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Walmart to Stop Selling 'All Lives Matter' Items on Website

  

Category:  News & Politics

Via:  john-russell  •  4 years ago  •  53 comments

By:   Rob Lenihan (TheStreet)

Walmart to Stop Selling 'All Lives Matter' Items on Website
The slogan "All Lives Matter" has come to be associated with criticism of the Black Lives Matter movement.

S E E D E D   C O N T E N T



Walmart will stop selling "All Lives Matter" items on its website, saying the phrase has minimized the focus on racial inequity.

Author: Rob Lenihan Publish date: Jun 30, 2020 9:51 AM EDT

Walmart WMT said it would stop selling "All Lives Matter" merchandise on its website on concern that the phrase has been used to "minimize the focus on the painful reality of racial inequity."

The Bentonville, Ark., company said it was "indefinitely" removing the items, which are sold by third-party sellers after hearing from some employees and customers who were concerned about the meaning behind the merchandise.

The slogan "All Lives Matter" has come to be associated with criticism of the Black Lives Matter movement.

"We fundamentally believe all lives do matter and every individual deserves respect,'' Walmart said in a statement.

"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 minimized the focus on the painful reality of racial inequity."

Walmart recently said it would no longer display the Mississippi state flag, which features a Confederate emblem, in its stores. This weekend, Mississippi state legislators voted to remove the symbol.

Earlier this month, Doug McMillon, Walmart's president and chief executive, said in a statement to company employees that the retailer's goal was "to help replace the structures of systemic racism, and build in their place frameworks of equity and justice that solidify our commitment to the belief that, without question, Black Lives Matter."

In addition, Walmart said it would end to its practice of locking up personal-care products geared toward black people in display cases in some of its stores.

The changes come amid the unrest following the death of George Floyd, who was killed in Minneapolis while being arrested. Four officers were fired and charged in connection with Floyd's death, which sparked demonstrations all over the country.

Black Lives Matter was founded in 2013 in the response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. The group made national headlines in 2014 following the police killings of Mike Brown and Eric Garner.


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JohnRussell
Professor Principal
1  seeder  JohnRussell    4 years ago

This will cause some heads to explode. 

 
 
 
Sparty On
Professor Principal
1.1  Sparty On  replied to  JohnRussell @1    4 years ago

As it should.  

It's an asinine sentiment but what the hell.   It fits right in with the latest trends in PC overreaction.   That said they are free to make that choice.   It's their business to do so..  

They could stop selling bacon because it offends Muslim for all i care.   I never liked that shithole in the first place.

I shop local whenever possible.

 
 
 
JohnRussell
Professor Principal
1.1.1  seeder  JohnRussell  replied to  Sparty On @1.1    4 years ago

"All Lives Matter" needed to be first.  As a reaction to "black lives matter" , it just sounds like sour grapes and an attempt to water down BLM. 

And "all lives matter" should be a given anyway, and not necessary to specifically express. Unless you are "complaining" about BLM.

 
 
 
Sparty On
Professor Principal
1.1.2  Sparty On  replied to  JohnRussell @1.1.1    4 years ago

Don't really disagree with much of that but to me its damn petty to stop selling one to appease the other but like i said.  

It's their business and they are free to make that choice.

 
 
 
JohnRussell
Professor Principal
1.1.4  seeder  JohnRussell  replied to    4 years ago
I want my white half to have some value 

when has being white been devalued in the united states? 

 
 
 
JohnRussell
Professor Principal
1.1.7  seeder  JohnRussell  replied to    4 years ago

you need a better perspective. 

 
 
 
JohnRussell
Professor Principal
1.1.8  seeder  JohnRussell  replied to    4 years ago

I am white, it doesnt bother me at all , and I am happy to be white.  But I have lived long enough to know that white people, as a group, have no complaints about how America treats them. White grievance is just silly.  While "all lives matter" is certainly true, there is no need for the phrase, and it HAS BEEN used to try and devalue the phrase "black lives matter." 

 
 
 
Just Jim NC TttH
Professor Principal
1.1.9  Just Jim NC TttH  replied to  JohnRussell @1.1.7    4 years ago
you need a better perspective.

