We have been following the controversy over people declaring “All Lives Matter,” which is now viewed as racially insensitive and a “micro aggression” against the black community. We recently discussed the heartfelt apology given by Kathleen McCartney, the president of prestigious Smith College after she said “all lives matters” rather than ‘Black lives matter.” Now Democratic presidential candidate Martin O’Malley has followed suit with his own apology for saying that “all lives matter” in a speech, which he was interrupted by black audience members booing and protesting.
The protesters had been chanting that “Black lives matter!” and O’Malley simply responded: “Black lives matter. White lives matter. All lives matter.” There was a time when that would have been viewed as a true and uplifting sentiment to express. It is now viewed as insensitive and audience members booed O’Malley.
O’Malley later made a public apology and said “I meant no disrespect. That was a mistake on my part and I meant no disrespect. I did not mean to be insensitive in any way or communicate that I did not understand the tremendous passion, commitment and feeling and depth of feeling that all of us should be attaching to this issue.”
Ironically, O’Malley’s opponent Hillary Clinton was also called out for saying “all lives matter.” Clinton used the phrase while telling a story from her grandmother: “I asked her, ‘What kept you going?’ Her answer was very simple. Kindness along the way from someone who believed she mattered. All lives matter.”
That produced an outcry with Renita Lamkin, a pastor at the St. John AME Church in St. Charles, stating “With her statement that all lives matter, that blew a lot of support that she may have been able to engender here.” The Clinton campaign rushed out a statement that Clinton used “All Black Lives Matter” the year before.
Source: CNN
Sanders was also shouted down at this same event. He did not know what to do either. He asked the moderator why the moderator didn’t take charge of the situation and quiet people down as it was he (Sanders) who was the one supposed to be doing the speaking. I think it is fair to say that both men were caught off guard and this would be a difficult situation for any speaker.
This is a complicated issue for many reasons. Black women and men have an extremely high and disproportional rate of incarceration. The same offense gets you one time (or no time) if you’re wealthy, another time if you’re white, another time if you’re white and poor and yet another if you are poor and black. Both historically and in current society, black poverty is incredibly high. There is a different standard of justice based on color. Black people are being killed by authorities with little or no consequences. This is horrific and it should be protested.
I was also struck by the nature of the protest. It seemed authoritarian in its own right. Protesters made specific demands of what candidates were to say to them. I find that creepy. We do not own other people’s thoughts or speech.
O’Malley had little idea how to react and Sanders reacted in his own authoritarian manner.
I do not think anyone should apologize for saying all lives matter. O’Malley could say, I wasn’t certain how to respond and I’d like to have a chance to come listen to your group. Then he could make the time to sit down and really listen. Meanwhile, Black Lives Matter can stop demanding that people speak exactly how they tell them to. They can tell their story and have a genuine conversation with any person who is honest in their desire to understand and ameliorate the situation. They don’t get to control what others say. Shout it down if you don’t like what you hear but demands that other people must say what you want them to say is wrong.
BTW-Sanders also made clear that he supports the imperial presidency. Read what he said. I hope this time, Democratic supporters of Obama 2.0 will pay attention.
For decades, the US government has been preparing for civil war in this country. They have always planned to start this war with black on white violence. The US government is responsible for training cops to be blood thirsty killers and using them to kick start this civil war. The have planned for a 20 year civil war. Wake up people.
Reblogged this on shandizhuo.
@Chief Consort
To help in your campaign to protect Blacks everywhere, because Black Lives Matter, I created this for our automobiles:
https://squeekyfrommgr.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/blacksonboard.jpg
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
O’Malley: send him back to Ireland.
Aridog….you still do not grasp Sir Isaac’s meaning……America, racist, bad, white on black violence the problem, Whites don’t value Black lives, he just KNOWS this because of his demonstrated expertise in all area of American history, sociology, psychology, etc.
I despise Trump for many reasons, not the least of which is that he ignores the headaches resulting from immigration from our other border. Some of these clowns are even granted citizenship.
BIAS. RACISM. Words mean things.
Affirmative action is bias and institutional racism.
Freedom means the government is unbiased.
Neutral.
“Black lives matter” is exclusive and biased.
“All lives matter” is inclusive, unbiased and neutral.
Supporters of “black lives matter” are biased, anti-freedom and anti-American.
O’Malley is a milquetoast coward that didn’t stand up for “right.”
Trump: Love is never having to say you’re sorry.
Trump loves America.
