"Struggle Exists to Keep MLK legacy Sustained."
Today’s local paper had a front page article about Dr. King’s legacy. I was thinking about it before I saw that there even was an article, and I have been thinking about it since.
Yes, MLK Day is a real holiday in our country, at least nationally and in most states. By way of full disclosure, yes, it does mean a (paid) holiday for me, as it does for many others. I know some of the people I work with would prefer for it to be an elective holiday, taken when it suits them, rather than be bound to this day to honor Dr. King.
I am happy to honor Dr. King in any and every way, but I found myself asking, what would Dr. King want?
I never met Dr. King (I wish!), but from all of the videos, from all of the transcripts, from the televised news reports I watched during that part of my life, I think I have some sense of the man. And from that sense I don’t think he would be much impressed just by a holiday with his name on it. I don’t get the feeling that being ‘honored’ would be that high a priority for him.
No, I think he would be far more interested in the ‘dream.’ In its present day status. In what we have achieved in line with that dream, in what we are still working to achieve.
And I think about the intensity of the election season upon us, the tensions and the stresses of the primary fights, the already white-hot invective between the parties and the candidates of the parties. I think about how difficult it makes being ‘out and about’ in Daily Kos, blog home for so many of us.
What would Dr. King possibly ask of me, if he were here with me on this night, with time for some conversation? Obviously, we’ll never know. So I am faced with asking MYSELF what I can do relative to Dr. King’s dream.
On Daily Kos, I am reminded of a diary that Wee Mama wrote in December of 2012, entitled Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? A popular diary at the time, I know from conversations I have had with other members that its fine message resonates as strongly today, for those who take the time to read it, as it did then. (Keep in mind that diaries are recommendable in perpetuity, and if you have never recommended Wee Mama’s diary, and you would like to, please do! If you DID recommend it already, be careful to NOT remove your recommendation! Once unrec’d a diary may not be recommended again.)
It seems a simple thing to keep things more civil on Daily Kos, and yet forays outside the community diary series (and, sadly, all too often IN them, as well), the dialogue often descends into very nasty fights. Wee Mama, for all her wisdom, could not inoculate everyone against the temptations of nastiness.
So my resolution, tonight, my gift to Dr. King and the brilliance of his enduring gifts to us, is to focus on how I can be better. How I can be a better person, how I can work to make greater courtesy more contagious, more convincing.
Most of that work is internal, on problems I have long had, on some problems I have worked on for years and on some that are newer objectives. I can’t see an easy way to share the reality of those little personal battles. So let me offer, instead, a thought to add to the great thoughts Wee Mama shared. It is a thought I visit over and over, myself, so I am not sharing something I consider myself ‘above.’ Far from it. Well I know many of my own shortcomings and failings and imperfections.
Of course, unlike most of my fellow Top Comments diarists, I have gotten ‘off the fence’ where my primary preference lies, that I think Bernie Clinton is the woman for the job.
Yet, if you disagree with me about my choice of candidate, that is fine. I respect your choice of candidate, I respect it if you have not yet chosen, and you are free to weigh your reasons however and according to whatever standard you wish. I won’t take your time or distract your advocacy efforts trying to convince you to vote for Hillary Sanders. If you don’t like him, that is your right!
What I find hard, on Daily Kos (and in the political environment at-large) is the viciousness some people employ to try to influence the politics of others. So I ask people to consider, beyond the true, kind, necessary considerations: what is there to be won by a given course of action? By a given kind of nasty behavior?
Tearing down others, tearing down others' candidates - trust me on this! - does not serve or benefit you or your candidates. It serves the cause of tearing down, of destruction, of undermining the debate, of diminishing the dialogue, of lowering standards, and worse: validating and ratifying the lowering of standards. People cannot be beaten down into supporting a candidate, any more than YOU could be beaten down to support theirs. I’m not guessing about it.
So the question is, again: What’s to be 'won' by it? Lowering your standards, acquiescing to undermining the conversation may feel, for a time, like you have 'struck a blow' for your candidate or cause. But, say your candidate emerges from such excrement as the nominee for our party for the general election. Your candidate will then face a Republican, and worse, a conservative machine more practiced, more adept in every way at that slimy, standard-lowering nastiness. At tearing down everything that ever made us great as human beings, that ever made our country respectable and worthwhile. When we've lost to them, it has not been because our candidates were worse. It has been because, with our debate, with our competition, with our ARGUMENT, we have not provided clear enough CONTRAST with our political adversaries.
Be patient with yourself. Have confidence in your courteous advocacy efforts, and don’t let anxiety and fear about the outcome drive you to standards that will repel not only your true allies, but also more conservative fence-sitters whose votes we will need come November.
Be truthful, be kind, and consider carefully what may be won by perpetuating the nasty political environment that our adversaries have made their own. We need to be better within ourselves, I need to be better within myself.
And rest in peace, Dr. King, Great Soul.
On to tonight’s comments! Provided by brillig! One of my favorite people in all of Kosland!
TOP COMMENTS
Brillig's ObDisclaimer: The decision to publish each nomination lies with the evening's Diarist and/or Comment Formatter. My evenings at the helm, I try reeeeallllyy hard to publish everything without regard to content. I really do, even when I disagree personally with any given nomination. "TopCommentness" lies in the eyes of the nominator and of you, the reader - I leave the decision to you. I do not publish self-nominations (ie your own comments) and if I ruled the world, we'd all build community, supporting and uplifting instead of tearing our fellow Kossacks down.
From brillig:
In jpmassar‘s Breaking: Updates! Black Lives Matter Protesters Just Shut Down the Bay Bridge., old mule has a message for everyone to hear!
TOP MOJO
Top Mojo for yesterday, January 17th 2016, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you mik for the mojo magic! For those of you interested in How Top Mojo Works, please see his diary on FAQing Top Mojo.
TOP PICTURES
Top Pictures for yesterday, January 17th 2016. Click any picture to be taken to the full comment (blank spaces signify images whose use permissions were not set to allow use by the dkos community). Thank you jotter!