Comic W. Kamau Bell, who in his Twitter bio threatens to soon become the host of something called “United Shades of America” on CNN, is humorously (we think) suggesting that white Americans should be banned from mentioning Martin Luther King, Jr., therefore depriving white folk of their “go-to” topic when conversation turns to racism.
To help white people to find new ways to talk about racism we have to ban them from saying the words "Martin", "Luther", "King", & "junior".
— W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) April 28, 2015
@wkamaubell or at least learn more about him than 10 minutes of the #IHaveADream speech.
— Twisted Schlichter (@HoldenDCat) April 28, 2015
Liberals certainly seem anxious to purge King from the equation. A similar sentiment resonated with readers of The Daily Kos today, including actor Mark Ruffalo, who steered followers to a “beautifully written” piece called, “Dear White America: Please Stop Talking About Martin Luther King Jr. and the Baltimore ‘Riots.'”
Dear White America: beautifully written. Please Stop Talking About Martin Luther King Jr. and the Baltimore 'Riots' http://t.co/FQysWpCgfy
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) April 28, 2015
Feel free to take a look, but know in advance the most interesting conceit is that the writer never once refers to the word riot without enclosing it quotation marks. For example:
If one persists in channeling Dr. King in these conversations about the urban unrest, “rioting”, and exhalations by the ghetto youthocracy (and others) in Baltimore and elsewhere across the United States in response to police thuggery, it should be done with great care.
If what we saw in Baltimore Monday night wasn’t rioting, what was it? The writer chooses to call it, without quotes, “Baltimore’s violent spasm.”
We’re still not sure, Questlove: since the president and the mayor of Baltimore have both used the word “thug,” is white America approved in its use?
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