“When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.” Edumnd Burke
I understand that. But imagine being black in this country and feeling that even the best among you couldn't get that type of recognition. The thing about Martin Luther King is that no one since has articulated his cause as well. If it weren't for him, maybe people like LBJ wouldn't have felt shamed by the status quo that existed at the time. Maybe if he were still alive charletans and pretenders like Al Sharpton wouldn't have a voice.
I don't think anyone here is trying to diminish his contributions. His contributions are what they are. Trying to diminish OR exaggerate them in any way only does disservice to who and what he actually was. IMO, his accomplishments are greatly exaggerated because he was murdered. That is his greatest legacy, and that his image was used as a symbol of racial equality since.
When you separate the man from the myth, his name accomplished more after his death than he ever did in life.
“When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.” Edumnd Burke
I don't know. I only know what I've been told about him and I know my mom always said she got the first migraine she ever had on the night he was murdered because she got so upset.
As for being greater in death, one could say the same about Jesus, too. It doesn't diminish his contributions either. And I'm not saying that to be glib. I'm saying that because often there are people who are larger in death than they were in life. Personally, I don't think King was one of those, but again, doesn't diminish or exaggerate his contributions, I think.
MLK was the leader of a movement, he became the figurehead. He didn’t start the movement but to his credit did grab the Raines and moved it forward. He was in the right place at the right time. Hundreds of others were behind and around him. He didn’t do anything individually extraordinary really, IMO. Tis why I don’t think the National holiday in his name is appropriate.
UNITED STATES ARMY AVIATION
Above the Best
Why the Hell should I have to press “1” for ENGLISH?
I'm not sure I agree that MLK articulated the case for civil rights better than anyone before or since. He was great, but Malcolm X and Fredrick Douglass were also pretty eloquent. A lot of people took some really huge risks without making any big speeches too. The Little Rock Nine, for example.
I think MLK struck the right chord at the right time and became a national symbol. And I think that's okay for now, but maybe eventually other historic civil rights figures will gain more recognition and MLK Day will morph into something like Civil Rights Day. Or not. Whatever. We'll see.
http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/english.../evers_medgar/
he was the man....civil rights day is a good call