"Black Lives Matter" By: Ronald F. White, Ph.D.

In recent months the mass media has replicated the meme "Black Lives Matter" into national prominance. In the United States, it initially went viral in light of televised police brutality against (mostly) black males. Many black leaders observe that sociopolitical reality suggests the "black lives do not matter." Thus the phrase "Black Lives Matter" has become increasingly popular among black activists and replicated by social media outlets. So what can a 69 year old, white, retired philosopher say about "Black Lives Matter?" In order to diagnose any "viral infection" (bodily or mental) we must be able to: 1. Identify the conditions that contributed to the emergence of that virus. 2. Measure it's level of toxicity. (mild/serious/fatal) 3. Measure the rate of contagion within and between various populations (old/young, male/female, black/white/brown). 4. Measure the level of vulnerability of the above populations. Ultimately, government is expected to treat and/or cure viral infections. Philosophically, the above four conditions hinge on a longstanding cluster of philosophical issues that have risen in the context of "personal responsibility" and/or "collective responsibility." In the Western World, responsibility is usually asserted in the context of the "Principle of Justice," or "fairness" in the attribution of praise and/or blame. Humans praise each other for saying/doing good things and blame each other for saying/doing bad things. Thus it unjust to praise others for performing bad acts; and unjust to blame others for performing good acts. Praise and blame are most often relative to specific communities. For consequentialists, the underlying planning function is to encourage individuals and groups to increase individual and collective happiness (or pleasure) and decrease unhappiness (or pain). Planners on the political right emphasize individual responsibility and planners on the political left emphasize collective responsibility. So what can we say about the meme "Black Lives Matter?" As background, we must acknowledge that many "Black Americans" reside in densely populated urban locations, and live in older (often decrepit) housing units and attend under-funded, mismanaged public schools. Understandably, many black students drop out of those violent, substandard high schools. But when they drop out there are very few decent paying jobs available. In these communities, there are also many barriers to good health. There is a dearth of grocery stores that sell healthy food, such as fresh meat, vegetables, and fruit. Consequently, much of the food consumed in those communities is "fast food." Even when there are grocery stores available, many black food buyers choose to eat fast food and/or purchase expensive, unhealthy frozen, pre-packaged food. As a result, a high proportion of the Black Americans are overweight, diabetic, and suffer from periodic hunger. Who is responsible for our individual and collective health? Moreover, many young black males come from single-parent families headed by mothers who work part-time and are often supported by public assistance. Like all humans, young black males (and females) tend to congregate in like-minded groups, or "gangs" that offer social interaction, friendship and job opportunities. The ongoing Drug War has created a lucrative "Black Market," which provides financial incentives to desperate individuals who are willing sell illegal drugs in an unregulated market; where transactions are not monitored and enforced by legal institutions. Monitoring and enforcing voluntary transactions of illegal products and services usually necessitates violence or at least threats of violence. Therefore many (if not most) "drug warriors" and their consumers carry handguns. Like all human organizations, gangs are organized based on hierarchical organizational structures based on leadership and followership. Leaders tend to earn more money than followers, which inspires market-based competition. This sociopolitical reality spawns a wide variety of viruses of the mind, especially the distinction between legal and illegal drugs. Who bears responsibility for the emergence and unabated contagion of this increasingly toxic lifestyle? Black males living in urban areas tend to be especially vulnerable to this toxic lifestyle. What does it mean when you refer to someone as a criminal? Criminality is determined based on the violation of laws. The more laws that are on the books, the more more criminals. Black males are most likely to be investigated, arrested, fined and/or incarcerated for an ever-growing variety of low-level crimes, including: gang activity, minor traffic violations, petty theft, public intoxication etc. Once arrested, few can afford to post bail or pay fines and most are represented in court by over-worked, under-paid public defenders. Once released from jail/prison few "convicted felons" can find a decent job, afford to finish high school, or go to college. This cycle contributes to a high rate of recidivism, and multiple incarcerations within over-crowded jails/prisons that rarely offer rehabilitation, education, or non-criminal job training. Thus, objectively speaking, in the United States the prevailing sociopolitical reality suggests that "Black Lives Do Not Matter." Who is responsible for causing/sustaining this reality? Who do we blame: black leaders/followers, white leaders/followers, black institutions, white institutions? In contrast to the lives of many inner-city black males, the vast majority of policemen, lawyers, and judges are "white males," who were raised in middle class suburban areas. They tend to graduate from well-funded suburban school districts, and attend college or trade schools. Many police forces are unionized, and therefore, white (and black) policemen tend to enjoy lucrative, middle class salaries and benefits. And most are afforded the opportunity to advance their careers by further education and training. Many policemen enjoy both ample time-off for, additional training, sickness, vacations, childbirth and early lucrative retirement etc. Over the years, police forces have become increasingly militarized; armed with state-of-the art weapons and vehicles that are most often found on battle fields. When the police employ these weapons, and kill or wound these alleged criminals, those actions are initially investigated by the police themselves. These investigations are usually shrouded in secrecy...often for years. Unnecessarily violent policemen are rarely held criminally responsible. When they are prosecuted, mostly white judges and juries either exonerate them or downgrade the charges. Punishment is usually limited to paid leave of absence and/or demotion. In short, police forces, obviously, reflect the unspoken mantra that "White Lives Matter." Since the 1960s, leaders of the black community have responded to this body of sociopolitical reality by staging protest marches, where black (and white) protestors carry signs and shout slogans. In response, large numbers of heavily armed (mostly) white policemen are dispatched, and often paid over-time wages to monitor these events and protect persons and property. Occasionally these black protests inspire counter-protests, often by Nazi-like organizations, that spread their own viruses of the mind. Those militant groups are usually heavily armed and more than willing to employ and/or threaten inter-group violence. When complex peace marches do become violent, more police are dispatched and social media cover the event 24 hours a day. To what degree is the social media responsible for transforming non-violent protests into violent acts? Finally, it is important to acknowledge the mantra "Black Lives Matter" is prescriptive; that is to say that, sociopolitical reality indicates that in many urban settings "Black Lives Do Not Matter." But we all agree that "Black Lives Ought to Matter." While it is true that much progress has been made toward equalizing social, political and economic opportunity in the United States, there is still a long way to go. So how might the United States government treat the various viruses of the mind that currently infect black communities and white communities? Does the employment of the term "Viruses of the Mind" elucidate or obfuscate these issues?