MLK and all of the "ism's" in the world
Martin Luther King day never passes without me noticing and taking a step back to reflect. Dr. King devoted his heart and soul to something so simple and so basic that it should go without saying, yet has plagued our society for it's entire existence. He resonates with me because he preached Thomas Jefferson's famous words "All Men are Created Equal" in a world where quite clearly all men were not treated as though they were created equal. It still causes countless pain and suffering and senseless violence and loss of life throughout the world. It quite simply is the largest problem we face as a society.
As long as their has been man their have been the "isms" of the world - racism, sexism, ageism, etc. People have always been treated differently because of their race, gender, religion, age, appearance, upbringing or about a million other things. Coming from an educated middle-class, white, Christian, male I haven't exactly been the biggest target of any of the "isms" in my life. In fact, other than a few asses who treated me like a five year old at my job because I was 22, I've been treated as fairly as a man could ever wish.
But I've seen SO many people I cared about treated differently because they were female or because they weren't white, or because their religious beliefs didn't align with the majority. We have come a long way in this country since our inception, in large part because of people like Dr. King. We are light years ahead of the rest of the world when it comes to race relations (in my opinion). Our generation (again, in my opinion) doesn't view color or gender barriers the same as our parents or our grandparents.
We are making progress, but it is not good enough. Dr. King was not fighting for something that's impossible in my mind. Equality is not some unattainable fairy tale. It is possible and it is very attainable. It is not too much to ask that we treat others as we would like to be treated. It's not too much to ask that each and every one of us abide by Mr. Jefferson's words from the Declaration of Independence. It starts one person at a time. If we all do our part our children will never experience the world Dr. King lived in, and will view the "ism's" of the world much like we view slavery today - as a shameful part of our past.
As long as their has been man their have been the "isms" of the world - racism, sexism, ageism, etc. People have always been treated differently because of their race, gender, religion, age, appearance, upbringing or about a million other things. Coming from an educated middle-class, white, Christian, male I haven't exactly been the biggest target of any of the "isms" in my life. In fact, other than a few asses who treated me like a five year old at my job because I was 22, I've been treated as fairly as a man could ever wish.
But I've seen SO many people I cared about treated differently because they were female or because they weren't white, or because their religious beliefs didn't align with the majority. We have come a long way in this country since our inception, in large part because of people like Dr. King. We are light years ahead of the rest of the world when it comes to race relations (in my opinion). Our generation (again, in my opinion) doesn't view color or gender barriers the same as our parents or our grandparents.
We are making progress, but it is not good enough. Dr. King was not fighting for something that's impossible in my mind. Equality is not some unattainable fairy tale. It is possible and it is very attainable. It is not too much to ask that we treat others as we would like to be treated. It's not too much to ask that each and every one of us abide by Mr. Jefferson's words from the Declaration of Independence. It starts one person at a time. If we all do our part our children will never experience the world Dr. King lived in, and will view the "ism's" of the world much like we view slavery today - as a shameful part of our past.
posted by Adam McFarland at
1/15/2007 10:01:00 PM
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