Monday is day set aside to remember a great man. It is a good thing that we commemorate the life of Dr. King. No American in recent history gave poetry to our stated ideals as well. I can think of none that deserve our veneration as much. (Bobby, we hardly knew ye.) King elevated everything.
But the holiday is too often celebrated as the day in which aging, rich, usually white, usually male, faux liberal, self-appointed history clerks lecture the rest of us about ‘social justice’ while – somehow – never mentioning sexism and homophobia. I’ve now listened to one too many lectures about Monday’s holiday, sat through one too many sermons, in which the second class citizenship of lesbians and gays simply is not mentioned. In which sexism is glided past as if it’s a sidebar in any discussion of ‘social justice’ – a phrase I distrust completely for the self-evident reason that the modifier ‘social’ is an unnecessary convolution. ‘Justice’ alone works just fine. Adding ‘social’ is an affectation and the sole purpose of this affectation is condescension.
In too many instances Dr. King has already been turned into a puppet idol we are meant to worship for a day, while feeling some random, free-floating guilt because the dream is not complete. There is still so much to do. The implication is that we are to continue feeling guilty for something that’s increasingly distant. If we actually celebrated King’s astounding success - and breathtaking it is, indeed – it would silence two-thirds of the faux liberal chattering class. Without condescension and a retrofitted version of guilt mongering, what would the late 1960s fantasists have to say?
I am fed up with lectures about inclusion that do not include me.
So if we are honest about the meaning of Monday’s holiday what we have to do is stand up and demand an equal place at the table for gay people. What we have to do is pass the Equal Rights Amendment. What we have to do is end corporate personhood and institute public financing of all elections so poor and middle class people actually have a say. What we have to do is demand equal marriage rights for every American. What we have to do is face the injustices of today head on and not get caught up in corrosive, dishonest and false nostalgia. There is much to do. The mass force feeding of flash card history so a particular aging demographic can still feel vital is not on the list.
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Thank you.
Wow, John, I hear you. That is exactly what we have to do.
Right On!! Glad someone finally said it.
ERA….Now!!
Applause!!!
Great post John! You speak for many of us.
Amen!
Huntsman is dropping out and endorsing Mittens. What a pity.
Wonder if he got a call from on high in Salt Lake City?
How many Mormons does it take to oust Obama? One.
Ah but i do i love my predictions coming to pass…so far batting 1,000 on GOP drop outs – with time frame. Cain before Iowa. Bachmann after Iowa, Huntsman before SC. Of course there’s nothing really hard about any of these predictions. But what the hey…it’s fun to get things right. Even easy things. The question now is who is next? Newt is ruining further his already ruined reputation – which takes some work. Santorum has no money but he could conjure some from the “Jesus squad” on the right. And even Rick Perry must have a limit to his tolerance for public humiliation. Hmmm. tuff call. I’ll go with Perry…He’s about to come in 4th in SC. Even he isn’t so dumb to keep going after that. Newt might be too arrogant to know he’s lost. Santorum could keep going just to make himself a leader on the fringe Right…which can be lucrative.
Sorry to see Huntsman go. He seems like a fine guy who really ran a bad campaign.
BRAVISSIMA, John. Spot-on!
Thanks for to everyone for the kinds words.
Great Post John. You do your best work when you’re writing from the heart.
And I too am sick of lipservice from the left and the downright in-you-face homophobia in the name of r”jesus” from the right. To think that in the year 2012 candidates can run for POTUS, Congress, State Houses and State Legislatures on an anti-gay, anti-choice/anti-woman campaig promises and inject religious dogma into their parties platform (and win or have a chance at winning) is a sad commentary.
Wish there was a “standing ovation” button or emoticon!
To paraphrase Groucho: “any club that would allow Me to join, is one I wouldn’t want to belong to, anyway”
Legal inclusion is critical to all of society, and is a civil right. But considering the so called ‘mainstream’ also includes the likes of Rick Santorum, Michelle Bachmann, and even our corrupt President, count me out.
An interesting article about inclusiveness and the African American church at Firedoglake:
http://pamshouseblend.firedoglake.com/2012/01/16/mlk-day-reflection-for-lgbtq-justice-in-the-black-church/
And thank you for including women in your list of the ignored because we are so often just a sidebar or a footnote. It’s like the faux progessives know they have to mention sexism as an evil, but let’s face it, their hearts aren’t in it.
Sullivan blows BO again: http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/01/15/andrew-sullivan-how-obama-s-long-game-will-outsmart-his-critics.html
Gag!
I support Obama and even I think Sullivan is a whore.
Since you support Obama, it would be interesting to know what ideals you actually hold dear — other than dropping by on occasion to insult the writer of this site, of course. We know you’re a firm believer in that esteemed behavior.
God bless you, Jay. (In a fight, I want you in my corner.)
ERA Now!
I feel your pain John. I hope this speech gets out IN FORCE to the GLBT community (you’ve probably already linked this)…..
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLFak0oy6cY&w=420&h=315%5D
Hillary 2012