi CM.
All Injuries Matter
Let’s say you got in a car accident - and not just a minor one where you got a little shaken up, but you were fine. You got into a pretty bad wreck and you broke your leg. You’re in intense pain and you can’t even move from the driver’s seat until the paramedics come and lift you onto the gurney. Your best friend was in the passenger seat, but the only injury the crash gave her was a small bruise on her elbow. You both finally arrive at the hospital, and the surgeon comes rushing towards your ambulance. Instead of turning his attention to you and your obviously broken leg, he immediately looks over your friend’s bruise and tries to treat her first. When the nurse asks what he’s doing and why he’s not addressing your broken leg first, as one logically should, he responds by saying that “All injuries matter.” This is true, but it was more urgent to treat your injury than your friend’s. By saying that all injuries matter, the surgeon dismissed the severity of your broken leg, just like how saying that “All Lives Matter” dismisses what the Black Lives Matter movement is trying to convey. Still don’t think that it’s a problematic statement? Read on.
2. All Losses Matter
You receive an invitation to a funeral. Your best friend’s dad just passed away. He is having a lot of trouble processing his emotions, and it is evident that the entire family is going through a lot when you arrive at the funeral. When you see your friend, what are you going to do? Offering your condolences is the most traditional course of action. But what if you walked right up to your friend’s family and you said “I too have felt loss” or even “All losses matter”, and then went on a tangent about how your dog died two years ago and you still are trying to process that loss today. It could be an entirely true statement, but it would be insensitive given the situation - ring any bells?
Illustration by Lexi CM.
I could go on with more analogies that display just how insensitive “All Lives Matter” is, but I think by now you have caught my drift. I hope this article brought clarity about the statement and that you will carefully consider how your words impact others in conversations regarding race and the Black Lives Matter movement.
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