No you do......................

512

 
 
 
JohnRussell
Professor Principal
1.1.10  seeder  JohnRussell  replied to  Just Jim NC TttH @1.1.9    4 years ago

Boo hoo, you are so oppressed. 

 
 
 
Sparty On
Professor Principal
1.1.12  Sparty On  replied to    4 years ago

Your perspective on this topic is ...... refreshing.

 
 
 
Drakkonis
Professor Guide
1.1.14  Drakkonis  replied to  JohnRussell @1.1.10    4 years ago
Boo hoo, you are so oppressed. 

This is an example of why so many of us do not take you seriously. The illustration by Just Jim is a perfect example of what's wrong with the conversation about race, yet you dismiss it with ridicule. Whites are constantly judged because of our skin color. Can you honestly claim to be against racism yet make statements like this that says racism against whites is a non-issue? What you indicate here is that you are not against racism itself, just against racism applied to anyone not white. 

For your information, the level of oppression Just Jim may feel is not really relevant. What's relevant is that it's racism. Something you claim to be against. Apparently you're not. But, hey, we're used to this from you. You seldom present the truth. Usually, you only present a narrative you want the rest of us to swallow. 

 
 
 
Dismayed Patriot
Professor Quiet
1.1.15  Dismayed Patriot  replied to  Drakkonis @1.1.14    4 years ago
"Whites are constantly judged because of our skin color."

Yes, but almost always in a positive light. They are rarely assumed to be a shoplifter. They are given loans which average 3% lower interest rates than black Americans. They are nearly 3 times less likely to be arrested or even stopped and searched by police. They are likely to serve 20% shorter prison sentences for the exact same crimes as black Americans. They are more likely to be hired when applying for a job. Whites also earn 25% more and are more likely to get raises and promotions.

What John was rightly pointing out is that there aren't a lot of racial statistics showing whites actually being "oppressed". The cartoon simply claims the white person is "being judged" for being white, which is likely true, that white kids been judged worthy of systemic privilege all his life even if he grew up in a poor white family. He will never have to overcome the inequity of his black neighbors. His parents never sat him down to have "the talk" about how to react when confronted by law enforcement and how to remain calm even if being falsely accused or arrested for no apparent reason. White parents don't have those talks with their kids because they know when they walk out the door they will be judged as white people which tends to work out in the white persons favor. American society, for the most part, treats white people fairly since it was originally founded to protect white people. It was only later that white Americans begrudgingly allowed other races the same rights and access to the benefits of American society and we're still dealing with the systemic vestiges of racial inequality.

Now when some whites are judges harshly or accused of being a white supremacists or racist it's rarely because of their white skin but almost always the easily identifiable symbols of hate they gravitate to. The confederate wife beater T-shirts, the swastikas, the "I'd Rather be a Russian than a Democrat shirts, the "I'm a deplorable shirts" or the divisive "MAGA" hats which just represents Trump hate towards minority and immigrant Americans. If you're sporting racist gear, you will be judged as a racist.

The "All Lives Matter" shirt is a racist shirt because it seeks to downplay and/or ignore the racial inequity in the justice system. If you had a group of parents who had their children kidnapped and sold as sex slaves who put out shirts that said "Children's Lives Matter!" but then you had another group put out a counter shirt that said "Adult Lives matter!" do you think those parents don't believe adult lives matter? Did we really have to point that out? The only reason to do so would be to deflect from child abductions, perhaps those putting out the "Adult Lives Matter" shirts are the ones behind the child abductions, why else would they seek to undermine such an important message?

 
 
 
Drakkonis
Professor Guide
1.1.17  Drakkonis  replied to  Dismayed Patriot @1.1.15    4 years ago
Yes, but almost always in a positive light.

I can't help but read this with incredulity. One does not have to sit through very many news cycles to see that the very fact of my whiteness is the basis of societies troubles, according to left leaning sources. One can easily google endless commentary concerning what is wrong with white people. It's not hard to find information about spaces created to exclude white people due to the stress we apparently we cause others. It isn't hard to find sources that claim white voices do not matter concerning the issue. 

