I went to work during this (supposed) federal holiday — and I'm not saying this begrudgingly. I am not one of those people who gets upset when I don't get work off. I'm hourly and could use the income....Oh, I mean, I love my co-workers! (That too.)
I was just surprised that my Twitter feed, which I check regularly for industry news, was almost dead-silent about MLK Day. I think I saw two different news sources share links to a MLK Day protest and an article about the 50th anniversary of the 'I Have a Dream' speech. Oh, and the most viral MLK-post was @pornhub's disgusting corporate tweet "in honor of MLK" (see below).
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| "In honor of his death"... |
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| ....and the apology |
It seems to me like the word "race" or "civil rights" is mumbled, and the whole world covers its ears in frustration. Since when did we as a society get burned out by the most foundational (and necessary) fight on Earth — human rights?
There are three major inequalities in the world that people seem to acknowledge from a distance but will coldly ignore the moment you call someone out by name. People discriminated by:
- their skin color
- their gender (also tied to sexual orientation, because society maintains this idea that girls can only like boys, and boys can only like girls, etc.)
- their faith/nationalism (often the two are related)
A woman blogs about sexism in the workplace or in the entertainment industry (see: advertisements, television, music, etc.) and people roll their eyes at her. "That feminist," people say. "Why won't she shut up already?"
A Muslim journalist writes an article about the Islamophobia of America, and society is ready to denounce his credibility and question his "patriotism."
A college student goes to the school board to whistle-blow on the racist under-currents at her university, and she is silenced before the media even hears about it. She gets excuses, like, "Kids will be kids," and "Racism is such a strong word."
According to the United Nations, an estimated 2.4 million people are in forced labor at any given time.
- 1.2 million of them are children
- 43% are sexually-exploited
And then there is just racism in America alone, ignoring the genocide, war, and racism in the rest of the world.
In 2010, the U.S. Sentencing Commission reported that blacks receive 10 percent longer sentences than whites through the federal system for the same crimes.
And that's just a couple statistics about the racial inequality in the U.S.
50% of American minorities are non-white, but over 80% of retirees are white
Dr. King, a Christian pastor and peace-loving man, did not ignore the civil injustices going on in his own backyard. He took a stand for what was right and just, and he empowered those around him (who in turn, impacted their networks and so forth) to take a stand, too.
He encouraged peaceful activism and non-violent protesting to make a difference in the world.
Most of society rolled their eyes at him when he talked about racism, inequality, and his hope that one day color would not be a factor in how humans were treated.
Now, we live his dream, for the most part.
But now, we've grown complacent about something Dr. King once spoke so passionately about.
People forget that Dr. King was imprisoned.
They forget he was assassinated.
A peace-loving man, he faced friction, unpopularity, and the status-quo at eye-level.
Considering this superhero of human beings, why is he faintly memorialized in American society? His name graces street signs, memorials, and January 20th. But we recognize MLK Day as a day that we sometimes get off work or school.
"I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream."
-- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his "I Have a Dream" speech
Dr. King lived in more troubling times, I think, than we do today. But the fact that injustices that should have been eradicated decades ago still exist is still as frustrating. The point is to cling to the dream.
For those of you who vaguely remember what Dr. King's dream is, it is this:
That our children "will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
My last point is in response to the large faction of people who believe that race is a problem we've only made up in our heads, and who believe the problem would solve itself if society would 'get over it.' You are right, and you are wrong.
To quote W.I. Thomas, sociologist and attributed creator of the Thomas theorem:
"If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences".
So, what are you going to do about it?
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