[nabs-l] Stop Blaming the Economy & MLK JR. Rememberence & His View of the U.S. Economy
Joe
jsoro620 at gmail.com
Mon Jan 20 23:40:48 UTC 2014
I don't think MLK was against capitalism. I think his argument was about the
exclusion from capitalism of a huge segment of society on the basis of their
appearance and the injustice of it all in a country that was thoroughly
prospering under a capitalist system. My interpretation is that he read
communist literature, appreciated it for what it was attempting to achieve
but found it wanting. But, that is my own interpretation, and contrary to
what some may think, I have zero interest in forcing others to think as I
do. For whatever it's worth, blind people are still doing better in
capitalist countries than they are in socialist ones. But, no matter whether
socialist or capitalist, blind people were never chained, beaten, sold, and
hung. There are some principles we can borrow for our own cause, but Dr.
King's inspiration was primarily meant for the people who were feeling the
true brunt of injustice in such a blatantly public manner.
On a slightly related note, and I have no way of tying this to the purpose
of the list so please forgive me in advance, but if you haven't seen The
Butler, you should check it out. It's an excellent film that touches on some
of these themes.
Joe
--
Twitter: @ScribblingJoe
Visit my blog:
http://joeorozco.com/blog
-----Original Message-----
From: Robin [mailto:robin-melvin at comcast.net]
Sent: Monday, January 20, 2014 4:04 PM
To: jsoro620 at gmail.com; National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Stop Blaming the Economy & MLK JR. Rememberence & His
View of the U.S. Economy
Martin Luther King JR. in this speech was NOT focusing just on Blacks in
America, he was focusing on injustice for Poor People no matter what ethnic
group they belonged to. What I was trying to say on MLK Day is that he felt
capitalism was NOT a sufficient economic system for America primarily
because it left people out in the cold. I suggest that you read the MLK 1967
"Where do we go from here" speech again.
At 09:26 AM 1/20/2014, you wrote:
>Anyone who thinks the struggles of the collective blind are remotely
>similar to the struggles of African-Americans is severely misguided. It
>is true that blind people are discriminated for being perceived as
>helpless, but African-Americans face, and in some cases continue to
>face, discrimination for being thought of as less than human. I think
>Martin Luther King would have appreciated laws that would have
>protected his people from employment discrimination. I think he would
>have loved laws that intercede in the interest of a child's equal
>educational opportunities. We may not have always counted on Braille
>bathroom labels, but we have certainly enjoyed equal access to them.
>Similarly, we may not count on these laws and policies always working,
>but the privileges we enjoy have always surpassed the disadvantages of
>a lot of other underserved and vulnerable populations. And yet, despite
>the challenges African-Americans faced, MLK used this very same speech
>you share to promote the hard work African-Americans were doing to
>build housing and create jobs throughout a troubled region traditionally
rallied against them. If anything, you prove the point that it can be done.
>It seems grossly incompetent to pretend the challenges of a population
>that can receive monthly checks, special transportation, special hiring
>authorities, and in some cases free college tuition are anything like
>the struggles of our African-American peers.
>
>Joe
>
>--
>Twitter: @ScribblingJoe
>
>Visit my blog:
>http://joeorozco.com/blog
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Robin [mailto:robin-melvin at comcast.net]
>Sent: Monday, January 20, 2014 12:38 AM
>To: jsoro620 at gmail.com; National Association of Blind Students mailing
>list
>Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Stop Blaming the Economy & MLK JR. Rememberence &
>His View of the U.S. Economy
>
>In the words of the GREAT Martin luther King JR.
>(MLK JR.), I give you this as my response to your EMAIL post. Read it.
>
>
>you are always telling us to
>
>lift ourselves by our own bootstraps, and yet we are being robbed every
day.
>Put something back in the ghetto." So along with our demand for jobs,
>we said,
>
>"We also demand that you put money in the Negro savings and loan
>association and that you take ads, advertise, in the Cleveland Call &
>Post, the Negro
>
>newspaper." So along with the new jobs, Sealtest has now deposited
>thousands of dollars in the Negro bank of Cleveland and has already
>started taking ads
>
>in the Negro newspaper in that city. This is the power of Operation
>Breadbasket. [applause]
>
>
>
>Now, for fear that you may feel that it's limited to Chicago and
>Cleveland, let me say to you that we've gotten even more than that. In
>Atlanta, Georgia,
>
>Breadbasket has been equally successful in the South. Here the emphasis
>has been divided between governmental employment and private industry.
>And while
>
>I do not have time to go into the details, I want to commend the men
>who have been working with it
>here: the Reverend Bennett, the Reverend Joe Boone,
>
>the Reverend J. C. Ward, Reverend Dorsey, Reverend Greer, and I could
>go on down the line, and they have stood up along with all of the other
>ministers.
>
>But here is the story that's not printed in the newspapers in Atlanta:
>as a result of Operation Breadbasket, over the last three years, we
>have added about
>
>twenty-five million dollars of new income to the Negro community every
>year. [applause]
>
>
>
>Now as you know, Operation Breadbasket has now gone national in the
>sense that we had a national conference in Chicago and agreed to launch
>a nationwide
>
>program, which you will hear more about.
>
>
>
>Finally, SCLC has entered the field of housing.
