America’s biggest retail store Walmart came under the fire this week for stocking a number of T-shirts that displayed the ignorant, racially charged slogan “All Lives Matter”.
For anyone oppressed on the basis of race, identifying a legitimate ally can be difficult. But spotting an adversary is much easier – they’re probably proudly brandishing the slogan “all lives matter.”
Until this Monday, US retailer Walmart was sanctioning this reprehensible rhetoric by selling T-shirts bearing the slogan. The shirts are produced by apparel company Old Glory, which has seemingly produced a shirt to match any potential minority identification.
Along with the “All Lives Matter” design, Walmart were flogging “Blue Lives Matter”, “Irish Lives Matter”, “Homeless Lives Matter”, “Police Lives Matter” and “Drunk Lives Matter” T-shirts. This led to a shower of backlash, with one Twitter user asking “Why make it easier for the racists to get their clothing?”
Walmart responded to the criticism, though as far as false apologies go, this one ranks pretty high. “We fundamentally do believe that all lives do matter and every individual deserves respect,” the company said in a statement. It’s hard to tell whether they’ve spent zero time researching why the slogan “all live matter” is offensive, or they’re treading carefully so as to not lose the business of white supremacists.
The statement goes on: “However, as we listened, we came to understand that the way some, but not all, people are using the phrase ‘All Lives Matter’ in the current environment intentionally minimised the focus on the painful reality of racial inequity.”
The shirts can no longer be found on the Walmart web store. The company is, however, still selling Old Glory’s “Black Lives Matter” T-shirts. And they’ve apparently deemed the pro-police “Blue Lives Matter” slogan acceptable too, as these remain in stock.
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