Dr. King is a hero of mine. I know that it sounds strange to hear this from a white kid who grew up as a Jew in suburban Denver since I cannot even begin to understand his struggles as well as that of the black community. The reason why I admire him is that even though Dr. King's primary message was freedom from oppression for African Americans, his decree can be extended towards all forms of injustice. He proved that if you fight for freedom against tyranny you can never be silenced even long after you have stopped breathing. Dr. King had the courage to stand and fight for what was right even though he knew it could end up killing him. Every day I see examples of his valor manifesting itself in this country and it is inspiring.
Dr. King would undoubtedly be proud of our brothers and sisters in the Arab world who are currently waging a bloody battle for their freedom against despotism. For far too long they have experienced unimaginable horrors; living in constant fear of brutal monarchs who cause an indescribable amount of pain in order to finance their gluttony and corruption. These peaceful protesters that stare straight down the barrel of firearms demonstrate an extraordinary level of courage. I wish Dr. King were around today because he could use the Arab Awakening to help us in the United States realize what real tyranny is. It is not government overreach as the Tea Party believes, nor is it corporate welfare as the Occupy movement argues. Real tyranny is an unrestrained exercise of power that nullifies our natural rights as individuals. We do not realize how lucky we are that our biggest problem is financial inequality.
That is not to say that financial inequality in this country is not a giant obstacle to prosperity. The unconscionable amount of wealth that the top 0.1% has is one of the chief reasons why the United States is experiencing so many problems. Dr. King's message of racial justice can easily be expanded to include economic justice. Take this excerpt from his "I Have a Dream" speech for example
But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity in this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.
While those in power try to distract us by bickering over non-pertinent issues, average American citizens understand that something is fundamentally wrong in our society and are beginning to fight for the ideal that Dr. King put forward. The growth of the influence of the Occupy and Tea Party movements prove this. Both are two sides of the same coin as they have identified the root of our problems: the convergence of big government and crony capitalism. This is the defining struggle of our time as it transcends everyday politics. I have no doubt in my mind that overcoming this American form of tyranny will result in a less polarized and much more prosperous America. However, it is important that we heed Dr. King's words in waging this battle
In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline.
This means no more name calling, no more bickering over semantics, no more hatred simply because someone believes something different from you. This country was founded on the premise that every individual is valuable but we do not have a society that reflects this. The amount we value an individual is tied too closely to their paycheck. The problem with this, as Paul Krugman pointed out this morning, is that "the size of your paycheck is strongly correlated with the size of your father's paycheck."
There is nothing wrong with making money in America or even admiring those who are proficient at doing so. The reason we admire people who have money is that we believe that they earned it through hard work and determination; they represent the successes of the American Dream. The problem is that the American Dream is becoming less of a reality. We are taught that anyone can move upward in our society simply by working their ass off. However, income inequality has reached such grotesque levels in this country that this is no longer true. How has this happened? As the Tea Party and Occupy movements have pointed out: the massive growth in the size of government has provided too many opportunities for those at the top to leverage their influence and limit the opportunities for those beneath them.
I hope that everyone in this country will take some time to reflect on Dr. King's teachings today. We are at a turning point in this nation's history and we would be well suited to adopt his ideals in our quest for justice. The past four years have been marred by intense bickering and hatred. We should use 2012 as the starting point in our quest back towards prosperity, or as Dr. King eloquently put it
With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
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