Monday, January 18, 2010

"The Content of Their Character"

King, demonstrating his patented 'the wink and the gun'
maneuver for picking up the ladies.


Today we celebrate the life and death of a great man, a man who gave the ultimate sacrifice so that all men could be equal. Orator, visionary, martyr...the legend of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr is celebrated across the country. The only American to have his own federal holiday, I remember learning about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in hushed, reverent tones from teachers who spoke of him as a sort of prophet of the civil rights movement.

The image of the impassioned King giving a fiery speech for liberty is a powerful symbol that has been used for good. Unfortunately, as is the case with so many myths, the man behind the symbol is far less impressive.

King dreamt of a world where men could be judged "not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character". What was the content of his character?

Martin Luther King, (legally named Michael, though Martin Luther has a better ring to it for a Protestant preacher), was a dishonest man. The true measure of a person's character is not what they say, or even how they act, it is how they act when they think nobody is watching. Oprah Winfrey said something similar: "Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not." It is one thing to preach virtue from the pulpit, another to practice it in your own life.

In the 1980's, the Martin Luther King Papers Project uncovered evidence that King's dissertation for his Ph.D in Theology from Boston University, "A Comparison of the Perception of God in the Thinking of Paul Tillich and Henry Nelson Wieman" was plagiarized. The university of Boston made an official inquiry and admitted the same:

"We had many of the same professors, we worked in the same atmosphere during our graduate studies," said John Cartwright, an MLK scholar and member of the committee that investigated his plagiarism allegations, "under no circumstances would the atmosphere under which he did his work condone what Doctor King did. It's incredible. He was not unaware of the correct procedure. This wasn't just done out of ignorance."

Because this was discovered after his death, and because there would probably be riots in the streets if they did, Boston chose not to revoke his doctorate.

Still, according to Robert Evans, perhaps the most notable example of plagiarism is his famouse "I Have a Dream" speech. The general tone, and several direct lines, were lifted right out of the speech of another activist, Archibald Carey.

Theodore Pappas presents a detailed accusation in his book, Plagiarism and the Culture War. Most of the issue centers around the closing lines.

Here's how King's speech ended;

"This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, 'My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.' And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania! Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California! But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring."

Compare it to Carey's speech:

"We, Negro Americans, sing with all loyal Americans: My country 'tis of thee, Sweet land of liberty, Of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, Land of the Pilgrims' pride From every mountainside Let freedom ring!

That's exactly what we mean--from every mountain side, let freedom ring. Not only from the Green Mountains and White Mountains of Vermont and New Hampshire; not only from the Catskills of New York; but from the Ozarks in Arkansas, from the Stone Mountain in Georgia, from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia--let it ring not only for the minorities of the United States, but for the disinherited of all the earth--may the Republican Party, under God, from every mountainside, LET FREEDOM RING!"


Academic dishonesty is normally anathema to a doctor. How much worse, than, is marital infidelity in a preacher? King was under investigation by the FBI for ties with Communist organizations throughout the country. Who wasn't, right? It was the 60's. The files regarding his ties to communism and any treacherous activity he may or may not have engaged in are sealed until 2027. However, these investigations led to another discovery: King, married father of four, would frequently indulge in extra-marital affairs. Audio and visual recordings proved that King had a lot of love to go around, and civil rights groupies can be just as enthusiastic as rock and roll groupies when it comes to showing how much they appreciate your work. Whether you consider this a sin or a character flaw, King himself taught against such actions.

Ralph David Abernathy, King's close friend, addressed these recordings in his biography "And The Walls Came Tumbling Down":

Much has been written in recent years about my friend's weakness for women. Had others not dealt with the matter in such detail, I might have avoided any commentary. Unfortunately, some of these commentators have told only the bare facts without suggesting the reasons why Martin might have indulged in such behavior. They have also left a false impression about the range of his activities.

Martin and I were away more often than we were at home; and while this was no excuse for extramarital relations, it was a reason. Some men are better able to bear such deprivations than others, though all of us in SCLC headquarters had our weak moments. We all understood and believed in the biblical prohibition against sex outside of marriage. It was just that he had a particularly difficult time with that temptation.
(emphasis added)

Though I personally believe that disloyalty in a committed relationship is wrong and a sign of a flawed character, I am not asking you to make that leap with me. Perhaps some of you view it as a harmless indulgence. However, King's character, his integrity, can only be judged from the perspective of his own self-proclaimed moral code. Remember, integrity is measured by your faithfulness to what you believe to be right and wrong. By that standard, he falls woefully short.

