Social Media & The White Moderate

Every year on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Day, It’s the same thing online: tweets, quotes and pictures of this great man who is an icon of civil rights in America. Given the atmosphere of political and racial divide at present times, I must take a moment to pause about what I am seeing as a paradox. All praises are true and deserved, yet when one looks closer at those posting, it becomes questionable to downright obvious if the poster’s intent for doing so is genuine or not. Paradox defined can be someone who does two things that seem to contradict each other. This continues into Black History Month.To understand Dr. King, you were a part of the civil rights movement of the 1950’s and 60’s, read his articles and books, or studied the volumes of material written about him. It must not be forgotten he was considered a radical and a criminal, by both the U.S. government and much of mainstream America during his lifetime. The overwhelming majority of posts I see are from people who have very little knowledge about him other than a couple of quotes taken out of context. They are either white conservatives or white moderates.

The White Moderate

The modern moderate white person hides behind a guise of anti-racism, appearing to be an ally in comparison with other explicit and virulent racists while still preaching the necessity for respect and order. They stifle Black voices by advocating what they think is best for justice without considering what’s being said. It can be difficult to call them out because usually their intentions are well meaning. This allows the vicious cycle of racism to continue without doing anything about it. They are so focused on not offending anyone that they do nothing at all. They’ll make a few simple, well-meaning comments in an attempt to appease the African American Community. This does nothing to help because it isn’t going to solve any problem. They’re just avoiding the conflict with the goal of not offending anyone. It’s a form of laziness that is very dangerous and silently fuels the racial discord in this country. Racism needs to be brought up when it happens so that we can have discussions and work towards a solution. Now, when something happens the white moderate will step in and say,

• “I’m sorry you feel that way.”
• “I want to do something but don’t know what to do, and I mean well.”
• “I am out of touch, and I don’t know what people are doing. My words and actions don’t hurt people; they help them.”
• “You cannot make me responsible for America. I am not responsible for slavery; nor am I responsible for my white privilege.”

This doesn’t do anything because it doesn’t bring up the issue at hand. They’re not willing to get involved in any way shape or form. It is time we stop protecting these white moderates and instead demand they take responsibility for their own racism and privilege.

Dr. King was correct believing the white moderate was doing more harm to civil rights than the obvious racist rhetoric. To make things clear here is a quote from his Letter from A Birmingham Jail which was written in response to a group of white clergyman who told him they agreed with his goals and principals but not in the method he was trying to achieve them.

“I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action”; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a “more convenient season.” Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection. I had hoped that the white moderate would understand that law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and that when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress. I had hoped that the white moderate would understand that the present tension in the South is a necessary phase of the transition from an obnoxious negative peace, in which the Negro passively accepted his unjust plight, to a substantive and positive peace, in which all men will respect the dignity and worth of human personality.”

“Sometimes a law is just on its face and unjust in its application. For instance, I have been arrested on a charge of parading without a permit. Now, there is nothing wrong in having an ordinance which requires a permit for a parade. But such an ordinance becomes unjust when it is used to maintain segregation and to deny citizens the First-Amendment privilege of peaceful assembly and protest.

I hope you are able to see the distinction I am trying to point out. In no sense do I advocate evading or defying the law, as would the rabid segregationist. That would lead to anarchy. One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty. I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law.”

Sixty-six percent Were Not Fans

A lot of people posting quotes from Dr. King think he was just a vibrant speaker and promotor of civil rights. He was, and much more. Dr. King was a very influential figure, but while he was alive and involved, 66% of Americans were not fans- even in the North! He was a radical labeled a communist pushing for civil rights to the boundaries of the law and beyond in peaceful protests and marches arrested 29 times in the process. He was deeply influenced by Gandhi who he learned about from his writings during a trip to India in 1959 and applied the Gandhian ideas when protesting peacefully. He petitioned for reparation to the descendants of black slaves to the tune of 50 billion dollars setting up economic and education projects instead of distributing the money on an individual basis. That would be over 461 billion in today’s dollars. He intended to include Native Americans with the fund as well. He spoke out against the Vietnam War when it was not popular to do so. He called out the evils of capitalism and corporations that exploit workers and cause poverty – evils that we still see today. As for voting rights, he led the fight not only for poor blacks but for poor whites as well who were being pitted against each by the aristocracy of the South. You can read the speech he made on voting rights at the conclusion of the civil rights protest known as the Selma March. Our God Is Marching On.

