by Kaily Herd
Martin Luther King, Jr., known as one of the greatest leaders in America's history and a pivotal activist in the Civil Right Movement, has been brought up many times in the recent election on account of the heritage of our new president, Barack Obama. The real question underlying this past election is this: Has Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream finally come true? Has America pushed past its ignorance and looked past the color of people's skin to see who a person truly is?
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Martin Luther King's dream will not be fulfilled until people look at Obama and think first of not his race but of his accomplishments as president. Too many people, especially those of younger generations, don't look at Obama politically; they only look at him racially. Martin Luther King wanted people of all races to join hands in equality, but we are not yet equal. Racism lingers but is now in the other hand. More and more darker-skinned Americans are prejudiced. (Darker-skinned people can use any kind of racial slurs without being reprimanded. While if the shoe was on the other foot, court cases and punishment could occur.) Martin Luther King would not be satisfied. In fact, I think that he would be outraged to see the tables turned in such a manner.
All in all, Obama as president was a great moment in history, no doubt, but I believe his experience and political views were shifted to the side in his campaign. If Obama had not made it into office, most of the dark-skinned Americans would have been outraged by the 'racism' towards him, but there is no such anger for the light-skinned loser.
No, Martin Luther King has not yet been vindicated.
In reference to Martin Luther King's dream I believe that it has been both found and is still something to reach for. It is an amazing achievement to have an African American as president.
However, not all racism and equality has come to America. People still look at the Obama as a Black president rather than just a president, plus racism is still in the hands of White, Black, Mexican, etc.
Until racism has vanished almost completely or entirely, I don't believe Martin Luther King's dream has been fulfilled but that this presdency is an enormous stepping stone to his dream. The fact that this is our first black president is something to publisize but hopefully that won't be all Obama is recognized for. If that happens then we will be just that much closer.
I definately do not believe that Americans have learned to look past color. Barak Obama is still discriminated against for being an African American, as well as Martin Luther King Jr was.
Altough Caucasians and people of other ethnicities may still be prejudice, I agree with Brooke, darker-skinned people are also still prejudice as well. While we are called racist and everything, it is over looked when we get called "crackers" and such.
I believe Mr. King's dream has still not been fulfilled.
I definately do not believe that Americans have learned to look past color. Barak Obama is still discriminated against for being an African American, as well as Martin Luther King Jr was.
Altough Caucasians and people of other ethnicities may still be prejudice, I agree with Brooke, darker-skinned people are also still prejudice as well. While we are called racist and everything, it is over looked when we get called "crackers" and such.
I believe Mr. King's dream has still not been fulfilled.
I think there will always be some kind of prejudice as long as there is someone different to be discriminated against. Its a sad truth, but we have to learn to deal with it in society. I do believe that there is more tolerance in our society though, especially in the south. Half of my family is Italian, my grandfather came to America in 53, he knows first hand what it feels like to be discriminated against. People calling him names, not being able to get a good job. There is no cure for prejudice.
Martin Luther King Jr. would probably never want to see his name on a street sign in every town or city in America first of all(Joke).Martin Luther King's dream was never about black superiority or a race being more dominant than the next race. His dream was centered around the "White Man" and the "Black Man" sitting together and interacting as equals. Brooke brought a great point to view: that darker skinned or black people are now judged by a double standard. They are much more racist or prejudice than the average caucasian homo sapien.
Barrack Obama was partially elected on that double standard because it would be "discrimination" to not vote for him(That along with one of, if not the largest voter fraud instances in world history)aided by none other than our beloved Anti-American organization: ACORN.
Reading through everyone's comments, i found that all my opnions have, for the most part, already been expressed. I agree with Brooke completely when she said that racism is still a present factor in our society, but it is now in the other hand. Darker- skinned Americans are becoming more predujiced yet it is always the "white man" who is reprimanded for it. Whether a person is black, white, hispanic,etc. racism still occurs, and will continue to occur, just as Andrew said, as long as there are people to descriminate against. Racism in this election swung both ways, if you did not vote Obama then you were labled a racist, however there are citizens who voted for Obama because he is black, is that not also racist? Barack Obama's presidency is a very signifigant moment in history, but that is all it will ever be until our American society views him solely as a political leader and not a black man.
Therefore i agree that Marin Luther King's dream has not yet been achieved and until all races can live as one, it will never be. King's ideals are honorable and just and i believe now more than ever America needs to rise "from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood". However in order to do this all the races must cooperate, and that begins with not blaming one race for being more racial than the other, because we are all guilty of it.
I think that Martin Luther King's dream actually was fulfilled. What he wanted was for our country to have people of all races to be considered equal. I feel that they are. I know that most white people, being the majority, feel that they can't think of a black person as being a bad person, just because they're black. Either that, or they feel that a black person is a bad person because they're black.
Just because white people feel that way, it doesn't mean that other races aren't equal. Races are always prejudice against other nationalities, and yet a black man can stand proudly as our president.
I know I don't hate Obama, and even if I did, it wouldn't be because of his skin color. The only reason that I know I wouldn't like him would be because I didn't agree with his views.
I honestly believe, though, that Americans say they don't like Obama because he's black ONLY because they're too ignorant to know WHY they disagree with his beliefs. It's so much easier to say "I hate him because he's black", than "I hate him because he's liberal, and I don't stand for stem cell research, as he does." I think Americans play the race cards because they don't know of anything else to do.
I think there are so many different ways in which to be racist.. But racism doesn't mean that they aren't equal.
Other races than your own aren't equal in the subconscious minds of some, but in society and the corporate/judicial worlds, they are.
All King wanted was for common black men, or any other race for that matter, to have the opportunity to change other people's opinions, to get rid of the unnecessary hatred towards them.
If them "proving themselves" as capable of us has anything to do with it, then they most certainly have. Look at Obama. Look at Oprah, Tyra Banks, Rihanna, Chris Brown, etc. African-american, all well known and adored by many.
I think Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream has come true, legally. By that, of course, I mean that people, no matter what race, are given the same rights. This was part of his Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream because people are treated equally by the law but not always by others and society. So his dream has come true but to an extent because society still has to accept others for who they are and so I agree with Andy's remark that there will be prejudice as long as their is something to discriminate against.
I think Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream has come true, legally. By that, of course, I mean that people, no matter what race, are given the same rights. This was part of his Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream because people are treated equally by the law but not always by others and society. So his dream has come true but to an extent because society still has to accept others for who they are and so I agree with Andy's remark that there will be prejudice as long as their is something to discriminate against.
I think that America had actually realized its problems long ago and since overcome them. This election was not a turning point in racial history and civil rights, but simply one of the first examples of King's dream coming through. The election did not cure our country of its past, for that has been done long ago. The election simply proved it to us.
Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream is still in the process of coming true. People have not fully been able to look past color, but they are gradually accepting change in that direction. His dream of true equallity has not been established, though, we are well on the path.
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