RIP. Of course, if you're keeping an eye on the course of the nation, on the realization of that Dream, you're not resting at all, are you Dr. King? You're spinning...
That's a thought. My thoughts on it this morning were along the lines of "look how far we have gone downhill" in the area of non-governmental leaders. Is there anyone approaching the charisma and bravery of MLK today? Are we really faced with the likes of Hannity, Rhodes, Jackson, Limbaugh as our non-governmental leaders? Where are the non-partisan, do-what's-right leaders? So, is MLK spinning? I think so, yet, perhaps a part of him thinks that "when I died, honest decent leadership died too."
I don't want this to sound as if his assasination was in any way a good thing, but when you read that speech (and others) you think of a young, vibrant leader who is a hero to millions. He will remain forever young because we never saw him get old. Same with the Kennedys. Ted will be remembered as an overweight, slightly red-faced older senator carrying the liberal torch. John, Robert and King remain the young vibrant symbols of a generation.
I think great leaders are forged by their times. I think that there is an opportunity for a great leader to rise up and address poverty in America in the wake of Hurricane Katrina; the kind of clear-cut opportunity that hasn't existed for a while. These kinds of leaders are out there. They just need to find the right combination of conditions and cause to allow them to rise to prominence.
"Free at last they took your life they could not take your pride" I'll just say this...wonder how he'd react/what he'd say about some of the things going on today.....
I really dont know. I suspect he would speak out about crime and education since most of the issues he dealt with were fundamental. BTW, here is what Nagin says in his "conversation" with King: http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/news/t-p/stories/011706_nagin_transcript.html
Would that "conversation" have been different if King had lived a while longer? Apparently, there were many people who were shocked to see that there were many poor people living in a major city, and that they were not treated properly in the face of a major disaster. I am guessing that Dr. King would not have allowed Americans to be "shocked" by that, because he would have continued to draw attention to uneven playing fields whereever they exist. I saw a great interview with King -- I believe it was on either Face the Nation or Meet the Press. He was talking about personal responsibility, and saying that it was all well and good to ask people to lift themselves by their own bootstraps, but it was not fair if they didn't have boots. This is just my own impression, but I think he would have been horrified by the welfare state that developed, and the institutional poverty that came with it. When he talked about black boys and girls holding hands with white boys and girls, I don't think he would have apporved of the public housing that sprung up, effectively segragating huge populations of our cities. Oh well, just some thoughts.
Could you imagine what things would be like today if there were two prominent assinations in the US within two months of each other? It was probably nuts back in 68 with MLK and RFK's deaths but with 24 hr. news and a fear-tweaked public, it would be nuts around here.
Our Mral/theological leaders used to be MLK. Now they are Fallwell/Robertson. Its a sad state. You climbed upon a burning rope to escape the mob below, But you had put the flaming out so that others could not follow, To be out of the bounds and the barks of those who do not wish you well. You must blaze a trail of your own, unknown, alone, But keep in mind Don’t live today for tomorrow like you were immortal. The only survivors on this world of ours are The warming sun, the cooling rain, The snowflake drifting on the breath of the breeze, The lightning bolt that frees the sky for you Yet only eagles seem to pass on through. The words of love, the cries of hate,
that's one sad "conversation" in many respects (AMerica "being punished by God with hurricanes"? That's Rev. Pat territory here.... "chocolate....." Ok) I was indeed referring to the response toKatrina, and the outrage that it would probably cause him to act were he alive today ....probably enough to speak out agains the tremendous mismanagement/lack of preparation that cost many Americans their lives... and i doubt race would have been left off as an issue.... INstead in today's media, we had Kanye West (sigh) ....maybe juts me, but if King were alive.... So much more eloquence and pointed criticism than nMr. West....instead of scorn and ridicule..some semblance of actual debate..but maybe it's just me.... Also the issue of renewing the Voting Rights Act.... i have a feeling he'd be for it .... and a tad angry at those who think enough has been done already....
To do what's right means to challenge things that have become instutitionalized in the Age of Media, through such media...things that are instutitionalized are, for many, what's "right," or what's "American"; as a result, this Age is unlike nay other in terms of the broad embeddedness of various notions, some wholly undemocratic, that have become "American." Challenging them, for large swaths of folks, would MAKE you un-American. I think MLK dealt with the same thing, but had those notion embedded in far less numbers. Today's challenges spring from a general consensus that thinks it's well-educated on the issues, but may be more ignorant of themselves, local to global, then any institutions and advocates of discrimination ever were. That being said, the power of MLK across the American population was that he was infused with a Christian sensibility. Noone was going to challenge a Southern Baptist preacher on the Bible; today, it's Creflo Dollar and the mega-church phenomenon...the commodified individuation of Salvation, regardless of the soon-to-be-Left-Behind-so-who-really-cares condition of the nation. King was uniquely citizen-pastor, tied inextricably to both the Constitution and the New Testament. He called for justice under the law as a sensibility of the way the world ought to work which was informed by his Love-baed take on religiosity. Today? In the Age of Image, we don't ever feel NOT manipulated. We don't ever really trust any more, with overwhlemingly good reason. Just like Nader when he submits that the legislation and access he had to lawmakers to get correct saftey legislation throuhg in the 60s simply could never be done today, I don't think that it's possible for a leader like King to emerge again. I think that diffuse, multiple grassroots energies will foster the next set of changes in the nation. That, or straight-up authoritarianism masquerading, Orwell-esque, as freedom (not freedom TO, but freedom FROM). The former would have the chance to be reflective of MLK's vision; the latter, a violation of it.
Oh come on. Let's not do the right/left thing on this thread. Give me Falwell/Robertson and I'll give you Jackson/Sharpton. Okay? I am looking for someone who, as Mel put it, is citizen/pastor. Maybe William Jennings Bryan (pre-Scopes, if you prefer). Or Nat Turner. George Bourne. I know you probably didn't intend to, but let's not sell MLK's opposition short! (I know I was there. ). Nothing united whites in the South more than opposition to MLK. "Troublemaker", etc. etc. (and worse.) What's more, he was somewhat fearless, marching/protesting/speaking mainly in the south. Now can this happen today? I think so. After all, I am less interested in undefinable terms like "American". Much more interested in justice, etc.
The New York Times Story the next day Robert Kennedy, a month before he himself is killed, announces MLK's death during a campaign stop ABC News announces MLK death Walter Cronkite reports on assassination for CBS Evening News Dr. King's last speech, the night before he killed