I don’t have much to say about Black Lives Matter as a movement. That might surprise you, or maybe not.
Then again, I don’t have much to say about most movements. I didn’t really comment much on the Tea Party movement or Occupy Wall Street. Supporters of these movements and those in opposition hold hard positions on the movement. Wading in to comment on such a thing usually doesn’t go very far. I always figured they would have their their flare up, do some protests, let their anger and frustration out, and then as they matured, they would wander off into the wilderness of being lost – without a leader, without direction, without people understanding what they were about besides protesting. They would end up being defined by their opposition. They would gain some kind of change they desired, but the big changes would be undefinable and scattered, meaning they would never fully get what they wanted because they didn’t really know what they wanted in specific terms.
Black Lives Matter has been going strong for a couple of years now and is at a tipping point – so says John Blake, who wrote a piece entitled “Is Black Lives Matter blowing it?” on August 1, just a few days ago.
I thought it was a well thought out piece exploring the history of movements and how that history relates to Black Lives Matter and the concerns Mr. Blake has for the movement going forward.
I would encourage you to read the article (It’s a little long, but well worth reading). I’d really like to hear your thoughts on it too. Is Black Lives Matter going to go the way of other movements? Will it be different? Why? What are some signs you see that point to your conclusion?
Laced up Lutheran 
I believe ALL LIVES MATTER; however, the BLM movement is unique in its lack of rigorous organization and famous leaders. They say that they all are leaders and no one is in charge. For that simple fact, the BLM could shrivel up and die. Every battle, every movement, every cause needs leaders whom the public can identify with. They need someone to go back to for comments when events occur which are downright ignorant and stupid. Someone has to lead and work with their team to decide what is worth fighting for and what is not. For that reason I believe BLM will tumble and fall and the real people who control and are in charge of our country and government will decide their future.
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Thanks for you input. I knew full well that the topic is controversial, but wanted to see what people thought. Thanks.
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The *CNN* article (already lacking credibility because of that) is not convincing and is more veiled propaganda for Clinton and Obama. Nor is BLM credible because of its unwillingness to police its own. I appreciate your fascination from a sociological perspective, but any scientific or philosophical study must be objective to be meaningful. The CNN piece is not. BLM is fueled at its core by blind hatred. That is not to say all its supporters are, but hatred is what provides energy to the movement. Inferiority is implicit in victimhood, a state which BLM assumes. Hatred endures, as seen with the KKK, and self-assumed inferiority breeds hatred and resentment, but all of this does little to solve problems. BLM and any other group assuming victimhood currently benefit from temporary support from the left who use BLM to play to voter emotions. But these movements will eventually fail to achieve their objectives simply because their words and actions do not match. As we have talked about concerning other subjects, if something is conceptually broken (as is anything when words and actions don’t match) it will eventually fail. The question is how much more damage will be done before that day comes. You know I don’t share your love of politics and instead see politics as an evil corruption that brings out the worst in mankind (and attracts the worst of mankind). I would hope cooler heads will prevail with BLM. There has been some evidence of that in select meetings with police. But the history of such hate-fueled movements does not bode well for affecting positive change. And the current support from the political left has nothing to do with ideological concerns, it is merely buying votes.
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I knew the topic would be controversial. I tried to read the article from the stand point of looking at protest movements. I think his points are valid when it comes to protest movements that are leaderless. I think the points made could be applied to many other movements. Ultimately I don’t see BLM lasting long term for the very reasons that are pointed out in the article – at least not in a long term way. It’s the same reason that Occupy Wall Street died out. Without leadership, political movements become lost and all over the place – no guiding principle, no one to reign in people, nothing to keep extreme people from wearing the label of the group.
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So what about the position paper? Do you think it provides sufficient direction for the group?
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I don’t think a position paper can offer sufficient direction for any group. Without someone leading the charge, it’s just a paper. Someone has to take a leadership role. Look at the report that was done for the RNC. No one took a leadership role in ensuring that the recommendations were carried out. Great report, worthless in the long run though.
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