Would Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. approve of what his legacy has produced?

[TraderPatTX]

Robert E. Lee day is observed in place of, and on the same day as MLK day. Two states would rather celebrate the life of a traitorous slaver than the life of a man who fought for racial equality and class consciousness. So no, it's not whataboutism, it's very much relevant to the topic at hand. We've made a lot of progress, but we still aren't all that close to realizing MLK's dream. Electing Obama broke a lot of racists' tiny brains, but it did not magically cure our divisions.

Not really. The topic is would he approve of what his legacy has produced. You haven't even mentioned his legacy yet.

The only reason why anybody voted for Obama was because he was half black. That's straight up racism right there.

 

[Xzi]

Not really. The topic is would he approve of what his legacy has produced. You haven't even mentioned his legacy yet.

I literally mentioned it in the post you quoted. His legacy is the struggle for racial equality and class consciousness. In some ways we've come closer to achieving these things since his death, in others we've regressed. King would've been overjoyed to see the first black president elected, and he would've been aghast to see what happened to George Floyd. He would've campaigned to close the wage gap. Too many events to cover individually, of course.

The only reason why anybody voted for Obama was because he was half black. That's straight up racism right there.

It's racism to assume everybody voted for him solely based on race. Obama crushed his opponents in debates, McCain picked the worst possible running mate for VP, and Romney could not articulate how his presidency would benefit anybody but the rich. Any Republican would've had a lot of difficulty winning following the disaster that was the GWB administration.

I could just as easily turn that back on you and claim sexism was entirely to blame for Hillary's loss to Trump, but that would be disingenuous at best. She did not run a strong campaign.

 

[LainaGabranth]

Not really. The topic is would he approve of what his legacy has produced. You haven't even mentioned his legacy yet.

The only reason why anybody voted for Obama was because he was half black. That's straight up racism right there.

"Reeeeeeeeeeee this is whataboutism!!!!!!!"
"Also Obama bad!!!!!"
holy shit the rightoid brain is literally collapsing

 

[TraderPatTX]

I literally mentioned it in the post you quoted. His legacy is the struggle for racial equality and class consciousness. In some ways we've come closer to achieving these things since his death, in others we've regressed. King would've been overjoyed to see the first black president elected, and he would've been aghast to see what happened to George Floyd. He would've campaigned to close the wage gap. Too many events to cover individually, of course.

I'm not going to assume what he would have been overjoyed to see considering there was a 50 year time span between his death and Obama's election. We have no way of knowing and it's dumb to assume that we would.

It's racism to assume everybody voted for him solely based on race. Obama crushed his opponents in debates, McCain picked the worst possible running mate for VP, and Romney could not articulate how his presidency would benefit anybody but the rich. Any Republican would've had a lot of difficulty winning following the disaster that was the GWB administration.

McCain, Romney and Obama are all part of the same uniparty team. Why do you think Romney signed the initial version of Obamacare into law in Massachusetts and McCain later voted against abolishing Obamacare? But after all we've discussed, you still devolve back to playing team sports. I guess there really is no hope for you.

I could just as easily turn that back on you and claim sexism was entirely to blame for Hillary's loss to Trump, but that would be disingenuous at best. She did not run a strong campaign.

Even Bill doesn't like Hillary. How would it be expected for 51% of voters to like her?

 

[gameboy]

mlk was a complete and total degenerate fraud. much of the things the government and school system has told about him are lies. the retelling of his greatness is a big lie very similar to that of george floyd.

its all about research

 

[LainaGabranth]

mlk was a complete and total degenerate fraud. much of the things the government and school system has told about him are lies. the retelling of his greatness is a big lie very similar to that of george floyd.

its all about research

by research btw this guy means "watching tucker carlson" lol

 

[Forbid]

Robert E. Lee day is observed in place of, and on the same day as MLK day. Two states would rather celebrate the life of a traitorous slaver than the life of a man who fought for racial equality and class consciousness. So no, it's not whataboutism, it's very much relevant to the topic at hand. We've made a lot of progress, but we still aren't all that close to realizing MLK's dream. Electing Obama broke a lot of racists' tiny brains, but it did not magically cure our divisions.

Point out the REL day celebrations in either state, particularly the ones held in lieu of a MLK day celebration. Only the infinitesimal remnants of confederate holdouts even know it's a thing, and those people are a dying breed. MLK day is nationally observed and celebrated, including in the states you mentioned. My family is involved in education, law, and politics all over the deep south region - which has the highest black-to-white ratio in the country - and there's not a single school district or county that promotes REL day or even acknowledges it. Sure there are pockets of anti-black racists EVERYWHERE, but they have no real power in modern culture.

People always talk about how racist the south is - when our lived experiences are vastly different from those prejudices. The only person at our (massive) yearly family reunion that bitches about racism/white privilege is the one who moved to an impoverished area of a major city outside of the region.

