The double standard in the way America reacts to the death of black civilians and the death of cops have never been so evident than in the past 48 hours.
Let’s be clear: The deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile are just as tragic and unwarranted as the assassinations of the five officers in Dallas on Thursday night. However, not everyone views them this way.
Though many activists, celebrities and organizations spoke out about all three incidents, there was a deafening silence from some, who are very vocal now, that couldn’t be ignored regarding Sterling and Castile’s death.
Include presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, the National Rifle Association, Joe Walsh and a slew of internet trolls to the list of folks who made a call for action when five officers lost their lives, but turned the other cheek when cops gunned down two black men in incidents that weren’t isolated. Meanwhile, some social media users went so far as calling out Black Lives Matter supporters who didn’t tweet “Blue Lives Matter.”
The double standard didn’t do unnoticed, however. From the killings of the two black men to Second Amendment rights being seemingly null and void for black people ― as seen with Castile and misidentified Dallas shooting suspect Mark Hughes ― some social media users expressed their disdain with the selective activism and the hypocritical nature of those who recognized blue lives while disregarding black lives.
Read some of their thoughts and conversations below.
On how America views black lives:
On America’s silence:
On the right to bear arms:
Before You Go