>Under the leadership of attorney James Robinson, we have already
>contracted to build 152 units of low-income
>
>housing with apartments for the elderly on a choice downtown Atlanta
>site under the sponsorship of Ebenezer Baptist Church. This is the
>first project [applause],
>
>this is the first project of a proposed southwide Housing Development
>Corporation which we hope to develop in conjunction with SCLC, and
>through this corporation
>
>we hope to build housing from Mississippi to North Carolina using Negro
>workmen, Negro architects, Negro attorneys, and Negro financial
>institutions throughout.
>
>And it is our feeling that in the next two or three years, we can build
>right here in the South forty million dollars worth of new housing for
>Negroes,
>
>and with millions and millions of dollars in income coming to the Negro
>community. [applause]
>
>
>
>Now there are many other things that I could tell you, but time is
>passing. This, in short, is an account of SCLC's work over the last
>year. It is a record
>
>of which we can all be proud.
>
>
>
>With all the struggle and all the achievements, we must face the fact,
>however, that the Negro still lives in the basement of the Great
>Society. He is
>
>still at the bottom, despite the few who have penetrated to slightly
>higher levels. Even where the door has been forced partially open,
>mobility for the
>
>Negro is still sharply restricted. There is often no bottom at which to
>start, and when there is there's almost no room at the top. In
>consequence, Negroes
>
>are still impoverished aliens in an affluent society. They are too poor
>even to rise with the society, too impoverished by the ages to be able
>to ascend
>
>by using their own resources. And the Negro did not do this himself; it
>was done to him. For more than half of his American history, he was
>enslaved. Yet,
>
>he built the spanning bridges and the grand mansions, the sturdy docks
>and stout factories of the South. His unpaid labor made cotton "King"
>and established
>
>America as a significant nation in international commerce. Even after
>his release from chattel slavery, the nation grew over him, submerging
>him. It became
>
>the richest, most powerful society in the history of man, but it left
>the Negro far behind.
>
>
>
>And so we still have a long, long way to go before we reach the
>promised land of freedom.
>Yes, we have left the dusty soils of Egypt, and we have crossed
>
>a Red Sea that had for years been hardened by a long and piercing
>winter of massive resistance, but before we reach the majestic shores
>of the promised
>
>land, there will still be gigantic mountains of opposition ahead and
>prodigious hilltops of injustice. (Yes, That's right) We still need
>some Paul Revere
>
>of conscience to alert every hamlet and every village of America that
>revolution is still at hand. Yes, we need a chart; we need a compass;
>indeed, we
>
>need some North Star to guide us into a future shrouded with
>impenetrable uncertainties.
>
>
>
>Now, in order to answer the question, "Where do we go from here?" which
>is our theme, we must first honestly recognize where we are now. When
>the Constitution
>
>was written, a strange formula to determine taxes and representation
>declared that the Negro was sixty percent of a person. Today another
>curious formula
>
>seems to declare he is fifty percent of a person.
>Of the good things in life, the Negro has approximately one half those
>of whites. Of the bad things of
>
>life, he has twice those of whites. Thus, half of all Negroes live in
>substandard housing. And Negroes have half the income of whites. When
>we turn to
>
>the negative experiences of life, the Negro has a double share: There
>are twice as many unemployed; the rate of infant mortality among
>Negroes is double
>
>that of whites; and there are twice as many Negroes dying in Vietnam as
>whites in proportion to their size in the population. (Yes) [applause]
>
>
>
>In other spheres, the figures are equally alarming. In elementary
>schools, Negroes lag one to three years behind whites, and their
>segregated schools (Yeah)
>
>receive substantially less money per student than the white schools.
>(Those schools) One-twentieth as many Negroes as whites attend college.
>Of employed
>
>Negroes, seventy-five percent hold menial jobs. This is where we are.
>
>
>
>Where do we go from here? First, we must massively assert our dignity
>and worth. We must stand up amid a system that still oppresses us and
>develop an
>
>unassailable and majestic sense of values. We must no longer be ashamed
>of being black. (All
>right) The job of arousing manhood within a people that have
>
>been taught for so many centuries that they are nobody is not easy.
>
>
>
>Even semantics have conspired to make that which is black seem ugly and
>degrading. (Yes) In Roget's Thesaurus there are some 120 synonyms for
>blackness
>
>and at least sixty of them are offensive, such words as blot, soot,
>grim, devil, and foul. And there are some 134 synonyms for whiteness
>and all are favorable,
>
>expressed in such words as purity, cleanliness, chastity, and
>innocence. A white lie is better than a black lie. (Yes) The most
>degenerate member of a
>
>family is the "black sheep." (Yes) Ossie Davis has suggested that maybe
>the English language should be reconstructed so that teachers will not
>be forced
>
>to teach the Negro child sixty ways to despise himself, and thereby
>perpetuate his false sense of inferiority, and the white child 134 ways
>to adore himself,
>
>and thereby perpetuate his false sense of superiority. [applause] The
>tendency to ignore the Negro's contribution to American life and strip
>him of his
>
>personhood is as old as the earliest history books and as contemporary
>as the morning's newspaper. (Yes)
>
>
>
>To offset this cultural homicide, the Negro must rise up with an
>affirmation of his own Olympian manhood. (Yes) Any movement for the
>Negro's freedom that
>
>overlooks this necessity is only waiting to be buried. (Yes) As long as
>the mind is enslaved, the body can never be free. (Yes) Psychological
>freedom,
>
>a firm sense of self-esteem, is the most powerful weapon against the
>long night of physical slavery. No Lincolnian Emancipation
>Proclamation, no Johnsonian
>
>civil rights bill can totally bring this kind of freedom. The Negro
>will only be free when he reaches down to the inner depths of his own
>being and signs
>
>with the pen and ink of assertive manhood his own emancipation
>proclamation. And with a spirit straining toward true self-esteem, the
>Negro must boldly
>
>throw off the manacles of self-abnegation and say to himself and to the
>world, "I am somebody. (Oh
>yeah) I am a person. I am a man with dignity and honor.