TL;DR? REL>MLK is not really a thing, and the south isn't the bastion of racism you think it is.

 

[TraderPatTX]

Point out the REL day celebrations in either state, particularly the ones held in lieu of a MLK day celebration. Only the infinitesimal remnants of confederate holdouts even know it's a thing, and those people are a dying breed. MLK day is nationally observed and celebrated, including in the states you mentioned. My family is involved in education, law, and politics all over the deep south region - which has the highest black-to-white ratio in the country - and there's not a single school district or county that promotes REL day or even acknowledges it. Sure there are pockets of anti-black racists EVERYWHERE, but they have no real power in modern culture.

People always talk about how racist the south is - when our lived experiences are vastly different from those prejudices. The only person at our (massive) yearly family reunion that bitches about racism/white privilege is the one who moved to an impoverished area of a major city outside of the region.

TL;DR? REL>MLK is not really a thing, and the south isn't the bastion of racism you think it is.

You'll have to forgive @Xzi . He's been taught to hate people he disagrees with or people living in a certain region of the United States. I feel he can be deprogrammed to be more accepting and open minded, but that would be a long road and completely up to him.

When I lived in Birmingham, AL for 6 years, I had never heard of REL Day. Even if there were celebrations of REL, nobody is forcing others to participate like the left does during Pride Month where we are forced to care about pedos shaking their dicks in front of kids at their parades or simulating anal sex at drag shows where kids are present.

 

[Xzi]

Point out the REL day celebrations in either state, particularly the ones held in lieu of a MLK day celebration. Only the infinitesimal remnants of confederate holdouts even know it's a thing, and those people are a dying breed. MLK day is nationally observed and celebrated, including in the states you mentioned. My family is involved in education, law, and politics all over the deep south region - which has the highest black-to-white ratio in the country - and there's not a single school district or county that promotes REL day or even acknowledges it. Sure there are pockets of anti-black racists EVERYWHERE, but they have no real power in modern culture.

People always talk about how racist the south is - when our lived experiences are vastly different from those prejudices. The only person at our (massive) yearly family reunion that bitches about racism/white privilege is the one who moved to an impoverished area of a major city outside of the region.

TL;DR? REL>MLK is not really a thing, and the south isn't the bastion of racism you think it is.

I'd love to believe it, but that being the case, it shouldn't be difficult to get the votes necessary to abolish REL day as an official state holiday. As long as Republicans are firmly in control there, it seems it's never gonna happen. It's also not coincidence, with their majority black population, that those two states remain some of the most impoverished in the nation, running entirely contrary to the causes MLK fought for. Economic racism is racism all the same.

 

[TraderPatTX]

I'd love to believe it, but that being the case, it shouldn't be difficult to get the votes necessary to abolish REL day as an official state holiday. As long as Republicans are firmly in control there, it seems it's never gonna happen. It's also not coincidence, with their majority black population, that those two states remain some of the most impoverished in the nation, running entirely contrary to the causes MLK fought for. Economic racism is racism all the same.

REL day was created in 1889 by democrats. Democrats have had ample time to abolish the holiday that they created. Instead they wasted time implementing racist poll taxes and literacy tests so blacks couldn't vote so they could create the Solid Democratic South with one party rule. But once again, it's always up to republicans, who aren't much better, to make right what democrats have done.

http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1561

I'm gonna sit back and wait for the inevitable "bUt MuH pArTy SwItCh!!!"

 

[Xzi]

I'm gonna sit back and wait for the inevitable "bUt MuH pArTy SwItCh!!!"

If you knew it was coming, I'm not sure why you even bothered. Republicans continue flying the confederate flag to this day, and IIRC it was even a part of deep red Mississippi's state flag until a few years ago. That tells you all you need to know about the beliefs they share with the Dixiecrats of old.

 

[TraderPatTX]

If you knew it was coming, I'm not sure why you even bothered. Republicans continue flying the confederate flag to this day, and IIRC it was even a part of deep red Mississippi's state flag until a few years ago. That tells you all you need to know about the beliefs they share with the Dixiecrats of old.

Because I had to give you a reason to ignore the entire paragraph immediately preceding that shiny line that you focused on because you don't have any talking points refuting it.

And leftists fly communist flags which killed 10's of millions more people than the confederate flag ever dreamed. In fact, communism is continuing to murder, starve, and enslave people to this day. Maybe you should leave the past and try and solve the problems of the present.

 

[Forbid]

I'd love to believe it, but that being the case, it shouldn't be difficult to get the votes necessary to abolish REL day as an official state holiday. As long as Republicans are firmly in control there, it seems it's never gonna happen. It's also not coincidence, with their majority black population, that those two states remain some of the most impoverished in the nation, running entirely contrary to the causes MLK fought for. Economic racism is racism all the same.

