Examining the slogans for the thoughts behind them

By Donald H. Harrison

SAN DIEGO — So much time, so much passion, and so much heat is wasted arguing about labels, while what is needed is to understand the urgent feelings and dreams behind the labels.

Let’s start with the obvious: “Black Lives Matter.”

Why does this expression cause anyone offense?

Well, suppose we look at the negative of this expression. Is there anyone who would say “Black Lives Don’t Matter?”

Yes, indeed, there are people who believe that to non-Black people, Black lives don’t matter. And as a corollary, there are some people who passionately believe that those of us who are not-Black need to be reminded again, and if necessary, again and again, that Black lives Do matter.

So, we can understand the phrase “Black Lives Matter” as a cry of pain, a cry of protest, to White people and other non-Black people in our society that Black people want the recognition and respect due to everyone of our fellow human beings.

Jewish tradition teaches us that we ALL are made in God’s image. All of us. Taken in that context, we can agree 100 percent that “Black Lives Matter.” There really is nothing to debate here. “Black Lives Matter” is a truism.

However, some people feel compelled to respond with another truism: “All Lives Matter.”

Of course, that is also true, but that’s besides the point.

Why do people become upset when other people respond “All Lives Matter”? In my opinion, it is because those who want you to understand the pain of oppression, discrimination, and the feeling of being forced into second-class status, believe that the saying, “All Lives Matter” is dismissive. It makes light of the message behind “Black Lives Matter.” It’s like friends trying to share their deepest pain with you, only to hear you respond, “Yes, so, what else is new?”

Why do some people respond “All Lives Matter?” I can’t answer for all, but I believe that some who give such a rejoinder are trying to say, “Yes, Black Lives Matter but so do the lives of people of other races, religions, cultures, nationalities. We all matter! Please, as you put your concerns forward, don’t negate our concerns. We too are human beings with needs, desires, frustrations, disappointments. We can empathize with you, but try also to empathize with us.”

I know this to be true because I am the editor of this Jewish newspaper. I know that there are people in our community who have felt the sting of anti-Semitism, not only from White people but also from Black people, and who therefore feel defensive about “Black Lives Matter” if for some in the movement that slogan is a banner for the kind of anti-Semitism that we saw in the rioting in Los Angeles following the unjustified killing by Minneapolis police of George Floyd on May 25.

I also know that many, many people in our Jewish community–in far greater proportion than our tiny percentage in the American population — agree that our country needs to do much more to attain racial justice, to redress wrongs, and to try to promote the unity of love among all of us who are God’s children, whatever our faith.

Let me turn next to another label: “White privilege.” What does this phrase mean? Is it somehow an attack on all White people? Do we White people, by dint of the color of our skin, automatically deserve to be categorized as “privileged,” which sounds suspiciously like an accusation? Because we were born White, should it automatically be assumed that there is something in our lives about which we should be ashamed?

One might argue that the label is a good example of “turnaround being fair play,” that just by linking an unfair concept to the color of our skins, Black people make an important point. What do you think our society has been doing to Black people for all these centuries since the first Black slaves were brought in chains to America?

However, I don’t think the main intent of the phrase “White Privilege” was meant to so provoke. I think, once again, there are important thoughts and feelings behind the phrase. As I understand “White Privilege,” I convert it in my mind to “White Benefit.”We are benefited when we live in a society that doesn’t prejudge us by our skin color. We are able to make our way through life on our merits.

In yeterday’s column, I told the story of how and why my great-grandfather and grandfather together changed the family name from Harowitz to Harrison, because they felt that the very Jewish-sounding name “Harowitz” would cause them to be prejudged disadvantageously. So following all legal procedures, they became Harrisons. It worked for them and down the line for my father, myself, son, and so on.

All of us had the advantage of “White Benefit.” A stroke of a pen, an oath, and their outward identity was legally changed, while they remained Jews.

However, as I pointed out yesterday, Black people don’t have such an option. They can change their names as often as they like, and they still will be prejudged. Because unlike most Ashkenazi Jews (as opposed to some Sephardi, Mizrachi and Ethiopian Jews), they don’t look White. So, my family benefited from being White.

I try very hard when hearing slogans or labels to understand the true motivations behind them, and not simply to react. I know that in a world that can include advertising, social media, and psychological manipulation, there are people who would like to do our thinking for us. Be they Republicans or Democrats, or some other political party or cause, they would like us to grasp onto their ways, and buy into their world views.

We shouldn’t give up our independence of mind so readily.I believe we should keep in front of us the strong moral foundations — both civic and religious — that seem to us fair and equitable, while placing a premium on the dignity of our fellow human beings!

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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com