They are rarely assumed to be a shoplifter.

I don't know where you live but this is absolutely not true where I live. I can stand near the door of my local supermarket and watch white person after white person walk out the door with stuff they haven't paid for. Hand baskets and shopping carts. This isn't an exaggeration. Considering how little time I spend in supermarkets, it's simply astounding to me how often I see it happen. And every last one I've seen has been white. I've never seen a black person shoplift. Ever. 

They are given loans which average 3% lower interest rates than black Americans.

Which, by itself, is a meaningless statistic. For it to mean anything, one has to demonstrate this difference is due to racist policy. According to the first article that came up when I googled why blacks pay more, say for mortgages for instance, the Atlantic says it's because a) higher cost lenders go after that market more aggressively and b) black people tend not to shop around for better deals but, rather, go with whoever reaches them first. It may be that because they are black they have no expectation of a better deal so do not seek one. I'm sure there are other factors as well. 

They are nearly 3 times less likely to be arrested or even stopped and searched by police. They are likely to serve 20% shorter prison sentences for the exact same crimes as black Americans.

These, in my opinion, are unfair and probably have a lot of racism in them. However, I think the entertainment industry, which, ironically, is a bastion of the left, has much of the blame for this because they so often portray black people as vicious and ruthless gang members, as if that is all blacks to. When anyone, including other blacks, see black people who look like the thugs portrayed in the movies, they can't help but wonder if they are in fact, thugs. But that's true of whites, latinos or anyone else who looks like the movie version of a thug. Especially when movies glorify them so much. 

In any case, I agree that there are problems that need to be fixed. However, none of this actually addresses the point. That these things are not an excuse to excuse racism, even against whites. Racism against whites doesn't need to cross some vague, undefined, or even defined, threshold before we can say " okay, now it's wrong ". I don't really understand why this even has to be argued over, unless your view is that the only racism that matters is racism against blacks. If that's your view, then I have to ask, why the hell should I care, then? Why should I endure racism in order to fix someone else's? If someone has their leg stuck under a rock, why should I replace his leg with mine? No thanks. I prefer that neither of us has a leg stuck under a rock. 

 
 
 
Greg Jones
Professor Participates
1.2  Greg Jones  replied to  JohnRussell @1    4 years ago

But the reality remains......all lives matter, especially blue ones.

The myth of racial inequality continues on.

 
 
 
Dismayed Patriot
Professor Quiet
1.2.1  Dismayed Patriot  replied to  Greg Jones @1.2    4 years ago
The myth of racial inequality continues on

People who are calling verifiable facts and statistics "myths" are the ones making sure the inequity continues on. I see no reason why someone would be in such denial over the facts other than perhaps a deep seated ingrained indoctrinated prejudice or belief they are somehow superior to people of other skin colors and thus believe the inequity is justified.

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
3  Buzz of the Orient    4 years ago

In platform, Black Lives Matter accuses Israel of ‘genocide,’ backs BDS

Ahead of elections, umbrella group releases document labeling Jewish state an ‘apartheid state,’ calls for stopping US support

Amazing, isn't it, that after Jews provided so much support to the blacks during the civil rights movement, that they would turn around and slap the face of the Jews.  Seems they prefer to support the quest of terrorists to destroy Israel.   When BLM drops BDS (Boycott, Divest and Sanction Israel) AND MINDS ITS OWN BUSINESS I would support that movement, but at this point I and others who support Israel have no love for them.   

 
 
 
Greg Jones
Professor Participates
3.1  Greg Jones  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @3    4 years ago

Wow Buzz, you're finally catching on!

 
 
 
Sparty On
Professor Principal
3.1.1  Sparty On  replied to  Greg Jones @3.1    4 years ago

Only when it suites his preferred narrative.

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
3.1.2  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  Sparty On @3.1.1    4 years ago

I am not bound by your individual political party "narratives" (for example the O'Donnell Republican playbook), and my "narrative" encompases BOTH liberal and conservative causes.  In other words, no political party or "president" does my thinking or dictates my preferences for me. 

