I apologize in advance for this being so long. I have never had the “do not use MLK’s ‘I Have A Dream’ speech as a message that we should not judge EACH OTHER on the basis one one’s skin color” exchange over the internet. It’s TOO LONG. But you seem like a decent guy who wants to get it right. (Also, I did not proof read so apologies again).
AGREED, and UNCHALLENGED: King is “in solidarity with white people who are in solidarity with the cause of fighting racism. He isn’t holding all white people responsible for the failures of the system. He even dreams of a day when former slave owners can sit on brotherhood with former slaves. He’s explicit about this.”
HOWEVER THIS: “…that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.”
DOES NOT MEAN THIS: King’s dream was that we would not judge each other.
I believe that WAS King’s dream, but this SPEECH was delivered for a different iteration. King’s “dream” — and by that I specifically mean this speech — was that whites would stop judging blacks, and that blacks use some act right when we see them trying b/c now they know they rise and fall with us attempt. That’s THIS dream.
HEAR ME OUT, as we do not disagree — do not judge each other by skin color. We do not disagree that King probably believed this just the same. Where we disagree is that those footprints are not HERE.
The specific point of THIS SPEECH — and I mean the entire point — was to (1) highlight the destruction of white hate, (2) set aspirational goals to mitigate it, and (3) temper the black community to not object those overtures. He excluded the “do not judge EACH OTHER” for a specific reason that we pervert when we put it back in.
FIRST, IT IS GASLIGHTING IN THE MOST TOXIC AND HURTFUL WAY.
It is like an abused spouse saying, at great risk to her, that spousal abuse can and often does kill. Thus, abuse should be taken seriously and ANY credible accusation of abuse should require that the accused be taken into custody for a mental health exam.
Then — on hearing that — her abusive husband takes that message, claims offense, claims HER “abuse kills” statement is abuse, then demands she be taken into custody for a mental health exam.
NEXT, SAYING WHITE PEOPLE IS — AT TIMES — AN IMPORTANT and NECESSARY DISTINCTION THE PERVERSION ERASES.
By illustration, while we agree that all people should, for example, take steps not to sexually harass people at work, the truth is that it is largely done by men. Upon multiple complaints of male to female harassment, it would be improper to bring in EVERYONE for the “knock it off” lecture.
In the same way it would be improper to bring in the bully’s victim in the “knock of the bullying” lecture from lunchtime bullying.
In the same way it would be improper to bring in the female cheerleaders after every single made basketball player made sucky kissy “hey baby I like your ass” catcalls when they girls did hand stands at the end of their routine.
Does that make sense? You want EVERYONE to act right, but to take an event about those players and then slather it around on everyone is a TOTAL disrespect to those women who were treated with complete disrespect.
FINALLY, IT RE-ABUSES THE ORIGINAL PROTECTEE: ME.
It re-abuses me to hear a message specifically shared to protect me used to counsel me on the possibility of hurting another the same way.
It, in fact, is very painful to have that experience at the hands of a white person, which is the most common application of this dream in the context of race relations.
I MAKE BELIEVE AND ARGUE AS YOU DO — DO NOT JUDGE BY SKIN COLOR — but I NEVER DO SO THROUGH KING’S IHAD SPEECH. This speech is off limits for that for me because it was off limits for that for King. I make it using other sources. That’s all I am saying.
Again, I am sorry this was so long.
