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2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Again... "In Front Of His Staff" - MLK, Bernie Sanders, And Democratic Socialism... [View all]nc4bo
(17,651 posts)155. Found something really interesting, at least to me. IMHO, MLK's message evolved and more inclusive.
At least this is how it reads to me.
Your post had me up for a bit research while in the process, ran across this Huffpost (Black Voices) article from 2013 by Dion Rabouin (there's a few interesting links there) :
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dion-rabouin/martin-luther-king-capitalism_b_2506893.html and it all got me to thinking.
Only market capitalism solves the two major problems that face any economy - how to provide an incentive to innovate and how to solve the problem of decentralized information," said Prof. Gary Wolfman of Hillsdale College. "The reason there is so much innovation in a market system compared to socialism or other forms of central planning is that profit provides the incentive for innovators to take the risk needed to come up with new products."
Wolfman goes on to point out, "Over the last 100 years capitalism has reduced poverty more and increased life expectancy more than in the 100,000 years prior."
But capitalism doesn't work for the same reason Communism and socialism don't work -- capitalism ignores the fact that life is social. Perhaps more importantly than the existential crisis it creates is the economic crisis it inures.
Wolfman goes on to point out, "Over the last 100 years capitalism has reduced poverty more and increased life expectancy more than in the 100,000 years prior."
But capitalism doesn't work for the same reason Communism and socialism don't work -- capitalism ignores the fact that life is social. Perhaps more importantly than the existential crisis it creates is the economic crisis it inures.
MLK, Jr.
http://kingencyclopedia.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/documentsentry/where_do_we_go_from_here_delivered_at_the_11th_annual_sclc_convention/
I want to say to you as I move to my conclusion, as we talk about "Where do we go from here?" that we must honestly face the fact that the movement must address itself to the question of restructuring the whole of American society. (Yes) There are forty million poor people here, and one day we must ask the question, "Why are there forty million poor people in America?" And when you begin to ask that question, you are raising a question about the economic system, about a broader distribution of wealth. When you ask that question, you begin to question the capitalistic economy. (Yes) And I'm simply saying that more and more, we've got to begin to ask questions about the whole society. We are called upon to help the discouraged beggars in life's marketplace. (Yes) But one day we must come to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. (All right) It means that questions must be raised. And you see, my friends, when you deal with this you begin to ask the question, "Who owns the oil?" (Yes) You begin to ask the question, "Who owns the iron ore?" (Yes) You begin to ask the question, "Why is it that people have to pay water bills in a world that's two-thirds water?" (All right) These are words that must be said. (All right)
Now, don't think you have me in a bind today. I'm not talking about communism. What I'm talking about is far beyond communism. (Yeah) My inspiration didn't come from Karl Marx (Speak); my inspiration didn't come from Engels; my inspiration didn't come from Trotsky; my inspiration didn't come from Lenin. Yes, I read Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital a long time ago (Well), and I saw that maybe Marx didn't follow Hegel enough. (All right) He took his dialectics, but he left out his idealism and his spiritualism. And he went over to a German philosopher by the name of Feuerbach, and took his materialism and made it into a system that he called "dialectical materialism." (Speak) I have to reject that.
What I'm saying to you this morning is communism forgets that life is individual. (Yes) Capitalism forgets that life is social. (Yes, Go ahead) And the kingdom of brotherhood is found neither in the thesis of communism nor the antithesis of capitalism, but in a higher synthesis. (Speak) [applause] It is found in a higher synthesis (Come on) that combines the truths of both. (Yes) Now, when I say questioning the whole society, it means ultimately coming to see that the problem of racism, the problem of economic exploitation, and the problem of war are all tied together. (All right) These are the triple evils that are interrelated.
MLK, Jr.
http://kingencyclopedia.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/encyclopedia/enc_poor_peoples_campaign/|
Suggested to King by Marion Wright, director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples Legal Defense and Education Fund in Jackson, Mississippi, the Poor Peoples Campaign was seen by King as the next chapter in the struggle for genuine equality. Desegregation and the right to vote were essential, but King believed that African Americans and other minorities would never enter full citizenship until they had economic security. Through nonviolent direct action, King and SCLC hoped to focus the nations attention on economic inequality and poverty. This is a highly significant event, King told delegates at an early planning meeting, describing the campaign as the beginning of a new co-operation, understanding, and a determination by poor people of all colors and backgrounds to assert and win their right to a decent life and respect for their culture and dignity (SCLC, 15 March 1968). Many leaders of American Indian, Puerto Rican, Mexican American, and poor white communities pledged themselves to the Poor Peoples Campaign.
I'm not the most eloquent person in the world, hell I can't even keep my dresser organized so I thought I'd lay this out there since it fits in with this post. Perhaps others would like to discuss it.
