Letter to the editor: Black Lives Matter vs. all lives matter

With humility I will explain the difference between Black Lives Matter and “all lives matter” as I understand it. It goes without saying that “all lives matter.” Black lives, Mexican lives, white lives and of course police lives all matter. BLM does not deny this or minimize the value of any person or group.

Here is why people sound naïve and a little foolish when they retort to “Black Lives Matter” with “all lives matter.” Let’s say your house is on fire and you call the fire department. The firefighters arrive and they go to the house across the street. You would hastily redirect them to your home, would you not? Suppose the fireman says “all homes matter” … get it?

BLM is the red flag exclaiming distress — distress related to a specific set of behaviors victimizing African Americans, which began before America was even a country.

Nobody needs a reminder that my Italian life matters. There have not been behaviors and attitudes systemically targeting Italians in this country for over 50 years. Also, it is difficult to disseminate the difference between Italians and other nationalities. Because of this, I and most Italians are not being victimized based on any physical features or skin tones. If you are Italian, Irish, German or French, you probably aren’t either.

Having never lived with the “distress,” this explanation is based on my understanding of BLM. With a little empathy, perhaps others may try to understand.

Thomas C. Spallone

Hempfield