Ever since Dr. King was assassinated, conservative politicians love to use Dr. King as a shield for their own racist, bigoted views. By quoting him, they’re trying to win an argument. They’ll say something he said about one issue and apply it to something completely different – an issue where they want people to agree with them so they can win an argument. They will often cite MLK Jr.’s views on poverty and use them to support their own arguments, even though there’s nothing in the quote that actually supports their argument. For example, take the following quote: “the Negro is a man who has been forced into a social and cultural for which he is unprepared.” This quote was used by conservatives to justify their unwillingness to help African Americans living in poverty today. But if you read what MLK Jr. wrote and said about poverty over his lifetime, you’ll find that he never once thought it was acceptable for people to live in such conditions, and that it should be done away with as quickly as possible. And that’s just one example of how conservatives exploit MLK Jr.’s other views on politics and society to win arguments today.

Rewriting a Legacy

Here are some of the views conservatives have been twisting as they rewrite his legacy for their own gain and white moderates echo support through reposts.

1. Dr. King was pro-life. He was not. In 1966 he received the Planned Parenthood Margaret Sanger Award for his support of choice and family.
2. He was a conservative Republican. Dr. King had no party affiliation. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton were always at his side He was surrounded by leftists and progressives.
3. He was opposed to Affirmative Action. Since all of you revisionist conservatives like to quote him so much, “There needs to be a massive program by the government of special, compensatory measures which could be regarded as a settlement in accordance with the accepted practice of common law.” Understand there was no such program at that time so through the Southern Christian Leadership which was his organization Operation Breadbasket began. I recommend you read How Media Turned Dr. King into an Opponent of Affirmative Action
4. He hated Gays. False. The issue wasn’t talked about very much in those days. Bayard Rustin was a close friend of his who was openly gay. Rustin fought for civil rights and gay rights.
5. He supported free market capitalism. That’s why he was labeled a communist. That’s why the FBI wiretapped his home, offices and kept track of his every movement. That’s why he supported unions and redistribution of wealth.
6. The conservative “colorblind” and “content of character” rhetoric. When I see white moderates and conservatives invoking this by using a quote from his “I Have a Dream” speech, my skin crawls. They use it for every agenda that promotes and fortifies their social and economic protectionist policies. Otherwise, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act would have passed unanimously through both houses of Congress.
7. MLK would have been one of us. Excuse me. Where’s my vomit bag? If Dr. King was here today, he still would be labeled a Communist or Socialist and a criminal. It is a guarantee the conservatives wouldn’t be using his quotes. They’d hate him.

Progressives, Liberals, and even Independents need to reclaim MLK Jr. Letting conservatives co-opt him for their own agenda – an agenda that is about oppressing people not liberating them must stop Black history is not a convenient truth for the conservatives, so they distort it every chance they have. Not only black history, but the history of all minorities in this country. The white moderates staying true to form remain in their say nothing, do nothing parameters.

Because of Dr. King’s relentless and peaceful approach to the unjust laws of black segregation and voting rights, and being such a vibrant and powerful speaker, his quotes are the most likely to be taken out of context. There are quotes from people all throughout history that have been used as shields for their own arguments, but MLK’s words have been overused by conservatives who want to use his message as a way of distracting from their own racist views.

As the calendar moves past MLK Day, and into Black History Month. The same voices of racism and bigotry will be doing what they always do; posting quotes out of context, complementing the black achievements in the arts, films, music, and sciences, and voting just the opposite.

Direct Challenges

Voting the enablers of racism and bigotry out the door is not enough. The ones who elected them will elect someone else to fit their narrow-mindedness. It’s time to slap the parrots who repost and retweet these misquotes with the truth harder than ever before and expose them as supporters of racism and bigotry whether they do it knowingly or unknowingly even it’s on a one-by-one basis. Republicans, led by a race-baiting self-serving narcistic former US President in denial of his own defeat, are systematically targeting minorities’ ability to vote under the guise of voter corruption and irregularities that do not exist. Their goal is to ensure their continued hold on power and money. The harder they make it for minorities to vote, the easier it is for them to stay in office. They know the black and minority vote can make the difference. And yet they have no shame using Dr. King’s quotes out of context for their own self-serving reasons. As it was in the 1950’s and 60’s the white moderate continues to be the largest group of racism enablers as they sit in silence.