Fox “News” Calls Black Lives Matter a Hate Group
Ever since a Harris County, Texas Sheriff’s Deputy was gunned down in what looks like an ambush shooting, Fox “News” “reporters” and commentators have begun suggesting that the Black Lives Matter movement is somehow responsible.
The deputy’s killer is still on the run, and authorities have not found a motive yet, but that hasn’t stopped the alleged journalists at Fox from “asking questions:”
Fox News’s Elisabeth Hasselbeck later wondered aloud on air why Black Lives Matter isn’t considered a “hate group.” Bill O’Reilly was more blunt, concluding the movement was indeed a “hate group.” And Megyn Kelly characterized the movement as violent and anti-police in another segment.
Goforth’s death is an enormous tragedy that merits the attention it’s getting. But the rush to link his death to a movement focused on creating a more equal criminal justice system exposes some of the misconceptions and misleading criticisms surrounding the movement.
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Some of this seems to be rooted in a fundamental misunderstanding of the phrase “Black Lives Matter.” It’s not, as the sheriff suggested, that activists think black lives matter more and police (or white) lives matter less. It is already generally accepted in the US that cops’ lives matter — police are among the most respected institutions in America, according to Gallup surveys. The message of Black Lives Matter, instead, is that black lives are currently undervalued relative to everyone else’s, and the country needs to recognize that to bring an end to the disparity.
Reddit user GeekAesthete made this point in a thread explaining why the phrase “all lives matter” is offensive:
Imagine that you’re sitting down to dinner with your family, and while everyone else gets a serving of the meal, you don’t get any. So you say “I should get my fair share.” And as a direct response to this, your dad corrects you, saying, “everyone should get their fair share.” Now, that’s a wonderful sentiment — indeed, everyone should, and that was kinda your point in the first place: that you should be a part of everyone, and you should get your fair share also. However, dad’s smart-ass comment just dismissed you and didn’t solve the problem that you still haven’t gotten any!
Suggesting that Black Lives Matter is about going after individual police officers further reflects this misunderstanding — since the movement focuses on the systemic issues that influence individual police officers. The movement wants to fix the policies that lead to the overpolicing of black communities and the implicit dehumanization of African Americans. Under this view, it’s not the individual cops who are to blame for disparities, but the system that pushes them to act out in unequal ways. So targeting individual officers does nothing to achieve the movement’s broader goals, and in fact may detract from them.
More: There’s Nothing Linking Black Lives Matter to a Texas Cop’s Death. Fox News Did It Anyway.