‘All Lives Matter’ Outrage: Democrat Candidates Protested For ‘Inflammatory’ Statement
All lives matter.
These three words are stirring up controversy across the U.S. And after a town hall meeting for liberal activists at the Netroots Nation conference in Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday, that controversy has spilled out onto Democratic presidential candidates.
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who announced his candidacy for the 2016 presidential race earlier this year, was interrupted by a throng of “Black Lives Matter” protestors, who became enraged at O’Malley when he was attempting to “generalize” the problem of violence throughout the U.S.
“I think all of us as Americans have a responsibility to recognize the pain and the grief throughout our country from all of the lives that have been lost to violence, whether that’s violence at the hands of the police or whether that’s violence at the hands of civilians,” O’Malley said in comments reported by CNN.
“Don’t generalize this s***!” came one response from the audience, to which O’Malley issued a statement he would later be apologizing for.
“Black lives matter. White lives matter. All lives matter,” he said.
This drew sharp criticisms on social media and at the event itself. O’Malley later issued this apology.
“That was a mistake on my part and I meant no disrespect,” O’Malley said. “I did not understand the tremendous passion, commitment and feeling and depth of feeling that all of us should be attaching to this issue.”
After stepping off stage, O’Malley immediately began to backtrack on his remarks joining the protestors in a “Black Lives Matter” chant.
While a large number of Americans have trouble understanding what is so inflammatory about the “All Lives Matter” remark — something, according to Yahoo!, Hillary Clinton has previously come under criticism for using as well — Judith Butler, a comparative literature professor at the University of California, Berkeley, explains.
“When some people rejoin with ‘all lives matter,’ they misunderstand the problem, but not because their message is untrue. It is true that all lives matter, but it is equally true that not all lives are understood to matter, which is precisely why it is most important to name the lives that have not mattered and are struggling to matter in the way they deserve…. Claiming that ‘all lives matter’ does not immediately mark or enable black lives, only because they have not been fully recognized as having lives that matter.”
One African-American commenter took issue to this characterization.
“As a Black man, why does this not radiate in the Black neighborhoods, where it seems to be the norm, that blacks kill each other daily? But when a white cop is involved, we scream bloody murder. If we don’t respect the lives of each other, how are we going to expect the White race to respect us? I hear young Black men call each other #$%$, but when another race calls us that all hell breaks loose? Until we as a race of people start to elevate our level of thinking, we will never elevate our level of living. All Lives do matter, even the young innocent kids that are gunned down, and the cop that just wants to get home to his family, and the vets that have made the ultimate sacrifice. ALL LIVES MATTER.”
Still, there were plenty of others, who agreed with how Butler had summed it up.
This crowd does not want to hear “white lives matter.”
— Jane C. Timm (@janestreet) July 18, 2015
O’Malley just said #AllLivesMatter which means he just doesn’t get it. #NN15
— Emily Epstein White (@EmEps) July 18, 2015
Did he just say all lives matter? Did no one prep O’Malley for this room? #NN15
— Jane Booth-Tobin (@jboothto) July 18, 2015
What do you think about O’Malley’s “All Lives Matter” gaffe? Should he have apologized, and is it offensive to make such a statement? Sound off in the comments section.
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