I'm curious how the CFL selects their initiatives and whether or not the take into account everyone in society or just popular media opinion.
As someone who knows quite a few police officers who have expressed heightened threats, assaults etc linked to the BLM rhetoric, I wonder why the league has chosen to run a BLM section on their website. I find it troubling the league would alienate their fans in this way.
The BLM Cofounders have described themselves as Marxists. While many claim its not a political movement, the ideological framework would suggest otherwise. What's disturbing is that Marxism is on the same level as neo Nazism in terms of its destruction on humanity, yet the league at the very least is warm to this ideology by having a BLM section on their website.
As a fan who spends close to $5000 per year on season tickets along with merchandise, I find the direction the league has gone to be troubling.
...I’m just a prairie bumpkin, but my take is BLM is a force of change that has ignited a period of self-reflection on a massive scale...that’s pretty impressive world, keep it up....BLM won’t be political until they run candidates for office under a BLM platform of some type...until then I think it’s safe to say that corporations can embrace the idea without embracing the ideology...
...the historical analogy I might offer is that of MLK and the Black Panther organization....one could agree with what MLK was saying needed to change and at the same time disagree with the BPs approach to how that change should come about...
“We do have an ideological frame. Myself and Alicia, in particular, are trained organizers; we are trained Marxists. We are superversed on, sort of, ideological theories. And I think what we really try to do is build a movement that could be utilized by many, many Black folks.”
At the same time MLK never called himself a “black panther”. So while I agree with you to a certain extent on racism, the group “Black Lives Matter” was started by self described marxists. I find it repugnant that the league would give a wink and a nod to this specific group.
...I know what they said, it’s alarming for sure and one of the red flags I hold about the org as a whole...but are these lady’s truly in charge? I dunno, maybe they are today the ‘ruling corp’ of the group...I guess I know what my afternoon research project is haha....
...if they’re no longer the driving force of the movement who cares what they say....there’s communists in every city man..
The vast majority of those who've signed on and consider themselves behind the Black Lives Matter movement are doing so because after countless examples of police brutality - against everyone, but especially against people of colour - a significant group of people are saying no more. The movement could also be called Stop Police Brutality.
Is some part of the Black Lives Matter leadership (there really isn't any officially, but certain people have stood up in each city and are unofficial leaders) anti-capitalist? Absolutely. I've been to a few BLM events in person; there was definitely talk about taking down capitalism as it was said to be a system that is specifically designed to take advantage of minorities.
I'm not so much for that - I think capitalism is necessary as long as resources are scarce - but to say that the CFL, other organizations or any individual person should repudiate Black Lives Matter because some people in that movement are anti-capitalist is incredibly disingenuous. Also, what year is this? Do people still worry about Marxism? That stuff is so incredibly, completely dead and buried. Good lord.
I fully support the BLM cause and I suppose enough people at the league do as well to make it a content series. That’s generally how organizations make decisions; the people inside them agree that a thing is worth being said.
Communism isn’t coming back (until we get Star Trek replicators, and then I’m all for it). It’s a non-issue.
Nope what he did say is that he attends BLM rallies and knows they are marxists but that’s okay and that the CFL is aware of this but they also think that its okay.
I would be just as appalled if the CFL backed a group who claimed they were neonazis in their ideology and then went on to say “yeah we only agree with some of what they say” while using their slogans.
I think you're making too extreme a connection between Marxist ideology and autocratic governments.
Marxism at heart is democratic. The league's salary cap is in line with Marxist ideology. The existence of the CFLPA is in line with Marxist ideology. The universial medicare we enjoy in Canada is in line with Marxist ideology. Etc.
One could as easily flip the script and point to the evils and deaths that occurred under capitalism (ex. slavery, colonialism, war, genocide), but of course not all modern capitalists are in favour of such extremes.
But Marxism and Capitalism are economic models. The first is democratic. The second is elitist.
Autocracy and democracy are models of governance. I don't think BLM is working toward autocracy like those of Russia, China, Nazi Germany, etc.
Give the participation of an administrator and mods here, I am presuming that the ban on politics has now been lifted.
So, before chiming in, Beer Guy can you please clarify for me what working definition you employ to describe the differences between Marxism, socialism, and communism? Or do you use the terms interchangeably?
