(JAI: As an aside to the below: The only reason Trump was 'successful' was because he said aloud what so many, too many, already had in their minds, on the tips of their tongue, ready to spew but held back by the 'political correctness' consensus that prevented their spilling out like what King said about Wallace: "His lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification" ( https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=King+said+about+Wallace%3A++%22His+lips+dripping+with+the+words+of+interposition+and+nullification%22 ). I "In other words, he allowed and encouraged these feelings to jump from the inside of their minds and vault into the national discourse." We were a bit dismissive of MLK in the late 60s chasing after a militant posture but no one articulated the needs and desires of the masses more than him with the possible exception of Mao.) The 11 most anti-capitalist quotes from Martin Luther King Jr. ( https://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/11-most-anti-capitalist-quotes-from-martin-luther-king-jr/ )
Katie Halper ( https://www.rawstory.com/u/khalper ) January 16, 2017 https://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/11-most-anti-capitalist-quotes-from-martin-luther-king-jr/ Published on Monday, January 21, 2019 by Raw Story ( https://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/11-most-anti-capitalist-quotes-from-martin-luther-king-jr/ ) The 11 Mo st Anti-Capitalist Quotes from Martin Luther King Jr. ----------------------------------------------------------------- The truth is, most politicians would distance themselves from Dr. King's stunning (and spot on) indictments of capitalism. by Katie Halper ( https://www.commondreams.org/author/katie-halper ) The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. waves to onlookers while leading the 125,000 strong 'Walk to Freedom' on Woodward Avenue in Detroit in 1963. (Photo: Tony Spina / Detroit Free Press) Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. To be fair, I guess I should wish “Sorry it’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day” to the people who don’t believe it should be a holiday and the politicians who voted against making it one. I’m talking to you ( https://www.rawstory.com/2015/01/9-sitting-members-of-congress-who-voted-against-martin-luther-king-jr-day/ ) , Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL), Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY), Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Rep. John Culberson (R-TX) and Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA). While both parties attempt to claim Dr. King, the Republicans have a much harder time doing so without distorting history and the truth. But the truth is, most politicians would distance themselves from Dr. King’s stunning (and spot on) indictments of capitalism. There are, of course, a few exceptions, ( https://www.rawstory.com/2016/01/is-bernie-sanders-really-a-socialist-and-how-could-he-like-denmark/ ) here and there. As we celebrate Martin Luther King Day, let’s look at some of the things he said challenged capitalism and are left out of most history books. * “ I imagine you already know that I am much more socialistic in my economic theory than capitalistic… [Capitalism] started out with a noble and high motive… but like most human systems it fell victim to the very thing it was revolting against. So today capitalism has out-lived its usefulness.” * * – Letter to Coretta Scott, July 18, 1952 ( https://www.huffingtonpost.com/obery-m-hendricks-jr-phd/the-uncompromising-anti-capitalism-of-martin-luther-king-jr_b_4629609.html ). * “ In a sense, you could say we’re involved in the class struggle.” * * – Quote to New York Times reporter, ( https://www.isreview.org/issues/58/feat-MLK.shtml ) José Igelsias, 1968. * “ 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 questions about the economic system, about a broader distribution of wealth.’ When you ask that question, you begin to question the capitalistic economy. And I’m simply saying that more and more, we’ve got to begin to ask questions about the whole society…” * * – Speech ( https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/social-justice/where-do-we-go-from-here ) to Southern Christian Leadership Conference Atlanta, Georgia, August 16, 1967. * “ Capitalism forgets that life is social. And the kingdom of brotherhood is found neither in the thesis of communism nor the antithesis of capitalism, but in a higher synthesis.” * * – Speech ( https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/social-justice/where-do-we-go-from-here ) to Southern Christian Leadership Conference Atlanta, Georgia, August 16, 1967. * “ Call it democracy, or call it democratic socialism, but there must be a better distribution of wealth within this country for all God’s children.” * * – Speech ( https://www.truth-out.org/news/item/21281-martin-luther-king-was-a-radical-not-a-saint ) to the Negro American Labor Council, 1961. * “ We must recognize that we can’t solve our problem now until there is a radical redistribution of economic and political power… this means a revolution of values and other things. We must see now that the evils of racism, economic exploitation and militarism are all tied together… you can’t really get rid of one without getting rid of the others… the whole structure of American life must be changed. America is a hypocritical nation and [we] must put [our] own house in order.” * * - Report ( https://kairoscenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/King-quotes-2-page.pdf ) to SCLC Staff, May 1967. * “ The evils of capitalism are as real as the evils of militarism and evils of racism.” * * – Speech ( https://books.google.com/books?id=HWqjxBEPPlEC&pg=PA209&lpg=PA209&dq=The+evils+of+capitalism+are+as+real+as+the+evils+of+militarism+and+evils+of+racism&source=bl&ots=HR3bZGU4EY&sig=GnvYDrnaLkIor5WkZQsTpY-1akM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=jPxAVey9MsbdsATJ54CgAQ&v ) to SCLC Board, March 30, 1967. * “ I am now convinced that the simplest approach will prove to be the most effective – the solution to poverty is to abolish it directly by a now widely discussed matter: the guaranteed income… The curse of poverty has no justification in our age. It is socially as cruel and blind as the practice of cannibalism at the dawn of civilization, when men ate each other because they had not yet learned to take food from the soil or to consume the abundant animal life around them. The time has come for us to civilize ourselves by the total, direct and immediate abolition of poverty.” * * – Where do We Go from Here?, ( https://www.drmartinlutherkingjr.com/wherewearegoing.htm ) 1967. * “ You can’t talk about solving the economic problem of the Negro without talking about billions of dollars. You can’t talk about ending the slums without first saying profit must be taken out of slums. You’re really tampering and getting on dangerous ground because you are messing with folk then. You are messing with captains of industry. Now this means that we are treading in difficult water, because it really means that we are saying that something is wrong with capitalism.” * * – Speech ( https://books.google.com/books?id=F7ljj_iyQcwC&pg=PA87&lpg=PA87&dq=You+can%27t+talk+about+solving+the+economic+problem+of+the+Negro+without+talking+about+billions+of+dollars.+You+can%27t+talk+about+ending+the+slums+without+first+saying+profit+must ) to his staff, 1966. * “ [W]e are saying that something is wrong … with capitalism…. There must be better distribution of wealth and maybe America must move toward a democratic socialism.” * * – Speech ( https://www.huffingtonpost.com/obery-m-hendricks-jr-phd/the-uncompromising-anti-capitalism-of-martin-luther-king-jr_b_4629609.html ) to his staff, 1966. * “ If America does not use her vast resources of wealth to end poverty and make it possible for all of God’s children to have the basic necessities of life, she too will go to hell.” * * - Speech ( https://www.truth-out.org/progressivepicks/item/28568-martin-luther-king-jr-all-labor-has-dignity ) at Bishop Charles Mason Temple of the Church of God in Christ in support of the Memphis sanitation workers’ strike on March 18 th , 1968, two weeks before he was assassinated. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. 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