2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: If MLK Were Alive, He'd Make White Folks Just as Uncomfortable as Black Lives Matter [View all]bravenak
(34,648 posts)Dr. King did not see a distinction? Yes. He did. Most of the economic fights he fought were for BLACKS to be paid and treated equal to WHITES, not fighting FOR whites against the Oligarchy. This is what I mean. That is a complete misstatement of his stated purposes, his record of battles fought and won, and his legacy, to promote this idea that his economic fights were COLORBLIND. They were not. Even if you find quotes of him discussing fighting for poor whites, you will see that it was hidden within his larger agenda of fighting for the equality of blacks. To make it seem As if the larger piece of his agenda was pure economically based is unrealistic and painful to watch, quite frankly.
What I have viewed is the complete misue of his history, name and legacy by progressives this year most terribly. While economics is certainly a component, it is not the whole nor the most important aspect, and many are trying to make it so. Many would like to use him as a cudgel against blacks voting for clinton in a very supercilious manner. I would rather they did not.
If Dr. King had just left it at fighting Jim Crow he would be as dead as Medgar Evers. He was not killed for this imaginary reason of finally getting to the 'real' fight, as many would delude themselves into thinking, in order to give themselves claim to his legacy. He was killed because of white supremacy and opportunity. This revision of history in this era is actually startling and I think many need to look at themselves when it relates to MLK and race relations and ask themselves if they are being honest, and how their ideas make them look to the blacks that they are insulting with the idea that championing racial equality in Jim Crow would leave you safe to die of old age while fighting capitalism with NO RESULTS, would get you killed. He got results with racism, he got killed for it, not for socialism.