Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Are changing demographics the reason BLM has hit the tipping point?


It has been a perfect storm.  People staying home due to Covid-19, tuned into news that they would normally miss -- the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis on May 25th.  Even those who strongly identified with the law and order tribe had a hard time denying what they saw with their own eyes.  

Then the protests started.  TV ratings went up.  So even more people were watching when police forces across the country brutalized the peaceful protesters that were protesting police brutality.  You have to love that.  And what does it say about the police that they are so empowered that they aren't even worried about their crimes being documented on film and shared across the world?

At this point the law and order tribe was suffering from a terrible case of cognitive dissonance.  Who should they believe?  Their Facebook feeds filled with propaganda from their friends, or their own eyes?  Many chose the latter. 

In two weeks (6/11/20 poll) American voters' support for the Black Lives Matter movement increased almost as much as it had in the preceding two years.  Wow.

 
A Monmouth University poll found that 76 percent of Americans consider racism and discrimination a “big problem,” up 26 points from 2015.   I can't remember the last time 76% of Americans agreed on anything.  (Cohen & Quealy, 2020)

But I guess seeing young girls and old men being slammed to the ground for no reason is pretty compelling.  And then there was Trump tear gassing and pepper spraying peaceful protestors - people just like us -  for a ridiculous photo op.  Is it any wonder that no one wants to be part of that tribe anymore?

But there's more to it than that.  There's the impact of changing demographics.

According to current projections, by the end of 2020, Americans under the age of 18 will be majority non-white.  By 2045, the entire U.S. will be majority minority.  (Mather & Lee, 2020)  109 counties in 22 states are already there.  (Krogstad, 2019)  

The younger you are the less likely you are to be white.  That means that the Gen Z (8-23) and Millennial (24-39) protestors fighting for BLM aren't being altruistic.  They are fighting for their own lives and the lives of their children.  And they identify more with George Floyd than they do with the cop who killed him.  Which is why we have reached the tipping point.  

Black Lives Matter.  They are the future of America. 
Cohn, N. & Quealy, K. (2020, June 10) How Public Opinion Has Moved on Black Lives Matter.  nytimes.com.  Retrieved June 17, 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/06/10/upshot/black-lives-matter-attitudes.html

Mather, M. & Lee, A. (2020, February 10)  Children Are at the Forefront of U.S. Racial and Ethnic Change. prb.org.  Retrieved June 17, 2020, from  https://www.prb.org/children-are-at-the-forefront-of-u-s-racial-and-ethnic-change/

Krogstad, J. (2019, August 21)  Reflecting a demographic shift, 109 U.S. counties have become majority nonwhite since 2000.  pewresearch.org.  Retrieved June 17, 2020, from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/08/21/u-s-counties-majority-nonwhite/

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