>
>(Go ahead) I have a rich and noble history, however painful and
>exploited that history has been. Yes, I was a slave through my
>foreparents (That's right),
>
>and now I'm not ashamed of that. I'm ashamed of the people who were so
>sinful to make me a slave." (Yes sir) Yes [applause], yes, we must
>stand up and
>
>say, "I'm black (Yes sir), but I'm black and beautiful." (Yes) This
>[applause], this self-affirmation is the black man's need, made
>compelling (All right)
>
>by the white man's crimes against him. (Yes)
>
>
>
>Now another basic challenge is to discover how to organize our strength
>in to economic and political power. Now no one can deny that the Negro
>is in dire
>
>need of this kind of legitimate power. Indeed, one of the great
>problems that the Negro confronts is his lack of power. From the old
>plantations of the
>
>South to the newer ghettos of the North, the Negro has been confined to
>a life of voicelessness (That's true) and powerlessness. (So true)
>Stripped of
>
>the right to make decisions concerning his life and destiny he has been
>subject to the authoritarian and sometimes whimsical decisions of the
>white power
>
>structure. The plantation and the ghetto were created by those who had
>power, both to confine those who had no power and to perpetuate their
>powerlessness.
>
>Now the problem of transforming the ghetto, therefore, is a problem of
>power, a confrontation between the forces of power demanding change and
>the forces
>
>of power dedicated to the preserving of the status quo. Now, power
>properly understood is nothing but the ability to achieve purpose. It
>is the strength
>
>required to bring about social, political, and economic change. Walter
>Reuther defined power one day. He said, "Power is the ability of a
>labor union like
>
>UAW to make the most powerful corporation in the world, General Motors,
>say, 'Yes' when it wants to say 'No.' That's power." [applause]
>
>
>
>Now a lot of us are preachers, and all of us have our moral convictions
>and concerns, and so often we have problems with power. But there is
>nothing wrong
>
>with power if power is used correctly.
>
>
>
>You see, what happened is that some of our philosophers got off base.
>And one of the great problems of history is that the concepts of love
>and power have
>
>usually been contrasted as opposites, polar opposites, so that love is
>identified with a resignation of power, and power with a denial of
>love. It was
>
>this misinterpretation that caused the
>philosopher Nietzsche, who was a philosopher of the will to power, to
>reject the Christian concept of love. It was
>
>this same misinterpretation which induced Christian theologians to
>reject Nietzsche's philosophy of the will to power in the name of the
>Christian idea
>
>of love.
>
>
>
>Now, we got to get this thing right. What is needed is a realization
>that power without love is reckless and abusive, and that love without
>power is sentimental
>
>and anemic. (Yes) Power at its best [applause], power at its best is
>love (Yes) implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best
>is love correcting
>
>everything that stands against love. (Speak) And this is what we must
>see as we move on.
>
>
>
>Now what has happened is that we've had it wrong and mixed up in our
>country, and this has led Negro Americans in the past to seek their
>goals through
>
>love and moral suasion devoid of power, and white Americans to seek
>their goals through power devoid of love and conscience. It is leading
>a few extremists
>
>today to advocate for Negroes the same
>destructive and conscienceless power that they have justly abhorred in
>whites. It is precisely this collision of
>
>immoral power with powerless morality which constitutes the major
>crisis of our times. (Yes)
>
>
>
>Now we must develop progress, or rather, a program-and I can't stay on
>this long-that will drive the nation to a guaranteed annual income.
>Now, early in
>
>the century this proposal would have been greeted with ridicule and
>denunciation as destructive of initiative and responsibility. At that
>time economic
>
>status was considered the measure of the individual's abilities and
>talents. And in the thinking of that day, the absence of worldly goods
>indicated a
>
>want of industrious habits and moral fiber. We've come a long way in
>our understanding of human motivation and of the blind operation of our
>economic system.
>
>Now we realize that dislocations in the market operation of our economy
>and the prevalence of discrimination thrust people into idleness and
>bind them
>
>in constant or frequent unemployment against their will. The poor are
>less often dismissed, I hope, from our conscience today by being
>branded as inferior
>
>and incompetent. We also know that no matter how dynamically the
>economy develops and expands, it does not eliminate all poverty.
>
>
>
>The problem indicates that our emphasis must be
>twofold: We must create full employment, or we must create incomes.
>People must be made consumers by one
>
>method or the other. Once they are placed in this position, we need to
>be concerned that the potential of the individual is not wasted. New
>forms of work
>
>that enhance the social good will have to be devised for those for whom
>traditional jobs are not available. In 1879 Henry George anticipated
>this state
>
>of affairs when he wrote in Progress and Poverty:
>
>
>
>The fact is that the work which improves the condition of mankind, the
>work which extends knowledge and increases power and enriches
>literature and elevates
>
>thought, is not done to secure a living. It is not the work of slaves
>driven to their tasks either by the, that of a taskmaster or by animal
>necessities.
>
>It is the work of men who somehow find a form of work that brings a
>security for its own sake and a state of society where want is
>abolished.
