Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/05/28/a-riot-is-the-language-of-th.html
…
15 Likes
Oh dear, this is one of those parts of King’s legacy that certain powers-that-be would like to safely tuck away along with his support of radical economic reform and his opposition to the U.S. war machine.
31 Likes
32 Likes
If someone’s words are ignored and have no effect, what does the individual have left but physical violence?
3 Likes
11 Likes
White people love to quote MLK and Gandhi
What is special and different about these particular two leaders?
-
White people perceive them as having advocated for self sacrifice and against self defense
-
Specifically, self sacrifice for people of color, and against self defense for people of color
-
They were both assassinated, thus acting out this same narrative and illustrating the proper course of events
It’s like teaching the history of World War II as if the White Rose Society overthrew fascism
22 Likes
More accurately, white people love to selectively quote MLK and Gandhi.
37 Likes
Love the Sarah Vowell essay on that one.
The nuttiest example she cited was when some Republican politician likened a Florida election commissioner to Parks as she was being sued for massive voter disenfranchisement by the NAACP.
17 Likes
Time to bust this out again:
6 Likes
I confess, I have never heard that quote. Probably not one mentioned in schools or remembrances much, hmmm. Too threatening to TPTB and all. Gotta play nice. 
14 Likes
Jesus Christ! This guy should have been in prison, probably for life, years ago. Definitely not working as a cop. 
10 Likes
The more I read about what’s going on in Minneapolis, the more amazed I am. The police union is run by an open white supremacist advocating violent police training, and the police department has been at war with the community, the city and even its own leadership. When city and police leaders are openly admitting, “Yeah, the police are racist as fuck,” you know you have serious problems. It really shows how the structures of modern police forces have made them incredibly resistant - if not outright immune - to being reformed, no matter how much everyone agrees they need it.
27 Likes
RTJ’s track “Thieves” was the first time I had heard the MLK quote tweeted by the King Center.
It ends with an MLK sample of:
“I think America must see that riots do not develop out of thin air. Certain conditions continue to exist in our society which must be condemned as vigorously as we condemn riots. But in the final analysis, a riot is the language of the unheard”
7 Likes
Hey I was a drum major for selectively quoting MLK and sometimes misquoting him!
Now don’t take muh freedomz!
Yup. Here are some Gandhi quotes that for some reason never seem to make it as uplifting memes:
But if one has not that courage [to die without killing], I want him to cultivate the art of killing and being killed rather than, in a cowardly manner, flee from danger.
My nonviolence does admit of people, who cannot or will not be nonviolent, holding and making effective use of arms. Let me repeat for the thousandth time that nonviolence is of the strongest, not of the weak.
I have been repeating over and over again that he who cannot protect himself or his nearest and dearest or their honour by non-violently facing death may and ought to do so by violently dealing with the oppressor.
Though violence is not lawful, when it is offered in self-defence or for the defence of the defenceless, it is an act of bravery far better than cowardly submission. The latter befits neither man nor woman. Under violence, there are many stages and varieties of bravery. Every man must judge this for himself. No other person can or has the right.
16 Likes
I so love RTJ! I can’t wait for their next album. I was super-bummed when the RATM tour they were on was not coming to ATL, but now, no concerts are, so…
12 Likes
Kneeling respectfully didn’t work. What does Whitey McWhiteperson suggest?
4 Likes
1 Like
