Politicians LOVE virtue signalling. They will leverage any disaster, event or holiday to boost their perception to the American people.
Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is the perfect holiday for political leverage. Dr King fought for civil rights, a cause any politician can get behind. There’s absolutely no risk in supporting Dr King. Who can disagree with equality, right? Well, let’s quickly look at the holiday itself.
Voted on in 1983, MLK Day was made an official holiday. However, 112 congressmen voted against the holiday, including everyone’s favorite maverick John McCain. As of 2018, including the late Senator McCain, there were six congressmen still in office who voted against making MLK Day a holiday.
But hey, that’s all ancient history now! MLK Day is officially a holiday! Naturally, politicians wasted no time taking to Twitter to celebrate and reflect.
Both Donald Trump and Mike Pence were able to find cell service in Castle Grayskull to pump out tweets their interns cooked up for them. Democrats of course also took to Twitter, with former President Bill Clinton tweeting his respects and Kamala Harris even announcing her bid for the presidency on the holiday to honor the late Dr King.
So sure, maybe #MLKDay is a good way to score some easy political points, but if you’re genuine that’s not the worst thing in the world. But that’s not what this article is about.
This article is about why a majority of politicians who celebrate his legacy are frauds. This article is about sharing Dr King's beliefs beyond racial equality.
Make no mistake, the government hated Dr King and if he was around today he would still be hated.
Dr King was a democratic socialist who was pro-wealth redistribution, anti-capitalist and anti-war. Dr King did not just die fighting for racial justice, he was killed at a union strike fighting for sanitation workers rights who were underpaid and faced poor working conditions.
Dr King was called a communist by his opponents, a scare tactic the government has used for half a century to justify wars. The FBI became so concerned about Dr King's vision for racial, social and economic equality they began conducting covert operations to get dirt on him.
Titled COINTELPRO, from 1956 to 1971, although these activities surely continue today, the FBI used questionable and even illegal tactics to infiltrate and discredit leftist groups that fought for civil rights and were against the Vietnam war. The FBI even aided a far-right army called the Secret Army Organization with the intent of intimidating and assaulting those who were against the Vietnam war.
Through this covert operation, the FBI discovered Dr King had been unfaithful to his wife, an opportunity they seized. The FBI, pretending to be an African American supporter of Dr King, left a package at his door with tapes proving his unfaithfulness and a letter. The letter, which can be read in full below, calls Dr King evil and attempts to intimidate him into silence. The last paragraph is particularly chilling, telling Dr King he had 34 days to commit suicide or risk the tapes going public.
Yep, that’s our government.
It’s interesting, we learn a lot about Dr King in school, but looks like the authors of our history books forgot to include that chapter.
So why does all of this matter? Because nothing has changed. Republicans tell us we must hate Mexicans for coming to America illegally stealing our jobs, rather than blaming the corporations who leverage their desperate situation. Democrats tell us we must fear and hate Russia for interfering in our Democracy. Meanwhile, the US has a bloody history of overthrowing democratically elected leaders in foreign governments. Talk about election meddling.
And while we hate those who are below us economically and fear those who are different from us racially, our elected officials continue to serve corporations and wealthy elites who profit from never-ending war and paying workers starvation wages; just as they have since the 1950s.
The legacy of Dr King starts and ends as one of a civil rights leader for most. But Dr King was also a champion for the working class. While Dr King would denounce the racism that overshadows 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and likely be called, “Commie King” by Trump, he would also denounce the actions and views of President Clinton and Kamala Harris whose policy overwhelmingly targeted minority communities while corrupted elites grew in power.
So the next time a politician attempts to cash the #MLKDay cheque for a safe political score, ask them why they refuse to acknowledge all of Dr King's views, a man who not just stood up for racial justice, but economic justice for workers all across America.
Want to celebrate the life of Dr King? A Facebook post won’t cut it anymore. Do what he did until the day he was killed. Take action. The next time you see racism or sexism call it out. Call your representative and demand they start fighting for economic, criminal and climate justice. Join an activist group or start your own.
“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can’t ride you unless your back is bent”.
— Dr Martin Luther King Jr.
Follow me on Twitter for more articles, cheeky progressive commentary and wildly inaccurate NFL predictions.
