So today was Martin Luther King, Jr. day, which for me meant I could drive up the interstate and not worry about traffic. You see, for most non-essential government workers/parasites, they had the day of, which meant that your property was probably safe for today. So the rim of insanity was a little less insane and therefore much easier to deal. The downside is that I didn’t have the opportunity to reflect on the reason for this day like so many of you who had the day off (although I suspect many of you were barely sober all day). So let me take the opportunity to lame it up a bit and reflect a bit on the nature of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s movement.
King was a man who organized an incredible movement that forced political change across the nation, especially in the Southern states. Here, segregation was not only encouraged, it was the law. Black people were forced to endure Jim Crow laws, which wasn’t much different from how the Nazis treated the Jews in the mid-1930s. King himself was able to organize a movement that was dedicated to non-violent resistance, something that is rare in the course of human history, especially given that it was a roaring success. These days, because of the efforts of King and others, if you so much as refuse to sell your house to a black person you will be put in jail. Now, I know that may not be what was intended, but it certainly is a full swing in the other direction.
Most large revolutionary movements usually involve violence. And while there was violence, it was largely directed at King and his followers and not coming from them. It wasn’t until he was martyred that black movements turned up the violence. It was unfortunate that such a thing happened since Martin Luther King, Jr. was a stabilizing factor in the black civil rights movement and for all intents and purposes a decent man. I suppose he knew that there was a bullet with his name on it, but that didn’t stop him either.
More significantly, King demonstrated that non-violent movements create more permanent and effective change than violent ones do. Compare his movement with his contemporaries like Malcolm X or the Black Panther Party. Neither can say they have quite as significance in the history of America than King has even though they all fought the same cause, the key difference in how it was implemented.
Over the years, many groups have tried to peg Martin Luther King, Jr. into some form of political ideology or another. If I had to guess personally, I would say that he was probably a Socialist or at least an economic Leftist with moderately conservative social values (he was a pastor after all). But that’s neither here nor there from where I stand. I don’t idolize King, despite my last few paragraphs gushing over him, I merely am an admirer of his methods and his root cause. From what I understand, he didn’t really care all that much for political ideology when it came to undoing the evil of segregation.
I think the biggest impact King had was that he demonstrated time and again until his death that you can counter the violence of the state without resorting violence yourself. What it really comes down to is having the integrity to defy them without regard for the end result. He spent numerous times in various prisons for his defiance of unjust laws and he was ultimately killed for what he primarily stood for. He stuck to his principles and brought about significant change in the United States.
This is what those of us who are Antistatist or just liberty-minded should understand and keep in mind in our own defiance. While I personally believe that violence against the government is legitimate in the defense of liberty, it is not the first option, nor is it the only option. It is only when all other efforts have failed should you strike back at government thugs who seek your property, maybe even your very life. Still, if you are looking for gradual and long-lasting change, non-violent defiance is the best way to go.