Black Lives Matter Are Not The Same As Nazis

I've seen a lot of people defend Trump or at least his tone deaf response by trying to change the subject to Black Lives Matter.

Once again, it's fascinating to watch the Fox News Hivemind at work.

The basic idea of BLM is that police shouldn't kill black people for no reason.  They have - as their main argument - the increasing number of videos of police pretty much shooting black people for no reason.  BLM is less an organization than a movement, and so there are a variety of voices and perspectives in that movement, some of whom might argue for more radical solutions.  But overall, BLM has been very, very consistent in speaking out against violence by BOTH demonstrators and police.  After the Dallas shootings, both BLM and Obama condemned - immediately and in very firm language - anyone who would use political violence.

And yet...

I see it on Twitter.  I see it on Facebook.  The real villain here is not Trump's open flirtation with the Stormfront crowd.  It's not his long history of racist statements or his family history with the Klan.  It's not the actual words of the Nazis who say Trump is their patron saint.

No, the problem in Charlottesville was caused by Barack Obama and BLM.  When Obama said that if he had a son, he might look like Trayvon Martin, Obama was stoking the flames of racial hatred.  When he said Eric Garner or Tamir Rice or Sandra Bland or Philando Castile didn't deserve to die, he was inciting a race war.

Think about the layer of rationalization going on here.

Explicit is the idea that black people marching so that police won't kill them for no reason are a threat.  Simply by taking to the streets, they pose a threat to public order.

"Those black people won't stay in their place."  That's it.  That's the subtext and the text all in one.

Because marching black people are a threat to millions of people tapped into the Fox News Hivemind, then Nazis - who embrace a violent ideology by definition - are the same.  This allows you to condemn the Nazis - Good for you, you little trooper! - while simultaneously equating black people assembling for a redress of grievances as an equal threat.

In other words, you aren't a Klansmen, but it wouldn't surprise me if there are a fair amount of "I'm not a racist, BUT..." statements in your past.

I am adamant that protesters should train to remain nonviolent.  I just posted my problem with antifas, but that it mostly tactical.  I have nothing but contempt for the Black Bloc.  When BLM becomes violent - which happens on occasion - they should be held to account in a court of law.  Those are the rules.  And I would guess that when that happens many are arrested.

However, there were few arrests in Charlottesville because the Klansmen came armed to the teeth.  Police literally couldn't arrest some lawbreakers because they were so heavily armed.

And BLM is a threat?  Preachers and activists asking not to be killed is the REAL problem?

Yeah, fine, you're not a Klansman, but there are sheets in your closet that maybe you think you don't need anymore.  You're not a Nazi, but damn, Hitler sure made the trains run on time.