Do you like feeling ignored? Dismissed? Like your opinion or feelings are not worthy of validation? In many different areas of my life, I feel “less than” and under-appreciated – mostly in my work environment – but also at times within my interactions with other people. It’s a shitty feeling, right?

So stop fucking hashtagging #alllivesmatter.

People really don’t understand what it means when they hashtag #whitelivesmatter, #alllivesmatter, #mylifematters. They think it’s a catchy, socially-motivated statement that says, “See, I’m part of this movement. I’m down with the buzzwords.” But they don’t take the time to understand the importance, and significance, of why #blacklivesmatter even began in the first place. And it shows their privilege in the fact that they can’t even deign to educate themselves.

The problem with the aforementioned exclusionary hashtags is that they’re a pithy comeback with the sole intention to invalidate #blacklivesmatter. When someone sees #blacklivesmatter and responds with #alllivesmatter, the message is  lost. The importance is lost. It immediately invalidates the previous statement in one swift move, an implication that black lives mattering isn’t inclusive in #alllivesmatter. It’s dismissive of the inclusion of black lives in that statement.

And it makes people, white people, really uncomfortable.

When the conversation isn’t centered around their best interests, people feel threatened. And #alllivesmatter is a profound testament to that threat; the need to push back, to attempt to steer the conversation to make them feel comfortable and safe and included. We know their lives matter. But they need to make sure we all know it, and in doing so, they diminish the meaning behind #blacklivesmatter.

No one is implying that #blacklivesmatter more. Simply that they matter too.