>
>
>
>Work of this sort could be enormously increased, and we are likely to
>find that the problem of housing, education, instead of preceding the
>elimination
>
>of poverty, will themselves be affected if poverty is first abolished.
>The poor, transformed into purchasers, will do a great deal on their
>own to alter
>
>housing decay. Negroes, who have a double disability, will have a
>greater effect on discrimination when they have the additional weapon
>of cash to use
>
>in their struggle.
>
>
>
>Beyond these advantages, a host of positive psychological changes
>inevitably will result from widespread economic security. The dignity
>of the individual
>
>will flourish when the decisions concerning his life are in his own
>hands, when he has the assurance that his income is stable and certain,
>and when he
>
>knows that he has the means to seek
>self-improvement. Personal conflicts between husband, wife, and
>children will diminish when the unjust measurement
>
>of human worth on a scale of dollars is eliminated.
>
>
>
>Now, our country can do this. John Kenneth Galbraith said that a
>guaranteed annual income could be done for about twenty billion dollars
>a year. And I
>
>say to you today, that if our nation can spend thirty-five billion
>dollars a year to fight an unjust, evil war in Vietnam, and twenty
>billion dollars to
>
>put a man on the moon, it can spend billions of dollars to put God's
>children on their own two feet right here on earth. [applause]
>
>
>
>Now, let me rush on to say we must reaffirm our commitment to
>nonviolence. And I want to stress this. The futility of violence in the
>struggle for racial
>
>justice has been tragically etched in all the recent Negro riots. Now,
>yesterday, I tried to analyze the riots and deal with the causes for
>them. Today
>
>I want to give the other side. There is something painfully sad about a
>riot. One sees screaming youngsters and angry adults fighting
>hopelessly and aimlessly
>
>against impossible odds. (Yeah) And deep down within them, you perceive
>a desire for self-destruction, a kind of suicidal longing. (Yes)
>
>
>
>Occasionally, Negroes contend that the 1965 Watts riot and the other
>riots in various cities represented effective civil rights action. But
>those who express
>
>this view always end up with stumbling words when asked what concrete
>gains have been won as a result. At best, the riots have produced a
>little additional
>
>anti-poverty money allotted by frightened government officials and a
>few water sprinklers to cool the children of the ghettos. It is
>something like improving
>
>the food in the prison while the people remain securely incarcerated
>behind bars. (That's right) Nowhere have the riots won any concrete
>improvement such
>
>as have the organized protest demonstrations.
>
>
>
>And when one tries to pin down advocates of violence as to what acts
>would be effective, the answers are blatantly illogical. Sometimes they
>talk of overthrowing
>
>racist state and local governments and they talk about guerrilla
>warfare. They fail to see that no internal revolution has ever
>succeeded in overthrowing
>
>a government by violence unless the government had already lost the
>allegiance and effective control of its armed forces. Anyone in his
>right mind knows
>
>that this will not happen in the United States.
>In a violent racial situation, the power structure has the local
>police, the state troopers, the National
>
>Guard, and finally, the army to call on, all of which are predominantly
>white. (Yes) Furthermore, few, if any, violent revolutions have been
>successful
>
>unless the violent minority had the sympathy and support of the
>non-resisting majority. Castro may have had only a few Cubans actually
>fighting with him
>
>and up in the hills (Yes), but he would have never overthrown the
>Batista regime unless he had had the sympathy of the vast majority of
>Cuban people. It
>
>is perfectly clear that a violent revolution on the part of American
>blacks would find no sympathy and support from the white population and
>very little
>
>from the majority of the Negroes themselves.
>
>
>
>This is no time for romantic illusions and empty philosophical debates
>about freedom. This is a time for action. (All right) What is needed is
>a strategy
>
>for change, a tactical program that will bring the Negro into the
>mainstream of American life as quickly as possible. So far, this has
>only been offered
>
>by the nonviolent movement. Without recognizing this we will end up
>with solutions that don't solve, answers that don't answer, and
>explanations that don't
>
>explain. [applause]
>
>
>
>And so I say to you today that I still stand by nonviolence. (Yes) And
>I am still convinced [applause], and I'm still convinced that it is the
>most potent
>
>weapon available to the Negro in his struggle for justice in this country.
>
>
>
>And the other thing is, I'm concerned about a better world. I'm
>concerned about justice; I'm concerned about brotherhood; I'm concerned
>about truth. (That's
>
>right) And when one is concerned about that, he can never advocate
>violence. For through violence you may murder a murderer, but you can't
>murder murder.
>
>(Yes) Through violence you may murder a liar, but you can't establish
>truth. (That's right) Through violence you may murder a hater, but you
>can't murder
>
>hate through violence. (All right, That's right) Darkness cannot put
>out darkness; only light can do that. [applause]
>
>
>
>And I say to you, I have also decided to stick with love, for I know
>that love is ultimately the only answer to mankind's problems. (Yes)
>And I'm going
>
>to talk about it everywhere I go. I know it isn't popular to talk about
>it in some circles today.
>(No) And I'm not talking about emotional bosh when I
>
>talk about love; I'm talking about a strong, demanding love. (Yes) For
>I have seen too much hate. (Yes) I've seen too much hate on the faces
>of sheriffs
>
>in the South. (Yeah) I've seen hate on the faces of too many Klansmen
>and too many White Citizens Councilors in the South to want to hate,
>myself, because
>
>every time I see it, I know that it does something to their faces and
>their personalities, and I say to myself that hate is too great a
>burden to bear.