Down here, our city leaders and politicians are largely black/Democrat. My mom's a city manager for one of the larger predominantly black and hispanic cities in the region. Pointing toward the south and saying things like "economic racism" is always funny to me, because if you pore over economic/demographic statistics you'll find that most impoverished people of ALL races live in either the remote country (flyover states) or our lovely metropolitan zones - which are by and large not republican.

My grandfather marched with Dr. King in Birmingham - and preached to generations of us not to be defined by the low expectations of those in power. "They only want to help you because they think you're less than them." The most racist shit I face on a daily basis? The fact that I'm defined by the color of my skin, and that where I came from, and my lived experience, is wrong or incorrect based on your preconceived notions and prejudices.

 

[Deleted member 194275]

what's the point of this thread? Really... A person that passed away so long ago, we can write anything about it, nobody can proof otherwise.

anyway, if Martin Luther King was alive today, he would be a GBATemp user, he would have a CFW PSP and would be a huge fan of this politics session here and, of course, the EoF.

see what I mean?

 

[Xzi]

Down here, our city leaders and politicians are largely black/Democrat. My mom's a city manager for one of the larger predominantly black and hispanic cities in the region. Pointing toward the south and saying things like "economic racism" is always funny to me, because if you pore over economic/demographic statistics you'll find that most impoverished people of ALL races live in either the remote country (flyover states) or our lovely metropolitan zones - which are by and large not republican.

It's a state holiday, not a city one. You just highlighted an entirely different issue in the form of gerrymandering, though. A rural minority controlling Midwestern states that would otherwise vote for Democratic majority leadership on the state level.

My grandfather marched with Dr. King in Birmingham - and preached to generations of us not to be defined by the low expectations of those in power. "They only want to help you because they think you're less than them." The most racist shit I face on a daily basis? The fact that I'm defined by the color of my skin, and that where I came from, and my lived experience, is wrong or incorrect based on your preconceived notions and prejudices.

I don't expect that Alabama and Mississippi are capable of doing better, I KNOW they are. So let's see some progress to prove me right, and drag them into the 21st century, kicking and screaming if need be. I don't presume to know about your individual lived experiences, which is why I've only been discussing observable facts and statistics about these states on a larger scale.

As always, my criticisms of the Republican party are not to be taken as blanket approval of the Democratic party's policies or actions. Biden himself was responsible for any number of regressive and even racist laws passed in the 90s. All elected officials must be held to account as public servants, and not be worshiped like celebrities or rock stars.

 

[TraderPatTX]

It's a state holiday, not a city one. You just highlighted an entirely different issue in the form of gerrymandering, though. A rural minority controlling Midwestern states that would otherwise vote for Democratic majority leadership on the state level.

Now you are understanding the concept of a republic. The rights of the minority are protected from mob rule.

I don't expect that Alabama and Mississippi are capable of doing better, I KNOW they are. So let's see some progress to prove me right, and drag them into the 21st century, kicking and screaming if need be. I don't presume to know about your individual lived experiences, which is why I've only been discussing observable facts and statistics about these states on a larger scale.

Maybe they don't want your version of progress. If those people were truly unhappy, they would make changes or move to another state. The fact that Mississippi and Alabama have not lost House seats recently, unlike New York, Illinois and California, one can deduce that even democrat voters are content there.

As always, my criticisms of the Republican party are not to be taken as blanket approval of the Democratic party's policies or actions. Biden himself was responsible for any number of regressive and even racist laws passed in the 90s. All elected officials must be held to account as public servants, and not be worshiped like celebrities or rock stars.

Bro. Everybody can read your past statements. You cheerlead very hard for the Democrat Party and their corporate media and donors. You just said you are willing to destroy sacred Native American land for a lithium strip mine over on my thread.

 

[Xzi]

Now you are understanding the concept of a republic. The rights of the minority are protected from mob rule.

Minority rule is akin to authoritarianism, and gives rise to both corporatism and/or fascism. We're a representative democracy, or at least we're meant to be.

Maybe they don't want your version of progress.

I can guarantee you the majority in those states do not enjoy the regressive image they project to the rest of the nation. If they can remove the confederate flag from their state symbols, they're certainly capable of ending Robert E Lee day. And who among us would want to keep themselves in poverty? Fixing economic inequality should be a priority nationwide.

Bro. Everybody can read your past statements. You cheerlead very hard for the Democrat Party and their corporate media and donors. You just said you are willing to destroy sacred Native American land for a lithium strip mine over on my thread.

Climate change is not a partisan issue, much as you'd like to pretend otherwise. For that matter, working class citizens in red states have been bearing the majority of the impact of more frequent and more severe hurricanes and tornadoes. The entire Southwest, including Texas, is fucked if the Colorado river dries up. We're all in this together, for better or worse.

