Monday, January 17, 2011

Reflecting on MLK Day







I like to celebrate MLK day by listening to nothing but Public Enemy's "By The Time I Get To Arizona" (which I guess is a little inappropriate considering what just happend in that state) for 24 hours straight.


When I'm not doing that I tend to reflect on the day itself. What it means, why we celebrate it and wonder if people in these harrowing times actually know or care anything about the man besides soundbytes from his "I Have A Dream Speech".


The reality of the day is that nobody really gives a flying fuck about Martin Luther King Jr. or his legacy. If we do then we have a pathetic way of showing it. Infact I am willing to bet that the modern world looks nothing as Dr. King would have envisioned it (Yeah I know the Boondocks already made a similar statement). This day really only exist as a means of giving the illusion that things have progressed.


Truth is (as I see it) black folks would have been better off in the long term by siding with a much more militant position as opposed to the movement that won out. By rushing into integration black folks were just sort of forced into adapting to a world that didn't work in their favor and from what I can tell taken advantage of by an opportunistic political/business establishment.


But I'm gonna shut up...I might get in trouble if I say anything more...

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