>
>(Yes, That's right) I have decided to love.
>[applause] If you are seeking the highest good, I think you can find it
>through love. And the beautiful thing
>
>is that we aren't moving wrong when we do it, because John was right,
>God is love. (Yes) He who hates does not know God, but he who loves has
>the key that
>
>unlocks the door to the meaning of ultimate reality.
>
>
>
>And so I say to you today, my friends, that you may be able to speak
>with the tongues of men and angels (All right); you may have the
>eloquence of articulate
>
>speech; but if you have not love, it means nothing. (That's right) Yes,
>you may have the gift of prophecy; you may have the gift of scientific
>prediction
>
>(Yes sir) and understand the behavior of molecules (All right); you may
>break into the storehouse of nature (Yes sir) and bring forth many new
>insights;
>
>yes, you may ascend to the heights of academic achievement (Yes sir) so
>that you have all knowledge (Yes sir, Yes); and you may boast of your
>great institutions
>
>of learning and the boundless extent of your degrees; but if you have
>not love, all of these mean absolutely nothing. (Yes) You may even give
>your goods
>
>to feed the poor (Yes sir); you may bestow great gifts to charity
>(Speak); and you may tower high in philanthropy; but if you have not
>love, your charity
>
>means nothing. (Yes sir) You may even give your body to be burned and
>die the death of a martyr, and your spilt blood may be a symbol of
>honor for generations
>
>yet unborn, and thousands may praise you as one of history's greatest
>heroes; but if you have not love (Yes, All right), your blood was spilt
>in vain.
>
>What I'm trying to get you to see this morning is that a man may be
>self-centered in his self-denial and self-righteous in his
>self-sacrifice. His generosity
>
>may feed his ego, and his piety may feed his pride. (Speak) So without
>love, benevolence becomes egotism, and martyrdom becomes spiritual
>pride.
>
>
>
>I want to say to you as I move to my conclusion, as we talk about
>"Where do we go from here?" that we must honestly face the fact that
>the movement must
>
>address itself to the question of restructuring the whole of American
>society. (Yes) There are forty million poor people here, 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 a question about
>the economic
>
>system, about a broader distribution of wealth.
>When you ask that question, you begin to question the capitalistic
>economy. (Yes) And I'm simply saying
>
>that more and more, we've got to begin to ask questions about the whole
>society. We are called upon to help the discouraged beggars in life's
>marketplace.
>
>(Yes) But one day we must come to see that an edifice which produces
>beggars needs restructuring. (All right) It means that questions must
>be raised. And
>
>you see, my friends, when you deal with this you begin to ask the
>question, "Who owns the oil?"
>(Yes) You begin to ask the question, "Who owns the iron
>
>ore?" (Yes) You begin to ask the question, "Why is it that people have
>to pay water bills in a world that's two-thirds water?" (All right)
>These are words
>
>that must be said. (All right)
>
>
>
>Now, don't think you have me in a bind today. I'm not talking about
>communism. What I'm talking about is far beyond communism. (Yeah) My
>inspiration didn't
>
>come from Karl Marx (Speak); my inspiration didn't come from Engels; my
>inspiration didn't come from Trotsky; my inspiration didn't come from
>Lenin. Yes,
>
>I read Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital a long time ago (Well), and
>I saw that maybe Marx didn't follow Hegel enough. (All right) He took
>his dialectics,
>
>but he left out his idealism and his
>spiritualism. And he went over to a German philosopher by the name of
>Feuerbach, and took his materialism and made
>
>it into a system that he called "dialectical materialism." (Speak) I
>have to reject that.
>
>
>
>What I'm saying to you this morning is communism forgets that life is
>individual. (Yes) Capitalism forgets that life is social. (Yes, Go
>ahead) And the
>
>kingdom of brotherhood is found neither in the thesis of communism nor
>the antithesis of capitalism, but in a higher synthesis. (Speak)
>[applause] It is
>
>found in a higher synthesis (Come on) that combines the truths of both.
>(Yes) Now, when I say questioning the whole society, it means
>ultimately coming
>
>to see that the problem of racism, the problem of economic
>exploitation, and the problem of war are all tied together. (All right)
>These are the triple
>
>evils that are interrelated.
>
>
>
>And if you will let me be a preacher just a little bit. (Speak) One day
>[applause], one night, a juror came to Jesus (Yes sir) and he wanted to
>know what
>
>he could do to be saved. (Yeah) Jesus didn't get bogged down on the
>kind of isolated approach of what you shouldn't do. Jesus didn't say,
>"Now Nicodemus,
>
>you must stop lying." (Oh yeah) He didn't say, "Nicodemus, now you must
>not commit adultery." He didn't say, "Now Nicodemus, you must stop
>cheating if
>
>you are doing that." He didn't say, "Nicodemus, you must stop drinking
>liquor if you are doing that excessively." He said something altogether
>different,
>
>because Jesus realized something basic (Yes):
>that if a man will lie, he will steal. (Yes) And if a man will steal,
>he will kill. (Yes) So instead of just
>
>getting bogged down on one thing, Jesus looked at him and said,
>"Nicodemus, you must be born again." [applause]
>
>
>
>In other words, "Your whole structure (Yes) must be changed."
>[applause] A nation that will keep people in slavery for 244 years will
>"thingify" them and
>
>make them things. (Speak) And therefore, they will exploit them and
>poor people generally economically. (Yes) And a nation that will
>exploit economically
>
>will have to have foreign investments and everything else, and it will
>have to use its military might to protect them. All of these problems
>are tied together.
