I see the TBL symbol and TBL version of the US flag more and more: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thin_Blue_Line_(emblem)
Someone posted in my local Invincible affiliated FB group as their "racist neighbor" hung it up. A lot of people pushed back saying it was just in support of LO but after the latest EO's on LO, I'm not sure the meaning of these symbols isn't changing and becoming anti-BLM, anti-POC.
I'm questioning if my growing unease with it is a valid concern of if I'm overthinking things. Google has led me nowhere of value.
Post by PatBenatar on Feb 10, 2017 12:20:20 GMT -5
I assume it's anti BLM/POC just like the phrase "Blue Lives Matter". My parents neighbors had one with all their Trump flags and Hillary for prison signs.
I have always seen it as an anti-BLM symbol. The people who display it often seem to be the ones who criticize and speak negatively about BLM. I live in Philadelphia and that thin blue line symbol seems to go hand in hand with racists.
I know there is a way to support LO as well as BLM but I feel like some people find support for BLM to be anti-LO, which isn't exactly true. The lines are becoming blurred and they are using the thin blue line as a "blue lives matter" statement.
Technically, no, but un-technically I would say it is.
What's been pissing me off in my area is all the signs that say "We support [township] police". Like, yeah so do I, but why are you choosing to suddenly display that sign??
Okay, I'm keeping an eye on it. I think there may be places where it is really anti-BLM/POC and places where it is still simply pro-LO.
I supported the poster last night basically saying I got the original meaning but, as happens, symbols change and take on new meanings over time (see Pepe the frog) so this could be in transition.
The TBL stuff makes me cringe as much as a Trump sign (travelled to the red part of my state last weekend and passed a few very obnoxious Trump signs).
Post by claudiajean on Feb 10, 2017 12:34:47 GMT -5
I don't think it is becoming that way; I think it has always been that way. On face value, it's a statement I agree with. But it is always, that I've seen, used in a way to combat the phrase "black lives matter." It's similar to "All Lives Matter."
It really bugs me, because yes, blue lives matter. But we don't need a statement saying that because society has always reinforced that their lives matter. Whenever a cop dies, he is mourned in the press, by the public, etc. I don't argue that shouldn't be the case. So to suddenly have a movement pop up once "black lives matter" started spreading - yes, it is 100% co-opting the phrase and trying to distract from the BLM message.
Post by brandnewday on Feb 10, 2017 12:54:33 GMT -5
I would argue it is. Mostly because this symbol/phrase was directly used in response to BLM. When we celebrated LEOs and fire fighters after 9/11, it wasn't with the blue line.
Additionally, because like All Lives Matter garbage, it isn't relevant unless a situation involves black people. See the white men who shot and killed 6 cops in the fall. I didn't see one Blue Lives Matter post or a blue line in my FB at all. It is a phrase in response to a movement.
Well I used to think the reason for having it as a bumper sticker was so that other cops would not pull them over for speeding and stuff. Now I think it's anti-BLM.
I am just going to have to disagree with every damn person in this thread. 1. Thin blue line has been around forever. Before BLM, before 9/11. If I am not mistaken it goes back to the 60's. First it was a big secret. Only people who were LEOs knew what it meant. There is also a thin red line for fire fighters. Just because a group of the 700k LEOs in this country has used the thin blue line with the all lives matter nonsense, does not mean that all law enforcement agrees with it. It is a symbol of police, a symbol of community. It is something that was around that no one noticed or knew what it meant unless you were part of group.
There are so many black officers who believe in BLM and have the thin blue line somewhere in their life.
I will never understand why people are in such an uproar if a negative characteristic is attributed to any group, but it is ok to do so with law enforcement.
I think so. I drive through a neighborhood where lots of people have signs out that say "We support our police". Fine sentiment and all, but the underlying message is a BLM protest, IMO.
"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind.”
Andwhat I've known about the TBL forever. My dad and a bunch of family members are LO. I hadn't seen a symbol of it until recent years. Doesn't mean it didn't exist, I just wasn't aware of it. Then it appeared on my radar around the same time as BLM and seemed to be a response to it.
So I get the original purpose of TBL but I also think that, like the symbol itself, is shifting.
But I also could be 100% wrong here. Time will tell.
I've seen it on cars for years and never knew what it was. But I agree that, in that context, that person is displaying it to mean they think the opposite of BLM is to be super pro-LEO. I think it is a symbol that is being purposefully morphed into something divisive, and usually not because they are super rah-rah police but because they are super rah-rah 45.
It's kind of what happened with the Don't Tread on Me flag. It used to represent the American fight for independence but now it's a symbol of Tea Partiers/gun nuts.
I'm neither a person of color nor a police officer, so I'm sure I'm not qualified to answer this.
I'm under the impression that it's something that certain people/groups have misappropriated along the way to fit their own agenda ... that willingly and voluntarily putting on a blue uniform (which you can take off at the end of the day, and quit if you'd like* ... and this is assuming that you're white, which of course is not the case with all LEOs) is *exactly* the same as being a person of color.
Post by eponinepontmercy on Feb 10, 2017 13:15:46 GMT -5
::waves to OscarQ:: I'm in the group, too (and responded to the post, actually). I mostly see that flag in profile pictures of people who call the BLM movement racist.
The blue line used to be what you put up to show that your heart went out to police officers who had been killed in the line of duty. I have only seen people in recent years abuse it as a stand against #BLM.
It makes me sad that it is being appropriated into something negative, because I support my police and I believe black lives matter, and I want to be able to support both without the other thinking I have chosen one side over another.
I am just going to have to disagree with every damn person in this thread. 1. Thin blue line has been around forever. Before BLM, before 9/11. If I am not mistaken it goes back to the 60's. First it was a big secret. Only people who were LEOs knew what it meant. There is also a thin red line for fire fighters. Just because a group of the 700k LEOs in this country has used the thin blue line with the all lives matter nonsense, does not mean that all law enforcement agrees with it. It is a symbol of police, a symbol of community. It is something that was around that no one noticed or knew what it meant unless you were part of group.
There are so many black officers who believe in BLM and have the thin blue line somewhere in their life.
I will never understand why people are in such an uproar if a negative characteristic is attributed to any group, but it is ok to do so with law enforcement.
Yes, there is a history behind using "thin blue line". However, the connotation has changed for the symbol.
Just like this has changed from representing the first 13 colonies:
And this has changed from the battle flag of a handful of Confederate army units:
This symbol is absolutely changing to one of discrimination:
Well I am going to disagree that the thin blue line is now the confederate flag or Nazi symbol. But I am not going to change anyone's opinion. So I guess when you see a black officer with a thin blue line sticker on their car, you can just assume they hate all black people.
I don't know. I've seen the thin blue line used for the last 15+ years mostly in the context of recognizing fallen officers. During the last year however, it seems to be used more and more to signify solidarity with LEO.