Who is this "Martin Luther King" and why does he have his day off today?

[Al B. Sure!]

Albie, I guess my question is this.

Would Americans be celebrating MLK Day if he wasn't black?

He wouldn't be MLK if he weren't.

[Ben Kenobi]

He wouldn't be MLK if he weren't.

I don't see how his race is at all relevent. Nor is the whole concept of a 'Negro community'.

Not when the man preached this.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character

[Ben Kenobi]

Anyways, people asked me what the purpose of this thread is. I have to teach children - children who have never seen Dr. MLK Jr. I have to teach Vietnamese children, I have to teach hispanic children and yes, white children.

I have to answer this question - "why do we celebrate MLK Jr Day". Who was, Dr. King? And above all, the question, "why should we care?"

So, what is the answer Americans? You who grew up with this holiday? Is the answer because he was black, or is it because of what he taught - that everyone has dignity and value and their worth is not dependent on the colour of their skin.

THAT was his message. And this is my lesson plan for tomorrow. The exact same questions I asked you.

Thanks for being my test audience Apolyton!

[regexcellent]

JESUS CHRIST Ben, the fact that someone is black today is not a big deal, but in a society with open and institutionalized racism and racial inequality, it is a big deal. Shut the **** up.

[Ben Kenobi]

in a society with open and institutionalized racism and racial inequality, it is a big deal.

So the answer as to why you should care about Dr. King is because society used to suck and because of him - now it doesn't? That's not very compelling to people who haven't experienced any of this.

You've got to give his message - what he actually did say about society and how and why society had to change to get there. That is why people give a damn about him.

[loinburger]

I was always taught that we celebrate MLK day because he had a mustache - it's a day by mustachioed Americans, for mustachioed Americans. I don't know what his being black has to do with anything.

[Al B. Sure!]

I don't see how his race is at all relevent.

It was relevant. Yes, people of all races fought for civil rights and their stands should not be marginalized. Yes, it took a lot of courage and moral fortitude for white people to stand up, but it was not the same. I know white people were killed or beaten or arrested for marching and protesting, but there were benefits to them being white and fighting from the outside in, so to speak. At the end of the day, they were still white and were not victims of the system they were fighting against.

[Ben Kenobi]

It was relevant.

Not according to the man himself. He himself says, that what is relevant is the character - not the colour of his skin. This is why people remember him, and why his day is celebrated. Dr. King insisted that just because White people were white wasn't an excuse - everyone had a duty and an obligation to stand up. You had to choose a side - "neutral" wasn't an option. You were either with King- or you were against him.

Yes, it took a lot of courage and moral fortitude for white people to stand up, but it was not the same.

It was exactly the same. That is Dr. King's point.

At the end of the day, they were still white and were not victims of the system they were fighting against.

If it's "Black people day", and with a Black president, what do you think that little Vietnamese girl is going to say, "oh, I see. Black people have *their* day. Where is ours?"

Out of the mouths of babes.

[Al B. Sure!]

holy ****. somebody please protect the children from this loon.

[regexcellent]

HIS RACE WAS RELEVANT BECAUSE PEOPLE OF HIS RACE COULDN'T ATTEND GOOD SCHOOLS OR USE THE SAME BATHROOMS OR RIDE IN THE SAME BUS SEATS OR DO WHATEVER THE HELL WHITE PEOPLE COULD DO

AND IT WAS THE LAW

AND HE WAS A VERY WELL EDUCATED BLACK MAN WHEN THERE WEREN'T VERY MANY

**** it, I need to stop clicking "view post."

[Aeson]

I was always taught that we celebrate MLK day because he had a mustache - it's a day by mustachioed Americans, for mustachioed Americans. I don't know what his being black has to do with anything.

For a while in the 70's and 80's it looked like we had finally won equal rights for the mustachioed ... but it was not yet time for humanity to make that leap. In the 90's goats undermined the cause by giving the beards a convenient poster boy to point to and say "see, mustaches are well accepted already, no need for reforms".

[lolzman161]

Ben's posts are making my head explode. Please stop with the ignorance and use, oh I don't know, GOOGLE?!

[Ben Kenobi]

HIS RACE WAS RELEVANT

Then why was his message precisely the opposite!

BECAUSE PEOPLE OF HIS RACE COULDN'T ATTEND GOOD SCHOOLS OR USE THE SAME BATHROOMS OR RIDE IN THE SAME BUS SEATS OR DO WHATEVER THE HELL WHITE PEOPLE COULD DO

And why has this changed? Because he managed to convince black people that this was wrong?

[Hauldren Collider]

This guy is a quick study. Took me a couple weeks when I joined to finally tell ben to stuff it.

[Ben Kenobi]

How do you know it's a 'he?'