So again, please, everyone- do not confuse BLM the “organization” with people who say BLM in the streets or wear it on their shirts to bring attention to racism in America. That gives people an “out” to claim they have a virtuous reason not support this movement: “I read some manifesto by some person who claims to be high up within the BLM organization and they said some stuff I don’t like so screw anyone with a BLM t shirt on!!” Sound familiar? It should... that is practically word for word how half of the posts opposing BLM start.
Racism is systemic in our culture and it does play out in the hiring practices of major corporations, the brutality waged in the streets by the police and the severity of sentences given to black vs white offenders for virtually identical crimes. Mixing narratives to cloud the situation is not helping the situation. If you truly believe racism is “unfortunate”, then perhaps instead of spending your efforts scouring the internet to find statistics that vaguely reinforce your preconceived notions on the matter, you could try to do some good to help the unfortunate situation. Trying to bark down people for supporting equality is not a reasonable path towards make things better IMO. So, all I ask is the same I have asked of others on here- many of whom attacked me for asking this- Think introspectively about why you feel so passionately that the BLM movement is a “hypocritical farce”. When you yourself admit racism is still an unfortunate issue, would it not make more sense to embrace the idea behind the movement even if you are not a fan of BLM the organization, as the MOVEMENT is about equality and trying to better the lives of a people who have been oppressed in our society for centuries. Thank you for contributing a well thought out post on the matter- I hope only that my reply may make you think a bit and perhaps may get others thinking about this in a different way. I fully endorse and respect your- and others’- right to disagree with me.
Let's think about what you just wrote. "Do not confuse BLM the "organization" with people who say BLM in the streets or wear it on their shirts to bring attention to racism in America." Suppose I wear a t-shirt that has a MAGA slogan on it or run around in public places yelling "Make America Great Again!"? Would you assume I'm a Biden supporter? And no, I'm not a Trump supporter nor a Biden supporter. Why don't these noble folks wear shirts or carry slogans that say "Stop All Racism in America" instead of BLM? Racism is not systemic in the US because that infers, regardless of what some BLM proponents argue, that racism is written in the laws of the nation and the states. At one time it was clearly systemic, but now everyone does have equal opportunity under the law. By the way, I don't scour the internet for my statistics, they come from published research gleaned from 20+ years as a Sociology professor.
Please allow me to address your 3 proofs of systemic racism from a sociological perspective. Hiring practices in business, especially professional sports franchises or major corporations, as well as small business owners here in the South, lean heavily on personal knowledge of and social comfort with the potential applicant. Are you aware that most black owned corporations in the US have an inequitable number of black management positions compared to white management positions? This is no mystery, it's simple a matter of familiarity and comfort. The rank and file work force laborers are almost always more demographically represented, whether it's a mostly white or a mostly black community. If a black man is a
proven and known commodity, willing and able to increase the coffers and sales of a white owned/managed company, I can guarantee you that he would be a management hire, as would a white man if the roles were reversed. As for the brutality waged in the streets by the police (since 2015 I'm guessing), how many of the BLM martyrs responded exactly and correctly to the officer's directives? How many failed to respond correctly, or worse yet, became aggressive or tried to run? My first post really explained this (lack of respect for the law at an early age) as well as the discrepancy in black v. white sentences for similar crimes .... poverty. Those who have more money and a better education get to hire better and more qualified lawyers. Do we really think that OJ was innocent of two horrific murders, or could he just afford and hire the best legal team that money could buy?
BLM is a farce and I'll never support it, but equality is another matter. I just have a problem with a national movement making millions of dollars that leaves my head scratching. If these BLM folks are really concerned with "all black lives", why aren't they marching in South Philly, Liberty City, Brooklyn and Chicago's South side when there are way too many gang-related deaths? It appears to me that the only black lives that really do matter to BLM are the ones taken by police officers. Incidentally, about 220 black folks are shot to death by the police each year in the US, including those who commit crimes and are shooting back. According to the NAACP and the Tuskegee Institute, from 1882-1968 there were 3,446 black people lynched in the US (mostly by the Klan in the South and Midwest) during the height of the Jim Crow era. That is an unbelievable tragedy and a shameful mark on US history. Unfortunately, for the past 20 years, the US has averaged 2500-3000 black on black murders each year (and yes, most whites are also killed by other whites, as are hispanics and orientals killed by the own), and I've never seen one single BLM protest over those deaths.
I think we both are much closer in thought than you think, but I just don't think that BLM is the vehicle that will get us safely to our destination. It really seems to be a fad for younger people, both black and white, who want to be a part of the national consciousness while being conspicuous out in the streets during a pandemic. Sadly, the underlying sociological problems in the communities and families have to be addressed before we can better our nation. Racism is still an issue, but it's far from being the most important issue in black communities all over America. Thank you for the invitation to respond, my friend!