Ta-Nechisi Coates of
Nonviolence as Compliance and Martin Luther King Jr.'s A letter from a
Birmingham jail both definitely agree that African Americans are treated
unfairly. Both men think that they are being treated unfairly because Coates
talks about how African Americans in the United States are being abused and
discriminated against by local police in their communities through police brutally
which has caused deaths recently. Martin Luther King Jr. on the other hand
talks about how he is having his civil rights as an American taken away by
being incarcerated for his non-violent protesting in Alabama. Though both may
seem similar, they do see one major difference.
Coates discourages the use of non-violent protesting in the portion of the United
States that actively speaks out against the un-lawful use of police brutality
and their unfair rulings in court. He uses examples like from when young African
American Eddie Gray ran from police and lost his life days after the violent
arrest that left him severely injured. He argues that violent protesting can
meet the justice to police brutally halfway and it cannot be reached by
non-violent means.
Dr.
King Jr. says in his letter from an Alabama jail that he does agree that
violence does happen in social movements but Dr. King firmly believes and takes
part in non-violence acts towards a more equal country. He does say that
tension is what brings the “light of human conscience and the air of a national
opinion” which means that the voice of many angry Americans and sometimes their
acts does affect change in America.
I believe that tension does cause change as it strikes a nervous chord in our nation's government and makes them reform their laws.
If Martin Luther King Jr and Ta-Nehisi Coates were to sit down and have a chat they would agree that the black community was not treated well, but they might disagree on nonviolence verses violence. King was 100% in favor for nonviolence. He did not result to violence in any of his protest no matter the conditions emerging. King was a well-respected man because he was known for being peaceful. Coates would agree to Kings nonviolent thinking to a certain extent but would result to violence when others got violent. Coates says in his article that “When nonviolence is preached by the representatives of the state, while the state doles out heaps of violence to its citizens, it reveals itself to be a con.” Coates is trying to act on the fact that nonviolence sometimes does not work.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to be there with them I would be on the side of Coates. I too agree that nonviolence is a good thing, but only to a certain extent. If others around you are getting violent then I feel as if sometimes you have to push up your sleeves and get a little violent to protect yourself and your views.