“#AllBuildingsMatter” Sparks A Twitter War on 9/11

September 11th is usually a solemn day in America, but this year Twitter is shaking things up. Early this morning, the hashtag “#AllBuildingsMatter” started trending, a mocking of the All Lives Matter movement that was created in response to the Black Lives Matter movement. Things quickly heated up on Twitter as users were quick to defend and attack this new hashtag. 

Usually, Americans come together to mourn the lives lost during the 2001 attack on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, an event that has come to be considered a great American tragedy. Images of the World Trade Center on fire, videos of the ultimate collapse, and the words “never forget” circulated social media for the past 18 years. Stories of lives lost and of the heroic first responders are always told, memorializing all those impacted. This was one of the few days a year that Americans seemed to come together, to put differences aside and stand a community. Not this year, though. 

“#AllBuildingsMatter” has been one of the top five trends on Twitter all day. Twitter has a statement at the top of the tag that reads, “As people commemorate the anniversary of of the September 11 attacks, some are linking the tragedy to the numerous deaths of Black men and women at the hands of police, suggesting that the outrage or heartbreak felt in regard to the 9/11 terrorist attacks should, in some way, carry over to tragedies of police brutality. To drive the point home, saying ‘all lives matter’ when another Black person is killed by police feels akin to saying ‘all building matter’ in response to the destruction of the World Trade Center.” 

People from all sides of the political spectrum are weighing in on the issue. A few House Candidates spoke up against the trend. Douglas Tuman, a Republican candidate from New York, wrote, “I wake up on the 19th anniversary of 9/11 and Twitter’s number two trending hashtag is #AllBuildingsMatter. I have never been more disgusted in my life.” 

Errol Webber, a Republican from California, wrote, “The number two trend in the country is #AllBuildingsMatter. Twitter is allowing this to trend with only 4,400 tweets but suppressed the #CancelNetflix hashtag. We are dealing with evil.” 

Other users tweeted in favor of the hashtag. Talbert Swan, a bishop from Canada, said, “To the entire miracle whip posse being all solemn and somber today and tweeting #NeverForget… remember that the next time you feel like telling Black people to “FORGET ABOUT” or “GET OVER” slavery, lynching, brutalization, dehumanization, and oppression. #AllBuildingsMatter” 

Some questioned how this hashtag was more offensive than the All Lives Matter trend. Both the terrorist attack and police brutality are tragedies, so some felt that it was a valid response. 

A few supporters of “All Buildings Matter” threw frequent reactions to Black Lives Matter back in the face of those distressed about today’s trend. They took a more comedic approach, really making light of the situation. 

https://twitter.com/FlightReacts__/status/1304384149843832833?s=20

Not every supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement was in favor of the “All Buildings Matter” joke. Some felt that the September 11 attacks were too important to regard in this manner. 

TV personality Swaggy C tweeted a few times about this trend. He said that he supported the Black Lives Matter, but also recognizes September 11 for the tragedy that it was. His biggest issue was the differences in reactions to “#AllLivesMatter” and “#AllBuildingsMatter.” 

For reference, this is a standard “#AllLivesMatter” tweet. Pretty similar points to what people are saying in the “AllBuildingsMatter” tag. 

As always in America, everything politicized has some strong supporters, protestors, and people who are floating around the middle. The Twitter war rages on, massing over 142,000 tweets so far. Each side is completely convinced they’re right, but are either of them? I guess not every question can have a clear answer, as today’s Twitter debate has shown.

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