The great irony here is that these facts about the hero of the civil rights movement are never taught, or even widely known. Any sort of attempt to besmirch the legend surrounding the good 'doctor' is met with horrified allegations of racism and displays of emotion. People do not like finding out their heroes are human, or that man behind the curtain is no wonderful wizard of Oz. Perhaps this will take more time, after all, it is only recently that scholarship has begun to delve into the more sordid details about the lives of other mythical figures, the founding fathers, (Thomas Jefferson's affair with his slaves is more of a historical cliche than taboo now).

It is possible to honor the concepts the man championed without honoring the man himself. I for one refuse to judge Martin Luther King, Jr just by "the color of his skin" (black leader of the civil rights), and instead will view him based on "the content of his character" (adulterous, cheating fraud).

I await the angry, emotional comments. Have a pleasant holiday and enjoy your day off.

If you'd like to read more, most of the research into this came from resources found at www.snopes.com.

25 comments:

  1. typical, typical, typical... odd that the most powerful and "do-gooder's" of men have extramarital affairs. Bill Clinton comes to mind. but could it be that the excelling in their civic duties could be compensation for the personal mistakes they make that no one will ever find out about.

    just in my experience with cheaters it seems to be that they try to do many good and great things for the outward appearance of others. his marriage at home must not have been doing great though behind closed doors...that's the honest truth...even great men faulter somewhere...it just sucks that it's the somewhere that matters most in this life.

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  2. Yes..I have a pretty low tolerance for people who choose to falter in dealing with other people's hearts.

    I am all for the civil rights movement, but depicting King as a national hero and giving him his own holiday makes about as much sense as giving Al Gore a Nobel Peace Prize for a power point presentation.

    There are plenty of other, less famous names that made contributions to civil rights without cheating on their wives or starting their careers on stolen dissertations.

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  3. Sure am enjoying your blog, frère. I do think the day will come when we can admit as a collective nation that Martin Luther is akin to Benjamin Franklin--remembered for doing great things while in fact being quite dishonest (Franklin is lucky he didn't lived today; no one would praise a politician who impregnated his prostitute). It just isn't going to be for a few more decades. Like you said, it's still history (or rather a national myth) that is too fresh to be frank with.

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  4. I've been saying this for years! I'm glad you tossed it down on [intarwebz] paper, though. His horrible acts don't just stop at simple adultery, though. The guy was a habitual liar and used civil rights (and church) funds to buy multiple hookers and have cocaine parties. The guy was a freaking scumbag, and I don't mind saying so. The whole nation is disgusted with Tiger Woods, and his laundry list doesn't include (that we know of) using people's offerings to God to pay for lines of cocaine to be snorted with dirty street hookers. The hypocrisy is abhorrent.

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  5. Greg: Glad you're enjoying it. I think you're right...too many potential riots in the streets (which, many of said streets are named after MLK). Maybe in another 100 years or so...

    Metasapien: I'd read some of the same accusations, and that he was a fan of beating said hookers rather brutally, but I couldn't find any credible scholarship on those so I left them out. Even the apologetic statement from his friend's biography qualifies him as less than worthy of our adulation, in my book.

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  6. I was once told by a polysci professor who was there for a lot of the marches, that he absolutley hated the fact, that they would be marching, and Mr. King would be driven to the front of the line while getting close to the finish point.

    Not sure if its true...and maybe its justified, lots of people were out to kill him...but none the less...letting other walk (do your work) for you and then taking credit..doesnt sit right with me.

    I like the comment about Ben Franklin...he was a major player...but a brilliant politician.

    -Brandon

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  7. Ben Franklin was also a self-proclaimed bon-vivant and something of a hedonist, he made no secret about that. He wasn't masquerading as a Protestant preacher-man.. he may have been a player but he at least was rather open about what he was.

    And Franklin doesn't get a Federal holiday..neither does Jefferson. Even Honest Abe Lincoln has to share a day with a bunch of other presidents. For some reason only one American gets canonized, and its Martin "Do As I Say Not As I Do" Luther King Jr.

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  8. Why? I don't understand why you feel the need to tear him down like this. Would you rather he didn't accomplish what he did, but that he was a good husband? I don't think that it would have had the same effect. So he fucked around and smoked some weed, does that change the vision that he had, or make it any less worthy? Bringing to light past mistakes or sins as you call it, really seems juvenile and pointless.
    Matt Hannon

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  9. Because as a culture we've made a demigod out of him. He wasn't the only player in the civil rights movement, just the only one to die in a spectacular way. You can accomplish great things without being a great man, but I'd rather celebrate someone who has done both. There are no shortage of heroes from this period, we shouldn't have to invent them.

