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> MLK does not rule out violent resistance on moral grounds, but practical ones. This is my point. People are quoting MLK in order to suppress or silence prote

by jahaja 6y ago

> MLK does not rule out violent resistance on moral grounds, but practical ones. This is my point. People are quoting MLK in order to suppress or silence protests, even though there's a vast difference between morally condemning riots and disagreeing on its effectiveness as a tactic. Also, importantly, this was ~50 years ago. How long should people have to wait peacefully for justice? Most of the progressive points of MLK have not been fulfilled.

rayiner 6y ago
No, people are quoting MLK to point out the destructive and counter-productive nature of rioting and looting. As to how long—given that the issue is logistics and not morality, indefinitely. Absent dissolution of the United States, there will never come a time when violent resistance becomes a more pragmatic solution than non-violent resistance. It’s a grim observation, but it’s worth noting that Jews lived peacefully alongside their neighbors in Poland for centuries, only to have their neighbors turn on them when Hitler rose to power. That is not to say we can’t make it better, but how much better it can be and what means we can use to make it better are circumscribed by the parameters of the human condition.
- jahaja 6y ago
  > No, people are quoting MLK to point out the destructive and counter-productive nature of rioting and looting. The same people would never ever quote him regarding economic policy, but cherry-picks the non-violent "order" perspective because it suits their interests. "I never intend to adjust myself to economic conditions that will take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few, leave millions of God’s children smothering in an air tight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society." Logistics? Indefinitely? Poland? What an absolute garbage post, especially coming from someone that firmly supports the status quo. Reap what you sow. This is a time for introspection. At some point peoples patience will run out. This should not come as a surprise. No pleads of "It's complicated logistics!" will prevent the disadvantaged mob from storming the Bastille.

by jahaja 6y ago

rayiner 6y ago

No, people are quoting MLK to point out the destructive and counter-productive nature of rioting and looting. As to how long—given that the issue is logistics and not morality, indefinitely. Absent dissolution of the United States, there will never come a time when violent resistance becomes a more pragmatic solution than non-violent resistance. It’s a grim observation, but it’s worth noting that Jews lived peacefully alongside their neighbors in Poland for centuries, only to have their neighbors turn on them when Hitler rose to power. That is not to say we can’t make it better, but how much better it can be and what means we can use to make it better are circumscribed by the parameters of the human condition.

jahaja 6y ago
> No, people are quoting MLK to point out the destructive and counter-productive nature of rioting and looting. The same people would never ever quote him regarding economic policy, but cherry-picks the non-violent "order" perspective because it suits their interests. "I never intend to adjust myself to economic conditions that will take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few, leave millions of God’s children smothering in an air tight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society." Logistics? Indefinitely? Poland? What an absolute garbage post, especially coming from someone that firmly supports the status quo. Reap what you sow. This is a time for introspection. At some point peoples patience will run out. This should not come as a surprise. No pleads of "It's complicated logistics!" will prevent the disadvantaged mob from storming the Bastille.