>
>(Yes) [applause]
>
>
>
>What I'm saying today is that we must go from this convention and say,
>"America, you must be born again!" [applause] (Oh
>yes)
>
>
>
>And so, I conclude by saying today that we have a task, and let us go
>out with a divine dissatisfaction. (Yes)
>
>
>
>Let us be dissatisfied until America will no longer have a high blood
>pressure of creeds and an anemia of deeds. (All
>right)
>
>
>
>Let us be dissatisfied (Yes) until the tragic walls that separate the
>outer city of wealth and comfort from the inner city of poverty and
>despair shall
>
>be crushed by the battering rams of the forces of justice. (Yes sir)
>
>
>
>Let us be dissatisfied (Yes) until those who live on the outskirts of
>hope are brought into the metropolis of daily security.
>
>
>
>Let us be dissatisfied (Yes) until slums are cast into the junk heaps
>of history (Yes), and every family will live in a decent, sanitary
>home.
>
>
>
>Let us be dissatisfied (Yes) until the dark yesterdays of segregated
>schools will be transformed into bright tomorrows of quality integrated
>education.
>
>
>
>Let us be dissatisfied until integration is not seen as a problem but
>as an opportunity to participate in the beauty of diversity.
>
>
>
>Let us be dissatisfied (All right) until men and women, however black
>they may be, will be judged on the basis of the content of their
>character, not on
>
>the basis of the color of their skin. (Yeah) Let us be dissatisfied.
>[applause]
>
>
>
>Let us be dissatisfied (Well) until every state capitol (Yes) will be
>housed by a governor who will do justly, who will love mercy, and who
>will walk humbly
>
>with his God.
>
>
>
>Let us be dissatisfied [applause] until from every city hall, justice
>will roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.
>(Yes)
>
>
>
>Let us be dissatisfied (Yes) until that day when the lion and the lamb
>shall lie down together (Yes), and every man will sit under his own
>vine and fig
>
>tree, and none shall be afraid.
>
>
>
>Let us be dissatisfied (Yes), and men will recognize that out of one
>blood (Yes) God made all men to dwell upon the face of the earth.
>(Speak sir)
>
>
>
>Let us be dissatisfied until that day when nobody will shout, "White
>Power!" when nobody will shout, "Black Power!" but everybody will talk
>about God's
>
>power and human power. [applause]
>
>
>
>And I must confess, my friends (Yes sir), that the road ahead will not
>always be smooth. (Yes) There will still be rocky places of frustration
>(Yes) and
>
>meandering points of bewilderment. There will be inevitable setbacks
>here and there. (Yes) And there will be those moments when the buoyancy
>of hope will
>
>be transformed into the fatigue of despair.
>(Well) Our dreams will sometimes be shattered and our ethereal hopes
>blasted. (Yes) We may again, with tear-drenched
>
>eyes, have to stand before the bier of some courageous civil rights
>worker whose life will be snuffed out by the dastardly acts of
>bloodthirsty mobs. (Well)
>
>But difficult and painful as it is (Well), we must walk on in the days
>ahead with an audacious faith in the future. (Well) And as we continue
>our charted
>
>course, we may gain consolation from the words so nobly left by that
>great black bard, who was also a great freedom fighter of yesterday,
>James Weldon
>
>Johnson (Yes):
>
>
>
>Stony the road we trod (Yes),
>
>Bitter the chastening rod
>
>Felt in the days
>
>When hope unborn had died. (Yes)
>
>Yet with a steady beat,
>
>Have not our weary feet
>
>Come to the place
>
>For which our fathers sighed?
>
>We have come over a way
>
>That with tears has been watered. (Well)
>
>We have come treading our paths
>
>Through the blood of the slaughtered.
>
>Out from the gloomy past,
>
>Till now we stand at last (Yes)
>
>Where the bright gleam
>
>Of our bright star is cast.
>
>
>
>Let this affirmation be our ringing cry. (Well) It will give us the
>courage to face the uncertainties of the future. It will give our tired
>feet new strength
>
>as we continue our forward stride toward the city of freedom. (Yes)
>When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds of despair (Well),
>and when our
>
>nights become darker than a thousand midnights (Well), let us remember
>(Yes) that there is a creative force in this universe working to pull
>down the gigantic
>
>mountains of evil (Well), a power that is able to make a way out of no
>way (Yes) and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows. (Speak)
>
>
>
>Let us realize that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends
>toward justice. Let us realize that William Cullen Bryant is right:
>"Truth, crushed
>
>to earth, will rise again." Let us go out realizing that the Bible is
>right: "Be not deceived. God is not mocked. (Oh yeah) Whatsoever a man
>soweth (Yes),
>
>that (Yes) shall he also reap." This is our hope for the future, and
>with this faith we will be able to sing in some not too distant
>tomorrow, with a cosmic
>
>past tense, "We have overcome! (Yes) We have overcome! Deep in my
>heart, I did believe (Yes) we would overcome."
>[applause]
>
>At 03:12 PM 11/17/2013, you wrote:
> >Tyler,
> >
> >Are you saying my position in the government is comfortable because
> >you think they hire anything off the street or because they bend
> >backward to give you anything you need? You'd be sorely mistaken on
> >both counts. It
>took
> >me years to get into an agency that only hires a couple hundred for
> >every few thousand who apply, and as for accommodations, I had far
> >better luck in the private sector getting what I need than I've
> >gotten in the federal government. You'd think government would be the
> >most disability-friendly employer. That's a knee slapper.
