All Lives Matter

[ibegurpard]

Here is a quote I happened upon on Facebook that hit it out if the park for me. No idea who to attribute it to.

"Saying "All lives matter" is like going to a funeral and yelling "Everybody dies!""

[lapfog_1]

1. Valar morghulis - n/t

[ibegurpard]

2. So you said it in High Valyrian

Congratulations I guess...

[bravenak]

4. Lol!

Valar Doharis

[merrily]

3. Very yes and, yet, not exactly.

Because everybody does die. And, no one is more or less dead than any other person or kind of person.


On the other hand, some lives seem to matter to society more than others, just like some kids who go missing seem to matter to society more than others who go missing. The people whose lives seem to matter less than others have a vital point to make about that. Saying all lives matter or tries to. It seeks to robs "Black lives matter" of its meaning and power and render it vapid and pointless.

I don't think someone yelling at a funeral that everyone dies is negating any vital point. We all realize that everyone dies.

Coming up with perfect metaphors and analogies is always hard, if not impossible, but that was a pretty good one.

[ibegurpard]

5. of course

But a funeral is specific to one or several people. Yelling "everyone dies" diminishes that. Like you said, it's almost impossible to reduce a concept to a bumper sticker but this comes damn close in my opinion.