 
 
 
Sparty On
Professor Principal
3.1.3  Sparty On  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @3.1.2    4 years ago

Your error is thinking that others here are bound by such constraints either.

Don't believe everything   [removed]   you to see here or from most western mass media sources.

That would be a huge mistake.

 
 
 
Dismayed Patriot
Professor Quiet
3.2  Dismayed Patriot  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @3    4 years ago

I not going to defend either BDS or what appears to some as apartheid in Israel, but I know the headline of the article is a bit misleading as noted in the article itself.

"The platform was released by The Movement for Black Lives, an umbrella group of more than 50 organizations, including the Black Lives Matter Network, the Black Liberation Collective, and the Center for Constitutional Rights, which often promotes the Palestinian cause."

"Following the Republican and Democratic national conventions, groups associated with the Black Lives Matter movement released a platform Monday"

So it wasn't really BLM who put this out, it was an "umbrella group" with more than 50 different organizations. I'm not sure if the umbrella has a right to speak for all its members, but either way the headline is a bit misleading.

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
3.2.1  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  Dismayed Patriot @3.2    4 years ago

If you can show me where the REAL BLM has disowned that identification, I can be convinced to change my mind.  Unlike many I've seen on this site, my brain has not turned to concrete. 

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
3.2.2  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @3.2.1    4 years ago

Waiting...........jrSmiley_32_smiley_image.gif

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
3.2.3  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @3.2.2    4 years ago

Still no evidence that BLM has disowned BDS, so obvioiusly I am right - they still endorse BDS, and that is why I refuse to endorse BLM.  I agree with the cause of the Black people, but I despise BLM as an organization. 

 
 
 
charger 383
Professor Silent
4  charger 383    4 years ago

       " The slogan "All Lives Matter" has come to be associated with criticism of the Black Lives Matter movement."

Is black lives matter exempt from criticism? 

 
 
 
Sparty On
Professor Principal
4.1  Sparty On  replied to  charger 383 @4    4 years ago

I've always felt that ALM is inclusive of BLM but i guess because it doesn't give  BLM "singular" top billing ..... it is bad.

 
 
 
Drakkonis
Professor Guide
5  Drakkonis    4 years ago
The slogan "All Lives Matter" has come to be associated with criticism of the Black Lives Matter movement.

As it should, in my opinion. The issue is supposed to be excessive force needlessly used by police that results in the death of suspects. But BLM wants it to be only about black people. Black people aren't the only people needlessly killed by excessive police force. What about the rest of the people who are  not black? They do not matter? It's only a problem if the deceased are black? 

According to the Washington Post database the number of unarmed people shot and killed by police in 2019 breaks down like this:

  • White 25
  • Black 19
  • Asian 4
  • Hispanic 11
  • Native American 1

That, of course, doesn't include deaths like Floyd, where he wasn't shot. But I know for a fact that people of other races die the same way at police hands. One just a few years ago right here where I live. 

Apparently though, the beef is that a "disproportionate" number of deaths are in the black community. That seems like a stupid argument to me. Like, they'd be perfectly okay with it if only the number of unnecessary black deaths at police hands was proportionate? I guess we can fix that one of two ways, have the police unnecessarily kill less unarmed black people or more unarmed white people. Would BLM be happy with killing more unarmed white people until things were "proportional"?  Does that actually make any sense to anyone? 

People of all races are needlessly being killed unnecessarily by excessive police force, lack of adequate procedure or just plain stupidity. And more than likely, in some cases, racism. But trying to make this a black issue is just giving the middle finger to the other races experiencing the same problems. That's why All Lives Matter is a much better slogan and a hell of a lot less divisive.  

As a side note, I am not against the Police. The vast majority of them are good, decent people doing the the best they can and do a good job. I am most definitely not in the "Defund the police!" camp.

 
 
 
Dismayed Patriot
Professor Quiet
5.1  Dismayed Patriot  replied to  Drakkonis @5    4 years ago
The issue is supposed to be excessive force needlessly used by police that results in the death of suspects.

Nope. Apparently you've missed the point. The excessive force needlessly used by police that results in the death of suspects is merely a symptom of the larger problem of inequity.