    I didn't say he smoked weed, though if the allegations of his using donations to the civil rights movement and his church to buy cocaine and hire hookers are true, than yes, I think that is detrimental to his cause. I could not find any solid evidence there. To me the fact that he was dishonest in not just his personal life, but his professional one taints the legacy he could have left behind simply by living what he preached.

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  10. Is it an either/or deal? He can either be a good man or accomplish great things?

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  11. Stop being juvenile by pointing out all these ugly facts. Be mature - ignore the facts.

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  12. Well written, sir. If you ever get to expounding upon the legend of certain founding fathers, let me know. I'd like to read that as well.

    Anonymous: Yes, I would rather he be a good husband and father before he is a civil rights leader. A man's obligation is to his family before it is to anyone or anything else.

    You must also believe this to be true, or you would not get upset at Drake's "need to tear him down like this." If it weren't true, then these revelations would not be detremental to Dr. King's character. A cover-up wouldn't be necessary.

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  13. Well he did accomplish some big things against very poor odds, maybe demigod isn't that far off. Ok so celebrate those people instead of tearing down others.
    Gabriel: Really? So no civil rights movement and just another nobody that lived and died? Because I don't think we would be living in the world that we are if there weren't people like him.
    Matt Hannon

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  14. Why suppress the facts just because they are uncomfortable? I'm not tearing anyone down,just explaining why its possible to be a fan of an idea without being a fan of the man. Those who still want to keep a candle burning to his memory are certainly welcome to, but at least now they'll know who exactly they are celebrating.

    Its like the episode of the Simpsons where Lisa finds out that Jebediah Springfield was a scumbag. She decided that the people needed a hero to emulate even if it was entirely fictitious, so she kept her discovery to herself. I just don't think we have as big a shortage of real heroes as the good people of Springfield.

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  15. Ok I'll ignore the whole MLK is a scumbag reference. I just don't get the whole point to this, what good could possibly be accomplished by this? Where is this incessant need to judge people coming from? Who are you to judge him? It does sound like you are tearing him down, and it comes off as quite anti anything MLK. I mean Adultery day is that really necessary.
    Matt Hannon

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  16. That was unintentional, I was not trying to imply that he was a scumbag, only that he does not live up to his own standards. I think we're having the same discussion in two places at this point. I'll refer you to facebook for the longer answer.

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  17. http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2449/was-martin-luther-king-jr-a-plagiarist

    This page gives a pretty fair spin on it. The ending paragraph sums up my feelings on MLK.

    "As every reasonable observer has commented, neither King's sexual wanderings nor his scholarly misdeeds detract from his core achievement. By continually publicizing black grievances while putting a palatable, nonviolent face on resistance to jim crow, King paved the way for the landmark civil rights legislation of the 1960s and a major turnaround in public attitudes about race. But there's no getting around the fact that he was a complex and deeply flawed man. Was he a great American? No argument here. Was he a fraud and a hypocrite? He was that, too."

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  18. Ok I think I understand what you're saying and that is you can't fuck hookers and snort crack on sat night and preach fidelity and resistance to temptation on Sunday. hipocrisy, right?
    Matt Hannon

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  19. Exactly. I am glad he used his influence and popularity for good, but he was also a fraud and a hypocrite. His academic authority was built on a lie. His spiritual authority (preaching fidelity and resistance to temptation) was also built on a lie. This is why I will honor the movement he participated in but not the hypocrite himself. I'd prefer a Civil Rights Day over a Martin Luther King Jr Day.

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  20. ok honor the movement and not the actual man that made the movement possible?
    Matt Hannon

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  21. Yes, exactly...if you believe the movement would not have happened without him, and are willing to ignore all the other civil rights leaders before, after, and during his life. Seems like a pretty big jump to me, though.

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  22. ok I think I get what you're saying, but do you really think the message would have gotten accross if not for MLK?
    Matt Hannon

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  23. I really do. Perhaps not as quickly, but I do not think today we would still be living under the Jim Crowe laws from the 60's. He was one person, not the entire movement. His death definitely drove the point home dramatically, and probably sped up the process by a few years.

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  24. "People do not like finding out their heroes are human, or that man behind the curtain is no wonderful wizard of Oz."

    "It is possible to honor the concepts the man championed without honoring the man himself."

    The only certainty we have in this life is that people will let us down, but his cause did nothing of the sort.

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  25. Hey Drake, it's been a while. I appreciated your post, and heartily agree with the position that ideas need to be separated from the people who champion them. If comics have taught us anything, it's that all heroes are flawed, because everyone is flawed. The difference is that the heroes are able to elevate some aspect of their lives to a higher standard than the rest of us.

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