Even before the recent racially-charged violence in Louisiana, Minnesota and Dallas, there was an undercurrent of “either-or” thinking in the United States. Whether we’re talking about partisanship, foreign policy or race, the George W. Bush-style thinking of “you’re either with us or you’re with the terrorists” seems to be on the rise. Binary brains are all the rage.
Support for Black Lives Matter does not equal support for killing police officers, obviously. Maybe the terrible events in Dallas (and Louisiana and Minnesota), will allow people to see that they don’t have to stay on one side of an imaginary divide. Yes, you can support police and despise police brutality, just like you can support racial justice and encourage community policing. (I’m told there are even— gasp— police officers of color!)
It’s not all about easily-defined boxes as some people and the media tend to depict— it’s not just black and white and people of color versus cops. There is plenty of awfulness to go around but (I’m hoping) even more good. Let’s chalk up this cartoon as a little hopefulness amidst the tragedies.
Mark FIore is a regular contributor to The Progressive. You can find out more about him at patreon.com/markfiore.