- Position‹2 of 2
No, the #BLM Protests will not create lasting change
This position holds that the Black Lives Matter protests will not bring lasting change. It argues that, like many movements before, the systemic racism it targets will outlast the protests — partisanship blocking legislation, a backlash inevitable, and the political will lacking.
Supporting arguments · 4
- A backlash to the movement is inevitable“There will be a backlash to these actions. ... That backlash may come at the ballot box, or it may come in some other indirect form. Some people aren’t interested in direct confrontation in the streets. They may simply prefer to express their opposition in a way that these protesters expect it least — businesses moving out, reluctance to hire, reluctance to visit a neighborhood, effectively abandoning a community.” — Jim Geraghty, National Review
- Systemic racism is a constantly moving target“The United States has the remarkable ability to reconstitute old oppressions from the ashes of social movements.” — Tressie McMillan Cottom, Politico
- Partisanship may prevent any major legislative changes“Admitting there’s a problem with policing and racism in America seems to have bridged the partisan gap that, well, there is a problem. But creating policy solutions will be harder, and like in so many other instances where there is broad bipartisan support for action (immigration, guns), it may be a partisan divide that prevents anything from changing.” — Amber Phillips, Washington Post
- Democrats haven’t shown the ambition needed to tackle the scale of the problem“Already Democrats are at odds with activists and even popular opinion over how to address police brutality.” — Alexander Sammon, American Prospect