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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