While listening to the presentation on Dr. King this week, I had the thoughts surrounding the his legacy and movement in mind. This is especially true in relation to the 2020 reaction to systematic racism. Ever since the murder of George Floyd, one of the main points that people have brought up is how they think Martin Luther King Jr. would view the current protests and the Black Lives Matter movement. To be honest, I kind of hate these types of questions where people try to assume what historical figures would say about the current situation. The reason I dislike this so much is because I think its a mostly useless exercise because contexts change. I know it’s a common to say that history repeats itself, and while there is some truth to this, I think it is an overused saying that stems from the natural human desire to simplify and categorize. I think it would be better to say that events and patterns emerge in a loose framework of history. Yes, there are many similarities between 1968 and 2020, but there are many details that are different, and these details are incredibly impactful in the way people form their beliefs.
This is why I think it is so hard to answer the question, “What would Dr. King say about 2020?” Would the fact that racism has persisted in strength more than 50 years after his death change his viewpoints? Would the fact that the opposition to the movement lies more in the population that believes systematic racism doesn’t even exist change anything? Would he even be happy with his legacy? The truth is that we don’t know. The people with the best answers to the issues of 2020, are the people of 2020, not the surmised opinions of past figures.
I really enjoyed your post. I too find it annoying when people try to find answers to questions such as what Dr. King would think of the situation today, because it’s impossible to answer. I think in a way it belittles the current situation by focusing attention on past events rather than discussing the situation at hand. I also agree with you disagreeing with the saying that history repeats itself. Similar situations arise, but it is foolish to simply state that history repeats itself because every situation is different and requires looking at it with a clean slate.
I agree with you that the question of Dr. King’s thoughts about the Black Lives Matter Movement and others is a hard question. After Wednesday’s lecture and discussion, this concept is what stayed with me the most. During this specific discussion, I began to think about what one of the presenters said about Dr. King’s frustration toward the end of his life. They explain that before he was assassinated, Martin Luther King Jr. began to inch toward violence, and this was built from frustration. Today, in 2020, this frustration still exists and has been heightened due to recent events and people that are incapable of excepting equality for those oppressed. I believe that Dr. King would be proud of Black Americans and those standing up for the injustices in society. He would be understanding of the long frustration felt from many and their need for action.
I couldn’t help but think about this as the question was asked in class. I agree that speculating on an individual’s response to today lacks substantial value. It seems as though it is technically just embodying what we hope that they would say, making that person into a champion of what we believe. Saying that Dr. King would have said something, or was beginning to feel something, or was considering using violence as the movement began to slow down and face greater opposition, is all purely a projection of the psychology of humans that we have learned through intuition and over time. If we believe that someone should react in a certain way, that is when we become complacent in our fight to change the way things are, and complacent in our hope that the future will not change.
While I certainly agree with you that the context of current situations makes this kind of reflection difficult, I think that there is value to be found in them. We can see this is true because even in King’s own time there were reflections on how past figures would view the present. Often the Founding Fathers’ vision for America was brought up in this context, as civil rights activists asked what they would think about their country that for hundreds of years did not act in accordance with the fundamental fact that all men are created equal. This kind of appeal to great figures’ opinions is powerful and compelling. If someone who is admired would most likely not agree with a current situation, then perhaps one should work to change the situation. Today, we can appeal to figures like King, who would most likely be very saddened by the current situation of race relations in our country, as a way to promote change.