raetsel
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2017
- Messages
- 9,223
Martin Luther King was murdered 50 years ago today.
However his legacy lives on and even if there is still a mountain of social injustice issues in the USA today that remain unresolved, the transformation in terms of opportunities for black people, since King's death has been astonishing.
Who back then would have dared predict that a black couple would occupy the White House as POTUS and First Lady? Even more improbably, Barack Obama's candidacy was endorsed by the likes John Patterson, who, 50 years before, in 1958 with KKK support, defeated the then relatively moderate George Wallace in the Alabama gubernatorial race. Wallace afterwards rationalised his subsequent transformation into an uncompromising bigot by explaining, "You know, I tried to talk about good roads and good schools and all these things that have been part of my career, and nobody listened. And then I began talking about ni88ers, and they stomped the floor."
I'm not entirely sure what the lesson from that the history of the USA from then to now is other than that politicians will say whatever it takes to get elected. We see that all the time in Ireland and shouldn't be remotely surprised. So, if people want to change things, then it has to come from them. Politicians rarely lead from the front.
However his legacy lives on and even if there is still a mountain of social injustice issues in the USA today that remain unresolved, the transformation in terms of opportunities for black people, since King's death has been astonishing.
Who back then would have dared predict that a black couple would occupy the White House as POTUS and First Lady? Even more improbably, Barack Obama's candidacy was endorsed by the likes John Patterson, who, 50 years before, in 1958 with KKK support, defeated the then relatively moderate George Wallace in the Alabama gubernatorial race. Wallace afterwards rationalised his subsequent transformation into an uncompromising bigot by explaining, "You know, I tried to talk about good roads and good schools and all these things that have been part of my career, and nobody listened. And then I began talking about ni88ers, and they stomped the floor."
I'm not entirely sure what the lesson from that the history of the USA from then to now is other than that politicians will say whatever it takes to get elected. We see that all the time in Ireland and shouldn't be remotely surprised. So, if people want to change things, then it has to come from them. Politicians rarely lead from the front.