Our wild hearts: how deepening our bond with other animals can transform our lives--and save theirs12/14/2023 ![]() ![]() But most of the criticism comes from people who are intent on forcing these false either/or dichotomies and shaming us for not hating the right people. Is there tension and vulnerability in supporting both the police and the activists? Hell, yes. ![]() Not all people were subjected to the psychological process of demonizing and being made less than human so we could justify the inhumane practice of slavery. All lives matter, but not all lives need to be pulled back into moral inclusion. I believe Black Lives Matter is a movement to rehumanize black citizens in the hearts of those of us who have consciously or unconsciously bought into the insidious, rampant, and ongoing devaluation of black lives. We can’t undo that level of dehumanizing in one or two generations. And whether we directly participated in that or were simply a member of a culture that at one time normalized that behavior, it shaped us. In order for slavery to work, in order for us to buy, sell, beat, and trade people like animals, Americans had to completely dehumanize slaves. Because the humanity wasn’t stripped from all lives the way it was stripped from the lives of black citizens. But then, if it’s the case that we can care about citizens and the police, shouldn’t the rallying cry just be All Lives Matter? No. And when we care, we should all want just systems that reflect the honor and dignity of the people who serve in those systems. I do almost all of my pro bono work with the military and public servants like the police-I care. I have relatives who are police officers-I can’t tell you how deeply I care about their safety and well-being. Can you care about the well-being of police officers and at the same time be concerned about abuses of power and systemic racism in law enforcement and the criminal justice system? Yes. Can you believe that black lives matter and also care deeply about the well-being of police officers? Of course. “An important example is the debate around Black Lives Matter, Blue Lives Matter, and All Lives Matter. ![]()
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