Good point re: the potentially awkward clash with "metoo" - I hadn't thought of that.
I also think the "too" in "Black Lives Matter Too" sounds too humble, like you're pleading for everyone to treat you as worthy of equality. By dropping the "too" you're saying we fucking matter, deal with it.
Although I don't personally agree, I think you make fair points there.
To be honest, there is nothing at all wrong with being humble. It's a great quality in people. Also, being aggressive in tone can alienate, and even buy straight into stereotypes others already have of you, thus actually detracting from your cause, however just that cause is. In life, I often find that aggression, be it verbal or physical, tends to be counter productive. It puts people on the defensive immediately. Whilst ''fuck you, we matter'' (my words, not yours) might be a very understandable attitude to hold, in practice it can work against you in the long run. Anything that alienates can undermine your message and your cause.
That's one reason why my personal mantra, long before all this kicked off, had always been that we
all matter. I've never split it up into this group matters or that group matters. My humanistic approach has always been that we all matter, so that's what I've always said. Thing is, racists have hijacked that humanistic outlook and perverted it. Look at the gobshites who hired the plane that flew over the Burnley game. EDL scum, associates of Yaxley-Lennon, but now hiding behind the Reading atrocity as a shield and as justification for their White Lives Matter banner.
To me, humanity only truly moves on when we all realise that
everyone matters, and it doesn't matter what colour, sex, sexuality religion etc you are. Before it was hijacked by scumbags, the most powerful message that could ever be put over on the subject of prejudice would have been that All Lives Matter, because it's a message that doesn't polarise. It's a message all decent, reasonable human beings can get behind. It's also a message that's extremely hard for racists to subvert, because to counter it they genuinely have to name their hate for what it is, rather than twist words then hide behind their interpretation. They would actually have to come out and state why they believe that certain sections of humanity matter less to them than others, and as is often the case with these gobshites, they hang themselves with their own words and actions if you give them enough rope.
But anyway, how people choose to fight their own battles is up to them. People have to do what they feel is right. We all have our own ways though. It doesn't matter what colour we are either, because prejudice comes in many forms and can affect us all to some extent. We are all in the battle in some way or other, and we all have to chose how we approach it. Personally, I choose to stick with my humanistic approach because it works, and stood beside me I have so many quality human beings who are part of the solution, and they come in all colours, backgrounds, sexualities etc. Of course, so does the BLM campaign. It's just that we differ a little in approach, that's all.
Regarding the plane that flew that banner, Burnley are looking to ban the hooligan group 'Suicide Squad'
for life after they organised and funded it. Jake Hepple, of Colne, Lancs, one of the organisers, is unrepentant and has said ''I'd like to take this time to apologise ... to absolutely fucking nobody.''