Go, Donald.
Correction *why and how it came to into being*
O Malley should’ve started chanting “All live matter EQUALLY” over and over until they shut up. We all know what the Black Lives matter really means and why it how it came into being after several shootings of unarmed black men. We are simply playing with words here to score points for our side. It’s a waste of time and stupid. And he is a wuss for not standing there and pushing back with strength and conviction. Not Presidential material.
Issac said…
In the US Black lives don’t matter as much as White lives.
True enough if you measure the number of black lives taken by other black gangsters, thugs, and idle miscreants. Among the family oriented black familes I know, all lives DO matter. Theirs are just the most at risk…from their own.
“ALL LIVES ‘DO’ MATTER”….So WHY didn’t O’Malley STICK to his remarks and NOT CAVE?
Someone needs to say that “Black Lives Matter” is RACIST…it’s implying that Others’ DON’T.
All lives matter, in an ideal world.
therefore
White lives matter equally, in this ideal world.
therefore
Black lives matter equally, in this ideal world.
Now, in the US and many other countries, regardless of fault, blame, origin of the condition, etc., some lives matter more than others.
In the US Black lives don’t matter as much as White lives. This is seen, reported, acknowledged, and most often disregarded. It’s not a question of racism so much as simply something that flies in the face of everything that one wants to believe.
“All lives matter.” is a simplistic way of skipping over the problem on the ground by touting an ideal. The US was built on ideals, and slavery. It still strives for the ideals, has abolished slavery, but still has some fairly pesky residual effects. A politician spouting “All lives matter.” is being diluted in order to placate the majority. Taking it back adds on the condition of spinelessness. A politician with a spine would target the problem, commit to addressing the condition, but regardless of whether it was, “Black lives matter.” or “All lives matter.”, would never recant. “All lives matter.” is just another useless politician scarfing down, ‘pizza, chitlins, bagels,…ooah’. “Black lives matter.”, is a politician with a pair.
There’s what you want and there’s what is.
O’Malley is a putz and he just proved it. A very simple and obviously not racist remark is made in to a crisis…and he apologizes for telling the truth….all lives DO matter. Go home Martin, you have not guts and nothing to offer.
My life has led me in to the heartlands of several minorites, where in fact, I was the distinct minority. That includes today. One of my very best friends ever is a black man who is now stricken with dementia and nearing his end. It hurts me more than I can say. This guy put his life on the line for me, he threw my going away party when I enlisted and was deploying….and made sure my parents and their friends were invited. I love this man. Worse, due to the subject, I had to call him a “black man” in this comment to be clear. “Leo” is one of the best people I have ever known, put his life on the line for me long ago…one who once legally emigrated to Canada becasue he got tired & embarassed by the whole thing here…a sad commentary on our society IMO. He’s now in Atlanta where family can care for him. If Leo were cognizant today I am sure he’d be as unhappy with today as I am on this subject. All lives matter and perhaps his among the most, irrelevant to color, just becasue. He proved it long ago.
All Donalds Matter!
Democrats are gutless. Do you think blacks are going to vote for the Republicans? They can say whatever they want. At least Trump does not back down.
I want The Donald to chime in on this topic.
O’Malley needs to join the RepubliCon Party. Oh, do not offend anyone O’Malley. The Irish do not matter. Did you not get that in your dumb Mick head way back in grade school? O’Malley: Did you not see Blazing Saddles? They let the Freedmen in but did not want the Irish. First the Irish and now we have the Muslims. Tsarboy and his brother blow up the Boston Marathon people and think its ok because only Chechnian lives matter.
If All Lives Dont Matter to some politican he/she will never get my vote. I vote early and often.
This “Black lives matter” mantra is getting really tiresome.
ALL lives matter……but what matters MOST is what you do with that life. Just existing and breathing isn’t an accomplishment that matters.
Doing something positive with your life. Things that make life better for you, your family, your friends and society….THIS matters. Holding up liquor stores, hanging on the street, doing drugs and petty thefts: those things matter, in a way, a negative way that makes others wish you didn’t exist.
I believe this will be the first presidential election which I will sit out. Although maybe I’ll write-in Ed Snowden.
Gigi D. – “Politician’s often waffle in order to get votes. O’Malley is a typical politician who just proved that he is a wiffle-waffler and is not a good candidate for the job.”
Acually Gigi, doesn’t that make him a perfect candidate for the job? He doing what what keep putting in office at all levels. This is why people hate Trump.