MLK Day Uproar: Sarah Palin and PETA

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a national holiday dedicated to an icon of justice and equality. ?Most of us seem to take this day to acknowledge the great things he did, and look at how we can help move forward in the dream for racial justice. However, some have caused quite a controversy with their remarks on this special day.

Former Republican Vice Presidential Candidate and ?Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, has sparked some outrage with a Facebook post from today, in which she tells President Obama:

?Mr. President, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. and all who commit to ending any racial divide, no more playing the race card.”

And the firestorm began. Many people seemed to be highly upset that Palin is again, telling the President what he should and should not be doing. Further, it outrages those of us who believe that racism still exists, and talking about the plight of people of color does not always mean that one is “playing the race card.”

People took to Twitter to express their anger. Some were very forthright, maybe rude, and some were very thought provoking. Below are some of these tweets.

There were many people on Palin’s Facebook page who supported her sentiments.

One supporter said:

“The only one worried about race is Obama!”

Another simply ?proclaims:

“Amen, Sarah.”

These views from Palin fans are kind of scary to many of us on the Left (and Right) but are not really that shocking. President Obama has had to walk an extremely fine line when it comes to discussing issues of race, especially as a person of color. He wants to seem like he cares about problems facing minority communities, but he doesn’t want to come off as bitter or only caring about certain groups of people. Only a couple days ago, President Obama said that some don’t like the idea of having a black President. Does anyone?really?dispute that? Sure, not everyone who dislikes Obama does it out of racial hatred. However, racism will always exist individually, and there are undoubtedly people who cannot accept that a black man is the most powerful man in the world. Obama did not say that this sentiment is in the majority, or that it is even common, but let’s not pretend that it is non-existent.

Many liberals feel as if Obama hasn’t actually discussed race nearly as much as we would like; yet, many Conservatives seem to feel he always plays the “race card” or is “obsessed” with race. It just goes to show you, people will always have differing opinions on certain topics, no matter what.

 

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) also created an uproar today via Twitter, when they tweeted this earlier:

“Today, we honor Martin Luther King Jr. ?& the plight of animals who are tortured, abused & neglected.”

And Twitter blew up. Some tweeters responded with sarcasm. As shown below:

Others had highly intellectual and critical tweets, such as this:

PETA somehow linking MLK and what he fought for, with the suffering of animals is taking it too far. This is especially offensive since King’s dream has not been completely realized. Many minorities that I saw on twitter were upset that the struggle of blacks is frequently belittled and passed along to discuss the suffering of some other group.

Can’t we just honor Dr. King and what he actually did? These comparisons of blacks to animals, even if done in good faith, do little to progress civil rights. Sarah Palin claiming that the (only black) President needs to stop using the race card, is purposely inflammatory. The need to create tension and racial animus,on a day like today is sad but unfortunately not too surprising.

Edited/Published by: SB

 

I was born on January 13, 1990. I was born and raised in Charlotte, NC. I moved up north and attended the University of CT from 2008 to 2012. I currently also work at a law firm in Uptown Charlotte and have been helping with this organization entitled the National Independent Voter Coalition. My interests include: Politics (obviously), Basketball (playing and watching) and watching almost any sport, movies, reading, the law, human rights, entertainment, mostly Angelina Jolie and Beyonce. I am fun, caring, passionate, intelligent, and unique!