Furthermore, The Poor People's Campaign/Poor People's March was very much inclusive and focused on poverty across various demographics.
It's going to take ALL of us working together!
We're all perfectly capable of drawing our own conclusions.
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Again... "In Front Of His Staff" - MLK, Bernie Sanders, And Democratic Socialism... [View all]
WillyT
Dec 2015
OP
I meant it's your gratuitous smear on WillyT. And not an answer to my question, either.
merrily
Dec 2015
#240
apparently some can't tell the difference from capitalism and what we've had for fifty-sixty years
roguevalley
Dec 2015
#36
The important thing is to find a way to smear Sanders, even though her sig line used to be
merrily
Dec 2015
#201
Only in your imagination so far. He does quite well in head to head polls with Republicans.
merrily
Dec 2015
#202
It is just not our capitalism that benefits corporations at the expense of the public.
LiberalArkie
Dec 2015
#44
Indeed. Old Milton Friedman would be very proud of today's D establishment party.
PotatoChip
Dec 2015
#180
And even laissez faire capitalism doesn't include corporate welfare, which we also have in spades.
merrily
Dec 2015
#203
Sanders has made a yooge secret of things he thinks government should do. Are you serious?
merrily
Dec 2015
#200
Frankly, I don't find the racism and bigotry displayed in the Stockholm Syndrome thread at all funny
SidDithers
Dec 2015
#14
Some like to label that which they don't understand or don't agree with as "racist", "sexist",
rhett o rick
Dec 2015
#217
If someone doesn't vote for a candiadte because a stranger on the internet made them sad,
Gore1FL
Dec 2015
#226
Couldn't be you and some others read that crap into it, and have been treating
merrily
Dec 2015
#205
Especially since he's driving traffic to a site that is virulently fascist.
Starry Messenger
Dec 2015
#137
If you can make a legitimate argument that Sid is an enemy of Dr. King I will donate $25.00 to DU...
DemocratSinceBirth
Dec 2015
#189
The Stockholm Syndrome OP was offensive and so is yours to suggest we don't understand . . .
brush
Dec 2015
#78
Racism as a psychological problem vs. Racism as a system of social control
Cheese Sandwich
Dec 2015
#40
I think you are just as guilty as anyone. On edit, not anyone. I am sure there are more racist...
Bread and Circus
Dec 2015
#142
A little bit, but more of it is because of social structures and learned behavior.
Cheese Sandwich
Dec 2015
#63
Well all evidence points to the fact that humans are fundamentally built for racism...
Bread and Circus
Dec 2015
#70
I think it's both. When food was so very hard to come by, people must have been reluctant to feed
merrily
Dec 2015
#209
No... You Just Have An Overwhelming Desire To Elect Hillary Clinton President...
WillyT
Dec 2015
#20
I think so too. I heard that it's pretty much over. The losing party just has to break the news to
bravenak
Dec 2015
#29
If you call me entitled without knowing one damn thing about me, I get combative.
bravenak
Dec 2015
#73
To put this as mildly as I can, Martin's words won't rehabilitate your reputation on DU.
MeNMyVolt
Dec 2015
#33
I don't take it as an earnest suggestion. It is sanctimonious crap and you know it.
Bread and Circus
Dec 2015
#48
"listening" to the words of MLK that are in this op, might be a good place to start
virtualobserver
Dec 2015
#55
exactly. that's why I called it out as th disingenuous crap that it is.
Bread and Circus
Dec 2015
#58
That's right! A two-week-old poster TOTALLY understands how reputations on DU work. (nt)
jeff47
Dec 2015
#64
Has been reading here daily for years, just like every "newbie" who boldly insults longtime DUers.
merrily
Dec 2015
#208
"I imagine you already know that I am much more socialistic in my economic theory than capitalistic
Cheese Sandwich
Dec 2015
#107
"The Uncompromising Anti-Capitalism of Martin Luther King Jr." by Obery M. Hendricks, Jr., Ph.D.
Cheese Sandwich
Dec 2015
#116
+1 Sincere, transparent is all I've ever seen from you, marym625--and that's a lot more than I can
merrily
Dec 2015
#214
This thread and all of his MLK threads are merely a continuation and a double down of his
bravenak
Dec 2015
#238
Found something really interesting, at least to me. IMHO, MLK's message evolved and more inclusive.
nc4bo
Dec 2015
#155
I was the alerter. 4 jurors support allowing a fascist site being linked here.
joshcryer
Dec 2015
#175
Oh, come on 1 (may I call you '1'?), can't you stop being so disagreeable long enough to learn...
randome
Dec 2015
#192
How are Martin Luther King's words misappropriated, are most blacks in the billionaire class?
Uncle Joe
Dec 2015
#212
Only African Americans can quote Dr. King? Is that where we are now? How about Ghandi?
merrily
Dec 2015
#213