The issue is systemic racism which includes racial profiling which leads to black Americans being stopped and searched 3 times more often (even though they make up just 14% of the population) even though they use and deal drugs at the same rate as white Americans. Even though blacks and whites use and deal drugs at the same rate, black Americans are 2.7 times more likely to be arrested. It also leads to black Americans serving nearly 20% longer sentences for the same exact crimes than white convicts.

Black male offenders were 21.2 percent less likely than White male offenders to receive a non-government sponsored release or sentence reduction.

And here's the real kicker that often escalates to your claim of what the "issue" is, when police initiated an interaction, they were twice as likely to threaten or use force against Black and Hispanic residents than white residents.

The facts show that there is in fact systemic racism no matter how much some want to hide their heads in the sand. If we don't address it as a whole it will simply continue to fester and flare up as it has in recent weeks.

 
 
 
Drakkonis
Professor Guide
5.1.1  Drakkonis  replied to  Dismayed Patriot @5.1    4 years ago
Apparently you've missed the point.

I don't believe I have, within the context of which I was speaking. Police brutality. 

 
 
 
Sparty On
Professor Principal
5.1.2  Sparty On  replied to  Drakkonis @5.1.1    4 years ago

I don't believe you have either but that doesn't sync up well with the current narrative coming from the left so you will get indignant resistance to such thoughts.

Simple as that ...

 
 
 
Just Jim NC TttH
Professor Principal
6  Just Jim NC TttH    4 years ago

Brutality or justified....................

 
 
 
Sparty On
Professor Principal
6.2  Sparty On  replied to  Just Jim NC TttH @6    4 years ago

Boom boom ...... OUT GO THE LIGHTS!

 
 
 
Ronin2
Professor Quiet
7  Ronin2    4 years ago

Assaulting the white police officer twice. Yes he had a hold of her arm. Wasn't hurting her or threatening her. Looks and sounds like he was trying to deescalate the situation.  He showed far more patience getting hit in the face twice than most would.

When the African American officer entered the situation and she got into his face and resisted, he hit her. Or should he have used an approved take down her? That would have hurt her far more given her size (putting it politely).

I guess 3 strikes and she was out.

Seems people forget the police are not robots, monsters, or computers. They are people as well. Push them far enough and they will snap. They have been pushed to the extreme with the protests, riots, looting, arson, and killings. But keep pushing I am sure there are a few more out there that are about ready to snap given all of the extra shifts and vacation time they are missing out on, that might be capable of far worse.

Or we could all just follow the left's grand plan and let it all burn.

 

 
 
 
Sparty On
Professor Principal
7.1  Sparty On  replied to  Ronin2 @7    4 years ago

Now ask yourself this.   Had she been black, how would the reaction have been different and why.

If she was black the left would be going ape-shit over it.   Especially if the officer that hit her happened to be white.   Which just illustrates the clear bias and hypocrisy at work on this topic.

 
 
 
Paula Bartholomew
Professor Participates
8  Paula Bartholomew    4 years ago

Maybe it should just be...MY LIFE MATTERS.  

 
 
 
Sparty On
Professor Principal
8.1  Sparty On  replied to  Paula Bartholomew @8    4 years ago

Uh ... that's the same as ALM is it not?

 
 
 
Paula Bartholomew
Professor Participates
8.1.1  Paula Bartholomew  replied to  Sparty On @8.1    4 years ago

People complain about BLM and ALM so why not just take to a new personal level.

 
 
 
Sparty On
Professor Principal
8.1.2  Sparty On  replied to  Paula Bartholomew @8.1.1    4 years ago

Honestly i don't have a problem with any of them but i do have a problem with people that do.  

Accepting BLM, but not ALM, is asinine in my book and just expands the type of racial stereotyping that BLM is trying to clean up.   My bet, MLM would meet the same fate as ALM since it is basically saying the same thing as ALM and not SPECIFICALLY  naming BLM.

 
 
 
charger 383
Professor Silent
8.2  charger 383  replied to  Paula Bartholomew @8    4 years ago

I like that

 
 

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