From Ryan (in reply to conservative Darrell):
Quotations from BLM leaders are entirely appropriate and do constitute evidence. However, I believe that Dave is looking for support for the following:
“But BLM, the organization, only wants to foster hate and division…The bottom line is that this not about black lives mattering. It is about furthering a Marxist, godless agenda… Thuggish people…espouse violence and have very little to do with denouncing actual racism.”
What you provided does not support your claim that they only want to foster hate and division. What you provided does not support your claim that this is not about black lives mattering. (Here you are, assigning evil motives to people you’ve never met with concerns you largely dismiss. And Dave was not alone in doing this on your blog; some of your fellow conservatives did the same.) What you provided does not support your claim that their agenda is godless, though it might conflict with your particular vision of divinity.
Of course, it would be silly to think that self-professed Marxists among leadership are not trying to convince others to join them or to otherwise push their agenda. But the movement and organization are not known as “Marxism Matters” and most people don’t perceive their goals as primarily anti-capitalist. This means that, despite what some among the leadership desire, many supporters would be content to simply see changes in the ways black people are treated and justice for those who were wrongfully harmed by law enforcement.
As for violence, most of us agree that it has its place, such as in self-defense or noble revolution. Republicans never forget to remind us of this when we discuss gun rights. So the moral concern here isn’t whether or not there’s support for violence, but instead whether or not that violence is justified. We are not talking about just a group of “thugs” who are arbitrarily violent. We are talking about people who believe that they have been targets of unjustified violence themselves for too long, who may believe that peaceful protests and “dialogues” have been largely ineffective in correcting this problem. If you could prove to them that they are wrong, you might find their support for violence fade away. But if they’re right, they just might have a case.
Given how quick Republicans are to declare anything from seatbelt laws to taxes to mask mandates for public health “tyranny,” I’m not sure that they’re the ones to listen to about persecution and justifiable violence…