Police officers unjustly killed another black man. This time it was in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Protests—ranging from peaceful sit-in's to destructive riots—are currently happening worldwide.
If you want to learn why you should never display the "thin blue line" flag, patch, or banner as well as why you should never say the words: Blue Lives Matter or All Lives Matter, read on...
Driving thru the Oregon countryside in 2018, my wife pointed to a pickup truck flying two large flags and asked if I knew what the black and white one represented. Although I'd never seen an "American flag" with: black bars instead of red, a black field behind the stars instead of blue, and a horizontal blue bar thru the middle—I was able to make a reasonably informed guess (because the other flag in the back of the pickup was a confederate battle flag). 
There are a few variations of banners with these blue lines. Even though they range from those with solid black backgrounds, or are combined with the stars and bars, or the union jack (as well as with the aforementioned stars and stripes) I've discovered one strong common denominator: all appear to have been created after 2013—when the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement began.
If someone wants to show police solidarity and also wants to display their support in the form of a banner (on the back of their Ford F150, as an example) they should consider a emblem from the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP). This organization is over a century old, advocates for the safety of law enforcement officers, and the FOP logo contains no words intended to usurp the message of another group.
There are a growing number of flags, banners, and signs which bring universal scorn to those who publicly display them. The Blue Lives Matter banner is now joining with the signs of the "Church" from Westboro, Kansas; the flag of the National Socialist German Workers' Party (the Nazi Swastika); and variants of the US Confederate Battle Flag (Confederate Southern Cross).
Specious claims of "pride in one's heritage" are no longer palatable and displaying one's racism proudly is less and less tolerated every year. But still, there are many who feel a need to display an emblem decrying their hate, so the white supremacists have recently adopted the thin blue line flag, which provides a superficially plausible explanation (claiming to support the police) while actually displaying their hate-filled message (which is that black lives don't matter to them).
- The Thin Blue Line Flag is equivalent to the Blue Lives Matter banner.
- The purpose of stating "Blue Lives Matter" is to oppose the "Black Lives Matter" movement.
- The primary "Black Lives Matter" message is to stop police violence against people of color.
Keep following the logic...
If someone declares Black Lives Matter (by banner, statement, or flag) they are protesting police violence on black people by sharing that organization's slogan.
Any replies similar to: all lives matter, or blue lives matter, or everyone's life matters, are contrary statements made by those disagreeing that black people have been and will continue to be unjustly targeted with violence by law enforcement personnel (which is what the Black Lives Matter movement wants to stop).
After posting this article in 2018, I received a few proudly ignorant commenters claiming they were unaware the blue lives matter banner meant black lives don't matter, but rather than accept this rational argument, they all seemed to prefer keeping their emotion-based ignorance.
Hate is a strong emotion.
Nobody ever likes to think they previously made a wrong-headed decision—at the same time, we all like to hear others admit when they discover they made a mistake in judgement; we consider those who are able to recognize their mistakes (and are "big enough" to admit it) to be leaders who possess mettle, strong character and emotional intelligence.
When was the last time this was you? Could this be you in the future?
Maybe a change, which we all can contribute to making, begins with your awareness that racist police violence has to stop. If you change your apathy today, tomorrow maybe you'll be big enough to tell the ignorant multitude around you that they are part of the problem.
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10 comments:
Yes.
Sadly though, Brevard County FOP, Broward County FOP.
The cops didnt unjustly kill George Floyd they murdered him but other than
that I agree with your reasoning
'Unjustly killed' is used in this June2020 post because 'murder' is a legal term (the former police officers have yet to be found guilty of that crime) but, other than that, thank you.
Cat, My FOP banner recommendation was, merely, my attempt to point to a century-old alternative to the white-supremacist's anti-black lives matter banner/flag. I absolutely do not support the FOP.
In fact, a good "Veach Rule of Thumb" would be that if the FOP supports a policy or program or political issue, it's bad for normal citizens; I support almost everything which the FOP fights against or criticizes (maybe this topic needs to be expounded upon).
Fraternal anything has an insidious undercurrent of 'old boy network/exclusionary clique' about it, from the Fraternal Order of Police, to your choice of thousands of horrible fraternity houses across the country's universities. The only disadvantage to shutting them down is it'd make it harder to keep track of arseholes.
Man, it's been so long since I last posted to Blogger, I've almost forgotten how it works!
I agree. You are always welcome, Davecat, even when your blogger thumb photo becomes time-faded.
This is all fine and dandy except you failed to point out that the thin blue line was around for over 6 decades before black lives matter. Congratulations, you played yourself.
Proving the 'blue lives matter' movement/banner existed before the Black Lives Matter movement would do nothing to disprove that, today (middle of 2020), those who display the blue lives matter banner or say the words "blue/all lives matter" are either saying they fully support and condone violence against people of color. . .or they are fools who've done no research.
Usage of the phrase 'the thin blue line' is not at issue (it can be found in a centuries-old poem). However, the banner(s) and flag(s) with blue lines thru them were all created after 2013, by people who are against the Black Lives Matter movement and, therefore, support violence against people of color.
I have never found a photograph of a blue lives matter flag/banner which might be accurately dated to decades ago (I've looked). But if one does exist, it wouldn't change that it has been appropriated by white supremacist group(s). Everyone who displays it, today, displayed the confederate battle cross or the Nazi swastika decades ago.
You seem to think that it’s all or nothing. You can’t support BLM if you support a symbol of the thin blue line. You have no valid argument when you deal in absolutes like this. I don’t support violence on any human being other than in self defense. I’m a former Marine MP 5811 and I don’t support any group that wants to defund the police departments. That includes BLM. Does that make me racist? Intelligent minds out there calling to defund law enforcement so we can have less training and poor candidates that will just end up making poor decisions and taking more lives in situations that do not require deadly force. Stop dealing in absolutes. So many people are so quick to call someone racist if they don’t support BLM. A good human being supports everyone’s right to life. We don’t need a club to belong to.
Anonymous 1 SEP former Marine MP, Hello: As a former Army MP and current artist, I rarely have an opportunity to exchange ideas with someone with a valid point relating to this issue. I will reply briefly, here, but welcome learning more about your perspective, if you choose to share it, at veachglines@gmail.
I do not advocate for the support of any symbol, of any type, ever. That is about the only absolute, which I can explain and defend.
Someone has told you, or you have interpreted, 'defund the police' to mean reductions and worse policing.
Taking money from police budgets and hiring alternative agencies to perform functions which have become, over-time, wrongfully relegated to armed officers has saved cities money, resulted in more efficient use of manpower and improved the lives of at-risk citizens (homeless, addicts, people with mental-issues, etc). As an example, the CAHOOTS program in Eugene, Oregon, works.
The article these comments are appended to is about the adoption of the Thin Blue Line symbol by what is commonly referred to, today, as the 'alt-right' movement. Nowhere do I advocate for the Black Lives Matter movement's platform, nor do I unquestioningly support them.
The only valid argument I have outlined in this article is that people who display a thin blue line emblem, in 2020, do so to inform others they do not support BLM ("support police" is their ruse).
I'm certain, pacifist-Germans display the swastika who, also, are appalled their government murdered people in camps; but they still want to show their alliance with the platform of the National Socialist German Workers' Party.
Closing opinion: not everyone with a swastika is a racist who supports killing Jews -- but, they are aware that their armband sends that message (and either don't mind the association or *secretly* are counting on it).
I am open to a dialogue, - Veach
Thank you for your response which I find insightful. I look forward to a dialogue.
Ray
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