“If you don’t vote, you don’t get to complain.”
Ever heard that one?
I’ve heard it as long as I have been old enough to vote (42 years and counting). I imagine the statement originated as effort to encourage eligible voters to participate in the political process.
After all, not every country in the world has a democratic process where common people actually have the opportunity to make their opinions heard in an effort to influence the direction of said country in free and fair elections.
While the intent may have been to encourage participation, the actual statement is antithetical to the stated intent of our founding documents.
In actuality, the only places where you don’t get to complain are places where you don’t get to vote!
And most of the voting rights in the U.S. that exist today only exist precisely because of people who complained. (An interesting article on a timeline of voting rights).
That phrase about not complaining if you don’t vote popped into my memory when I saw a meme yesterday: “If you can’t say “Black Lives Matter” today you don’t get to celebrate MLK Day tomorrow.”
I’m still pondering that quote as I write this on the morning of MLK Day.
I was six years old when Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on the balcony of the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee.
I was four months short of my second birthday when he delivered the famous “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington, DC.
I say that to acknowledge that much of what I know is from the history I have studied, not from actual memories.
What I do know is that MLK Day is an acknowledgement of a significant leader within a significant movement that has resulted in a significant shift of direction in the U.S. and his legacy is one that has affected us all—and is therefore worth celebrating.
MLK Day is an acknowledgement of a significant leader within a significant movement that has resulted in a significant shift of direction in the U.S. and his legacy is one that has affected us all, and is therefore worth celebrating. Share on X
I also know that the significant shift has not yet resulted in the goals he worked for. We’ve still got a long way to go before every person is truly judged by the content of their character.
I also know that the significant shift has not yet resulted in the goals he worked for. We’ve still got a long way to go before every person is truly judged by the content of their character. Share on X
I also know that his words, much like the words of other significant historical figures—including Jesus—have been co-opted by those who will use them for their own purposes.
I’m just as guilty as anyone of looking for a good quote to make a point.
The problem is when we use a quote as PROOF of a point rather than as an EXAMPLE of how someone has expressed their own understanding of a subject.
And because we live in a world of memes, tweets, gifs, video clips, and sound bites (to name just a few), we can also use those quotes and phrases to prove that someone is messed up, has a flawed character, and cannot be trusted.
So, one person asserts that saying the phrase “Black Lives Matter” is to both agree with a radical organization that goes by the same name and to proclaim that some lives matter more than others.
Another person asserts that failing to use “the phrase” means that one does not acknowledge either the racist history of the country or the ongoing issues that still exist within the systems and structures of the country.
Either way, a single phrase spoken or posted in a moment becomes a measure of a person’s heart.
In the few short remaining words that this post’s context allows, I want to say that I believe that “character” is both developed and revealed over time. None of us wants to be remembered for a snapshot of how we responded in our worst moment.
I have a dream that we would give each other grace, be sensitive enough to each other that we treat each person the way they need to be treated in their current reality, and that we would listen before we speak or post—understanding that we have this moment to bring clarity or confusion, blessing or cursing, healing or pain.
Be amazing today, my friend.
“If you don’t vote, you don’t get to complain.”
Ever heard that one?
I’ve heard it as long as I have been old enough to vote (42 years and counting). I imagine the statement originated as effort to encourage eligible voters to participate in the political process.
After all, not every country in the world has a democratic process where common people actually have the opportunity to make their opinions heard in an effort to influence the direction of said country in free and fair elections.
While the intent may have been to encourage participation, the actual statement is antithetical to the stated intent of our founding documents.
In actuality, the only places where you don’t get to complain are places where you don’t get to vote!
And most of the voting rights in the U.S. that exist today only exist precisely because of people who complained. (An interesting article on a timeline of voting rights).
That phrase about not complaining if you don’t vote popped into my memory when I saw a meme yesterday: “If you can’t say “Black Lives Matter” today you don’t get to celebrate MLK Day tomorrow.”
I’m still pondering that quote as I write this on the morning of MLK Day.
I was six years old when Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on the balcony of the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee.
I was four months short of my second birthday when he delivered the famous “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington, DC.
I say that to acknowledge that much of what I know is from the history I have studied, not from actual memories.
What I do know is that MLK Day is an acknowledgement of a significant leader within a significant movement that has resulted in a significant shift of direction in the U.S. and his legacy is one that has affected us all—and is therefore worth celebrating.
MLK Day is an acknowledgement of a significant leader within a significant movement that has resulted in a significant shift of direction in the U.S. and his legacy is one that has affected us all, and is therefore worth celebrating. Share on X
I also know that the significant shift has not yet resulted in the goals he worked for. We’ve still got a long way to go before every person is truly judged by the content of their character.
I also know that the significant shift has not yet resulted in the goals he worked for. We’ve still got a long way to go before every person is truly judged by the content of their character. Share on X
I also know that his words, much like the words of other significant historical figures—including Jesus—have been co-opted by those who will use them for their own purposes.
I’m just as guilty as anyone of looking for a good quote to make a point.
The problem is when we use a quote as PROOF of a point rather than as an EXAMPLE of how someone has expressed their own understanding of a subject.
And because we live in a world of memes, tweets, gifs, video clips, and sound bites (to name just a few), we can also use those quotes and phrases to prove that someone is messed up, has a flawed character, and cannot be trusted.
So, one person asserts that saying the phrase “Black Lives Matter” is to both agree with a radical organization that goes by the same name and to proclaim that some lives matter more than others.
Another person asserts that failing to use “the phrase” means that one does not acknowledge either the racist history of the country or the ongoing issues that still exist within the systems and structures of the country.
Either way, a single phrase spoken or posted in a moment becomes a measure of a person’s heart.
In the few short remaining words that this post’s context allows, I want to say that I believe that “character” is both developed and revealed over time. None of us wants to be remembered for a snapshot of how we responded in our worst moment.
I have a dream that we would give each other grace, be sensitive enough to each other that we treat each person the way they need to be treated in their current reality, and that we would listen before we speak or post—understanding that we have this moment to bring clarity or confusion, blessing or cursing, healing or pain.
Be amazing today, my friend.