> >
> >I'm not sure why you would pretend to know my work history. I have in
> >fact worked, and still work with, the same major corporations and
> >shoe string businesses you reference. I honestly don't see where you
> >were headed with that line of thinking. I've encountered the same
> >biases and prejudices at employers large and small. I've even had
> >experiences where I show up for an interview after being vetted and
> >got turned away upon discovering I was blind. I could have developed
> >some sort of a record for taking some of
>these
> >places to court, but instead I went back home and began working on
> >the next batch of applications. The irony is that even now when I
> >want to provide services for free as a philanthropic gesture, there
> >are places that do not want the volunteer service. I keep looking,
> >because there are ten other places that will gladly accept the free
labor.
> >
> >You claim my bootstraps ideal is very, very flawed but give no
> >compelling evidence proving it. You did not answer my direct question
> >in the other
>post
> >about what alternative advice you would provide. I am left to assume
> >that you have no answer, and that's okay. Correct me if I'm wrong,
> >but I'm left to gather you are young, still in school and can
> >therefore not give concrete evidence to what it is like to be
> >unemployed, truly unemployed, something I have been and can testify
> >to the feeling of overbearing frustration it conjures.
> >
> >If some of us alumni come back to the list, it's to try to give you a
> >glimpse of what waits for you and dispense proven advice that will
> >help you get around the inevitable challenges. If my way of thinking
> >does not suit you, I totally respect that, but don't fight the
> >benefit my logic could
>have
> >on others. After all, I began this thread in direct response to
> >references in the training center discussion to graduates who could
> >not find jobs on account of the economy. That's one quick way to give
> >up on looking for jobs and giving up on oneself. The suggestion that
> >my style of thinking is an idealistic notion is laughable. Idealistic
> >is putting faith in a government system that will not be able to
> >sustain social benefits forever. Social Security is just one example
> >of a benefit our generation will more than likely not be able to
> >enjoy when we need it, and that's not ideology,
>that's
> >economics.
> >
> >I would argue the more you teach yourself to pull yourself up by your
> >own bootstraps, the less dependent you will be on the whims of
> >Congress, an employer, or your family. That's real independence.
> >
> >And, to those who are not doing what they can to help blind people
> >find jobs, point me to them so's I can smack them about a bit! It's a
> >disservice not to do what we can to help each other out, but I'll say
> >this much speaking for myself, I only put my own neck out for people
> >committed to
>hard
> >work. I've already been burned by someone I helped put into a good
>position.
> >It severely backfired and destroyed my reputation with that employer.
> >Never again.
> >
> >Joe
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: Littlefield, Tyler [mailto:tyler at tysdomain.com]
> >Sent: Sunday, November 17, 2013 12:08 PM
> >To: jsoro620 at gmail.com; National Association of Blind Students
> >mailing list
> >Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Stop Blaming the Economy
> >
> >Joe:
> >Through this thread, my point hasn't been to say that blind people
> >are not capable of working. In fact, if that were my stance I
> >wouldn't be working through college right now, taking out loans to
> >cover what scholarships do not. My point is to say that your
> >conservative "I have a job and so should you--just pull yourself up by
the bootstraps" ideal is very very flawed.
>You
> >began this thread initially complaining about people who blame the
> >economy, to which I agreed partially and said that while there are
> >some people who do, the economy makes it a lot harder to get jobs. It
> >increases the difficulty for us as blind applicants because we
> >already have other hurtles in the way--assistive technology,
> >accomadations, etc etc. Basically I'm saying it's not quite as easy
> >as you make it sound, while boasting about yourself and skills at the
> >same time. Most people looking for jobs (even sighted people) will
> >agree here. You hold a pretty comfortable position within the
> >government, which I dare say is not really the same as applying to a huge
corporation or even a smaller business with minimal resources.
> >
> >On 11/15/2013 11:15 PM, Joe wrote:
> > > Tyler,
> > >
> > > The difficulty in finding clients for your web development skills
> > > is a marketing issue, not a general employment concern. I'm not
> > > belittling your frustration of finding customers, but hustling for
> > > clients is part of the nature of an entrepreneur, regardless of
> > > whether you set up a full business or just sell yourself. Outside
> > > of Craigslist, which I would never recommend because of their
> > > general decline where service advertisement is concerned, I would
> > > look into Elance and Odesk. You'll need to be careful with clients
> > > interested in low bids over top talent, but that's going to be
> > > true no matter what website forum you set up shop. You'll need to
> > > advertise across social networks, pick up the phone and make cold
> > > calls, and yes, in some cases you'll need to volunteer at first to
prove your worth before someone hires you.
> > > That's how I picked up Serotek as a client. The crazy thing is
> > > that even after you secure new business, you still need to devote
> > > time to marketing for more, because you never know when the safety
> > > net will drop
> >out from under you.
> > >
> > > I see you've set up a website, but it does nothing to motivate me
> > > to hire you as a developer. That's not a personal slam. It's
> > > candid feedback from a prospective customer.
> > >
> > > Finding business is a full-time job, and I understand if balancing
> > > that with school is problematic at this stage of your life. But,
> > > especially in your high demand field, more skill really does mean
> > > more job opportunities. Don't let the stupid media landscape of
> > > grim job statistics discourage you from pushing the kind of
> > > service you say you're qualified to deliver. It's not what the
> > > rest of the economy is up to. It's about what Tyler can specifically
help my company do better.
