It's MLK Day...
and I'm not a big "political" or "social-commentary" type blogger. More a blogger with "narcissistic tendencies" whose tendencies allow me to expose my inner workings and ruminations. But I gotta tell you... it's cheaper than therapy. And it helps keep me sane.
But it's MLK day, and people read me, and I'm someone who believes you should stand for something, and I personally stand for justice and freedom. Injustice pisses me off. Feeling confined by ideas or people or circumstance pisses me off. And MLK stood for justice and freedom, and ultimately he died for it.
I have to admit, as far as leaders that have become personal heroes, I'm most definitely a Malcolm X chick, for several reasons. Both men were flawed, as all men are, but one reason I prefer Malcolm as a hero was because toward the end of his life, Malcolm was unafraid to show his growth... he wasn't so tied to his ideas that he couldn't change. That takes enormous strength and guts, and ultimately it's probably why he lost his life. His being able to grow scared the shit out of some people.
But Martin Luther King was a great speaker, and his speeches were incredibly inspiring and it's a testament to him that to this day, they still are. Not many men can claim that. I admire that he stood for something, that he believed in non-violence and stayed true to that ideal.
One of his most famous speeches:
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity. But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free.
I would add that 150 years or so later, we're not still a whole lot better off. We must face the tragic fact that 150 years later, we haven't elected an African American to anything higher than governors. And of those, there have only ever been two nationally elected since Reconstruction. That pisses me off, especially since African Americans themselves are the quickest to "tear down" the ones who are brave enough to run.
In the spirit of MLK and non-violence, if non-violence truly works (which I don't think it does) as brownskinned people I feel we really owe it to MLK to stand behind Obama. I think MLK would have been enormously proud of Obama. Yeah yeah, I know... he's inexperienced. But experience has brought us what, exactly??? Besides, Dick Cheney and his cronies, the oil and pharmaceutical companies and the Hedge Fund investors run this joint anyhow, so really, it makes no difference who's actually president. In the end, those people will dictate the economy and policies of the country, and because they have BILLIONS of dollars at their daily disposal, whoever is president will ultimately have to report to them.
But we can hope, right? And "hope" was what MLK was about, and to me, Obama represents a little bit of hope. That maybe, just maybe, there actually could be a first Black President in the history of this country. So what if he gets in there and fucks up? Seriously, can he fuck up worse for us than GW?
For white people, there is the luxury of comparing policies and political stances, and that's cool. Its the way it should be, the way this country was designed to run. But I don't think brownskinned people have that luxury. Not right this second. Stop frontin' and support the only viable candidate this country has ever allowed. And when the primaries roll around in your state, get off your ass and vote. MLK would have been pleased.
And now back to our regularly-scheduled narcissistic ramblings...
But it's MLK day, and people read me, and I'm someone who believes you should stand for something, and I personally stand for justice and freedom. Injustice pisses me off. Feeling confined by ideas or people or circumstance pisses me off. And MLK stood for justice and freedom, and ultimately he died for it.
I have to admit, as far as leaders that have become personal heroes, I'm most definitely a Malcolm X chick, for several reasons. Both men were flawed, as all men are, but one reason I prefer Malcolm as a hero was because toward the end of his life, Malcolm was unafraid to show his growth... he wasn't so tied to his ideas that he couldn't change. That takes enormous strength and guts, and ultimately it's probably why he lost his life. His being able to grow scared the shit out of some people.
But Martin Luther King was a great speaker, and his speeches were incredibly inspiring and it's a testament to him that to this day, they still are. Not many men can claim that. I admire that he stood for something, that he believed in non-violence and stayed true to that ideal.
One of his most famous speeches:
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity. But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free.
I would add that 150 years or so later, we're not still a whole lot better off. We must face the tragic fact that 150 years later, we haven't elected an African American to anything higher than governors. And of those, there have only ever been two nationally elected since Reconstruction. That pisses me off, especially since African Americans themselves are the quickest to "tear down" the ones who are brave enough to run.
In the spirit of MLK and non-violence, if non-violence truly works (which I don't think it does) as brownskinned people I feel we really owe it to MLK to stand behind Obama. I think MLK would have been enormously proud of Obama. Yeah yeah, I know... he's inexperienced. But experience has brought us what, exactly??? Besides, Dick Cheney and his cronies, the oil and pharmaceutical companies and the Hedge Fund investors run this joint anyhow, so really, it makes no difference who's actually president. In the end, those people will dictate the economy and policies of the country, and because they have BILLIONS of dollars at their daily disposal, whoever is president will ultimately have to report to them.
But we can hope, right? And "hope" was what MLK was about, and to me, Obama represents a little bit of hope. That maybe, just maybe, there actually could be a first Black President in the history of this country. So what if he gets in there and fucks up? Seriously, can he fuck up worse for us than GW?
For white people, there is the luxury of comparing policies and political stances, and that's cool. Its the way it should be, the way this country was designed to run. But I don't think brownskinned people have that luxury. Not right this second. Stop frontin' and support the only viable candidate this country has ever allowed. And when the primaries roll around in your state, get off your ass and vote. MLK would have been pleased.
And now back to our regularly-scheduled narcissistic ramblings...
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