Five Years Later: A Scathing Look at the Legacy of Black Lives Matter
Lionel Shriver puts the racial reckoning under the microscope
Global Uprising Fueled by Black Lives Matter Movement Spread Across Continents
June 2nd, 2025
Images courtesy of Getty.
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Looking back on the tumultuous events of five years ago, it's hard to find a silver lining. Yes, we're speaking of the death of George Floyd, but let's not romanticize it—he was a petty criminal in a backwater, not a martyr. The furious global outcry sparked by Floyd's demise, however, leaves much to be questioned.
The chaos started with 'Blackout Tuesday', a peculiar movement where black people were advised to abandon their work and white companies like Sony offered counseling and meditation sessions to their employees. Social media platforms like Spotify and cable channels solemnly observed 8 minutes and 46 seconds of silence in memory of Floyd, a gesture that probably made all the difference to the black lives that mattered so much.
In the aftermath, cities burned, property was vandalized, and lives were upended. And what did we get in return? Nothing good. The racial reckoning that white Americans were supposedly engaging in for the first time was nothing more than a farce—a series of empty gestures with no sincerity behind them. The nail in the coffin? A task force in San Francisco suggested that every black resident in the state should receive $5 million in reparations, 250 years after the fact.
But this distorted focus on reparations and identity politics has had an insidious impact. Young black Americans have been coddled in a culture of entitlement, resorting to public tantrums in convenience stores and fast-food chains, screaming and smashing their way through retail establishments. And who can blame them when they've been constantly told they're owed something?
The ripple effects of BLM hysteria have left race relations in shambles. Hyper-sensitivity has become the norm, with marginalized individuals monopolizing the center of cultural discourse. White people are paranoid, skittish, and terrified to discuss race, even among themselves. Cross-racial friendships have grown rare, and segregation is on the rise.
The explosion of 'diversity, equity, and inclusion' has led to the elevation of unqualified individuals, particularly double-token black women, to positions they did not earn. But when they prove incompetent, their shortcomings are rarely their fault. After all, they've been placed on a pedestal. Harvard University's choice of president, Claudine Gay, is a prime example of this phenomenon. Her CV was, to put it mildly, thin, yet she was handed the reins of one of the nation's most prestigious institutions.
Meanwhile, the media has become a monotonous parade of black faces, with black individuals representing 14% of the American population yet constituting 4% of the UK's and constituting about 90% of characters in television dramas and shows. English historical dramas now look like they've been filmed in Nigeria, and even the New York Times covers only black artists, actors, and entrepreneurs, leaving their white counterparts in the dust.
But this one-sided focus belies the truth. When articles about black individuals pop up in the New York Times food section, many readers are likely to think, "Another token black person chosen for their race." Tokenism taints even the talented with unconscious bias.
The question remains: When will the madness end? Has the nation paid enough for Floyd's death? Or is this a never-ending cycle of guilt and penance?
It seems that even some black people are tired of black people. On YouTube, the term "black fatigue" has surfaced, with some black podcasters admitting that the constant whining has grown tedious. They've had enough of the violent, entitled teenagers wreaking havoc in public places.
The whole global spree was ignited by a tragedy that may not even have been motivated by racism, as Chauvin's alleged history of bigotry was relatively mild during his trial. This extended social psychosis speaks to humanity's capacity for collective madness. Those who marched, shouting "Hands up! Don't shoot!", may now look back and wonder, "Why did I think this had anything to do with me? Why did I go along with it?"
Few drugs are more addictive than righteous indignation. So, hoping for a sudden awakening of reason and self-control is unrealistic. As long as there is a cause to rally behind, the mindless herd will march in step.
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Lionel Shriver is a novelist and journalist. Her latest book, 'Mania', is available now.
- In the aftermath of the Black Lives Matter movement, the focus on identity politics and reparations has led to a culture of entitlement among young black Americans, with instances of public tantrums and vandalism becoming more common.
- The media landscape has been significantly influenced by the BLM movement, with a predominant focus on black individuals, leading to questions about unqualified individuals being elevated to positions they did not earn, such as Harvard University's president, Claudine Gay.
- The racial reckoning initiated by the Black Lives Matter movement has left race relations in disarray, with a rise in hyper-sensitivity, segregation, and a decline in cross-racial friendships.
- The legacy of the Black Lives Matter movement has led to a monotonous parade of black faces in entertainment, pop-culture, and mainstream media, with black individuals constituting a disproportionate number of characters in television dramas and shows, even though they represent only 14% of the American population.
