TO THE EDITOR:
I wholeheartedly agree with Ishmael Bishop. The manipulation of the phrase “Black Lives Matter” exemplified the narrow-mindedness of those who found fault with it and proceeded to treat it as a fill-in-the-blank.
To them, the ideal of equality was thrown out the window as a supposedly higher value was placed on one group. They tried to empathize within the constraints constructed by their own experiences and thus, while interpreting the new information of police brutality and hyper criminalization of young Black males, they imposed their rigid and different standpoints onto a movement that really had nothing to do with them.
Yes, one can sympathize for those who were wrongfully persecuted. Yes, one can desire change of political and social structures in order to confront injustices. Yes, one can voice approval of actions taken by groups who seek to resist and defeat oppression.
However, what one can do is not equivalent to knowing, feeling, living what Black males and their families experience. We are limited, but let’s not be discouraged by our restricted capacities.
Rather, let’s embrace our boundaries by respecting them rather than infringing upon them. At the end of the day, we can shout ourselves hoarse in support, but the only voice that will ring loud and clear will belong to the oppressed. We can stand in solidarity, but we cannot stand in shoes that were not ours to begin with.
Seyoung Oh, ‘18