 

[TraderPatTX]

Minority rule is akin to authoritarianism, and gives rise to both corporatism and/or fascism. We're a representative democracy, or at least we're meant to be.

Protecting minority rights is the bedrock of a republic. And yes, we are a representative democracy with additional checks and balances. There is even a check on the people from abusing power, which is what you would find in a straight democracy. And in Alabama's and Mississippi's representative democracies, the people have spoken or they have refrained from speaking. Maybe they have more important things to worry about like inflation, skyrocketing energy costs, illegal aliens, and World War III. It's possible that a holiday that's not even celebrated doesn't even register as an issue.

I can guarantee you the majority in those states do not enjoy the regressive image they project to the rest of the nation. If they can remove the confederate flag from their state symbols, they're certainly capable of ending Robert E Lee day. And who among us would want to keep themselves in poverty? Fixing economic inequality should be a priority nationwide.

If you can guarantee it, then please, by all means, prove it. At least show a poll, doesn't matter how old. The you want to fix economic inequality is by implementing socialism which makes everybody poor, except for the rich, because the uniparty will still need their donors.

Climate change is not a partisan issue, much as you'd like to pretend otherwise. For that matter, working class citizens in red states have been bearing the majority of the impact of more frequent and more severe hurricanes and tornadoes. The entire Southwest, including Texas, is fucked if the Colorado river dries up. We're all in this together, for better or worse.

Except there haven't been more frequent or serious hurricanes. 2020 had 30 named storms. 2021 had 21 named storms and 2022 had 14 named storms. I fail to understand why you refuse to research any topic before commenting. This is why climate change is a partisan issue. Because the left either lies about it or are ignorant of the facts. You can decide which is it.

https://www.accuweather.com/en/hurr...22-atlantic-hurricane-season-forecast/1164507

 

[Xzi]

And yes, we are a representative democracy with additional checks and balances.

Gerrymandering is not a check or balance, it's an abuse of the system by those already in power who want to retain it without the consent of the governed. The "it's okay when my side does it" schtick gets real old, real quick.

If you can guarantee it, then please, by all means, prove it. At least show a poll, doesn't matter how old.

I expected this to be a wild goose chase, but it didn't actually take me long to find a poll posted by a Mississippi state senator who ran for US Senate in 2018.

The you want to fix economic inequality is by implementing socialism which makes everybody poor, except for the rich, because the uniparty will still need their donors.

The vast majority of citizens in Mississippi and Alabama are already poor, and as a result of Republican policies. Neither party supports socialism or even strong social programs for exactly the reason you touched on: they benefit exclusively the working class and are to the detriment of billionaires and corporations.

Except there haven't been more frequent or serious hurricanes. 2020 had 30 named storms. 2021 had 21 named storms and 2022 had 14 named storms.

Climate change is a worldwide issue, you realize, and natural disasters are not limited to hurricanes. The data is never going to be completely steady, but the trend is obvious.

This is why climate change is a partisan issue.

Because oil conglomerates, Saudi Arabia, and Russia are some of the GOP's biggest donors.

 

[Forbid]

It's a state holiday, not a city one. You just highlighted an entirely different issue in the form of gerrymandering, though. A rural minority controlling Midwestern states that would otherwise vote for Democratic majority leadership on the state level.


I don't expect that Alabama and Mississippi are capable of doing better, I KNOW they are. So let's see some progress to prove me right, and drag them into the 21st century, kicking and screaming if need be. I don't presume to know about your individual lived experiences, which is why I've only been discussing observable facts and statistics about these states on a larger scale.

As always, my criticisms of the Republican party are not to be taken as blanket approval of the Democratic party's policies or actions. Biden himself was responsible for any number of regressive and even racist laws passed in the 90s. All elected officials must be held to account as public servants, and not be worshiped like celebrities or rock stars.

Observable facts and statistics? Let's talk about the literal zero Robert E. Lee day celebrations that take place, despite your claim. It's another boogeyman. The mainstream media (Rachel Maddow most recently) like to prickle about it, but it's a non-issue. Observation =/= celebration. I live in the most "historically racist" region in the country. Where are the burning crosses? The people in hoods? The hate crimes? Query the DOJ for things like hate crime statistics. Where are the majority of those taking place? Our city managers, our politicians, our police officers, our judges, our lawyers? More black representation here than anywhere in the country, save other metropolitan areas. Propping up the south as the big-bad-racist mecca because of historical events, instead of reflecting on the sins of our modern day culture, does nothing but perpetuate a cycle of ignorance in regard to how our people are treated at large. It's foolish and regressive. But sure, you do you. I'm done blacksplaining.