"We're all one"

The Civil Rights Movement taught us several things, perhaps none more important than the power of non-violent protest. We've seen the results of riots and violence. We've seen that it leads to nowhere. That's why I really like the fact that Martin Luther King Jr. stressed non-violence. It wasn't only ethically right -- it was effective. Did you notice how bad Southerners looked when they were blasting children with water hoses? It made them look terrible. Imagine if it were blacks doing that to the whites. It would have made them look bad, and likely would have not been effective. The movement also taught us to never to give up when fighting for what's right. Civil rights activists could have easily given up when they were being blasted with water hoses, but they didn't. They could have given up when they were being attacked in restaurants, but they didn't. They continued to fight for what was right.

John brought up something really important to me in his post. He talked about how Martin Luther King preached about the "colorblind" mentality. That is what I believe remains a gigantic problem in this world. Despite tolerance not being nearly as much of an issue as it was some forty-plus years ago, we all still continue to identify and distinguish others by race. It's usually no longer malicious, but it's something I believe is a problem. To steal a quote from Vince Vaughn in Wedding Crashers, we should realize that "we're all one. That separateness is an illusion, and that [we're] one with everyone--with the Prime Minister of England, and my cousin Harry, you and me, the fat kid from "What's Happening!", The Olsen twins, Natalie Portman, the guy who wrote "Catcher in the Rye", Nat King Cole, Carrot Top, Jay-Z, Weird Al Yankovic, Harry Potter, if he existed, your mother--we're all one." The other big problem that I think remains in this country is equity. There are obviously certain people who have more opportunity than others to be successful. That, though, comes with living in a capitalistic society. If that were to change, we'd have to change our government, something that is highly unlikely and that I probably wouldn't support. Aside from those with physical and mental disabilities, I believe everyone has a chance to succeed if they apply themselves, and that's something that certainly wasn't the case during the time of segregation and discrimination.

The big fight for civil rights today is for gay rights. There are definitely some similarities. While oppression has not affected gays nearly as much as it did blacks, they are still fighting for equal rights and tolerance. Once gay marriage passes nationwide, the battle for equal rights will have been won. As for equity and tolerance, that will have to come with time, like it did for blacks and other minorities. Also gleaned from the civil rights movement is, like I mentioned above, non-violent protest. This is practiced nationwide to support and fight a variety of causes with that same "never-give-up" mentality shown by civil rights activists in the 50s and 60s.