> > >
> > > Remember, blind people were finding and keeping jobs long before
> > > we had today's technological conveniences. The NFB operation began
> > > with a dozen blind people working with far less at our disposal,
> > > and while some would argue the NFB is different because it's a
> > > social cause, it's because it was a social cause that it took grit
> > > and elbow grease to make it get off the ground. A nonprofit is a
> > > business like any other, and if our past leaders had just crossed
> > > their arms and said, "Well, crap, I guess that's that," we would
> > > have never seen the
> >organization we have today.
> > >
> > > Before I move onto Bridgit, let me ask you something in all sincerity.
> > > I've now written half a dozen posts with optimistic encouragement
> > > and suggestions. You may not like my viewpoint, but I think I've
> > > done a fair job of backing up my assertions. What's your
> > > alternative? All I've read from you is that the economy sucks,
> > > that jobs are too hard to get and that I'm basically delusional
> > > for thinking anything different. Never mind that I and many others
> > > are the evidence that disprove your gloom and doom way of
> > > thinking. Surely you are not suggesting we are anomalies. So, tell
> > > us, what would you suggest to the struggling unemployed person who
> > > is desperate for a job? Are you basically saying to give up and it
> > > sucks to be you? If you offer no alternative, you're basically
> > > advocating for the status quo, and you've already said the status
> > > quo is no good. So, I am genuinely
>confused
> >by your logic.
> > >
> > > Bridgit,
> > >
> > > First, let's touch on the point about the number of jobs. It would
> > > be great if all the jobs we wanted were available where we live. I
> > > think we have to reach a point where it makes sense to question
> > > whether the area we live in is open to the kind of qualifications
> > > I can bring to the market. For example, I would not live in Maine
> > > and hope to easily break into screen writing, nor would it be as
> > > feasible for me to be a rising star on Wall Street while living in
Oklahoma. Is it possible?
> > > Anything's possible, but certain regions of the country are better
>suited
> >for my skills than others.
> > > Grant writing is one service I offer as part of my side business,
> > > and I live in the perfect place for it given the highest
> > > concentration of nonprofits in the country. The persistent
> > > evolution of the Internet of things will help bridge some of these
> > > gaps, but until our generation fully takes over the job market, we
> > > will still have to fight against outdated views that people need
> > > to be in a traditional office to get the
> >work done.
> > >
> > > Second, to your point about qualifications, it makes sense to
> > > think through what it is we're studying in school before investing in
it.
> > > Liberal arts aren't going to make people that marketable outside
> > > of academic circles, and that's coming from a guy who may as well
> > > have graduated with a liberal arts degree. If the qualifications
> > > are severely restricting the kind of jobs I can get, something's
> > > wrong with what I studied. That's why I'm a big proponent of
> > > taking a gap year to figure out yourself and what it is you're
> > > really passionate about before spending thousands of dollars in a
> > > very expensive education
> >program.
> > >
> > > Next, employers are humans just like we are. Their reactions are
> > > going to run a diverse range, but job hunting is a numbers game.
> > > There's nothing we can do to eliminate people who take a dim view
> > > of blind people, and let's be honest. Their views would not change
> > > even if the economy was booming. If they did not discriminate
> > > against me for being blind, they might discriminate against me for
> > > being Hispanic, male, immigrant, tall, etc. The only cold comfort
> > > I can offer is keep applying or move to an area with more open minds.
> > >
> > > Finding a job after spending years as a stay-at-home parent is not
> > > easy, nor is it fair. A stay-at-home mom knows more about running
> > > a company than the CEO given her responsibilities of time
> > > management, budgeting, planning and executing, but you know, the
> > > more I think about these qualities, the more they could make for a
> > > compelling resume. You're a great writer. Something tells me you
> > > more than others will find creative ways of conveying your
> > > talents. Not every employer will bite, but the one that does will be
an awesome match.
> > >
> > > And, generally speaking to the list, I guess that's all I have.
> > > There is such a thing is diminishing returns for people who refuse
> > > to listen to something other than the tired arguments that it's
> > > the fault of the economy or my disability or the next-door
> > > neighbor. I am accused of being too idealistic, but when real
> > > unemployment strikes, it's very easy to begin questioning your
> > > self-worth. When I'm down in the dumps and wondering if I stumbled
> > > down the wrong path in life, I would personally rather here of how
> > > I might just make my passion work instead of constant reminders
> > > that we have it so bad for being blind and for having to compete
against so many applicants.
> > >
> > > To each his own. Me, there's a company I've been eager to work for
> > > these past few years. I believe next year I'll make a resolution
> > > to get off my ass and earn at least a part-time contract there.
> > > Statistics be damned. They'd be lucky to have me working for them.
> > > Arrogant? Absolutely, but it's one of many possible ways to
> > > separating the great from the good. The key is figuring out the
> > > approach that makes
> >you better.
> > >
> > > To your success,
> > >
> > > Joe
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > nabs-l mailing list
> > > nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> > > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> > > To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info
> > > for
> >nabs-l:
> > > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/tyler%40tysdomain.
> > > com
> >
> >
> >--
> >Take care,
> >Ty
> >http://tds-solutions.net
> >He that will not reason is a bigot; he that cannot reason is a fool;
> >he
>that
> >dares not reason is a slave.
> >
> >
> >_______________________________________________
> >nabs-l mailing list
> >nabs-l at nfbnet.org
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> >To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
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>
>
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