The use and limits of the law
"It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can stop him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important."
- Martin Luther King
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On history’s eradication of memory
1 month ago
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
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4 comments:
Interesting comment.
Law restricts and binds, love frees us from both.
I think MLK is saying that the binding of the law also brings a certain kind of (lesser, though not unimportant) freedom. In this case, the freedom from being lynched. His point is that while the law is not the most important thing (which is love), it is not irrelevant and should not be dismissed.
Oops I read that quote wrong. I thought it came from Luther not Martin Luther King.
But did the law truly protect him from being murdered?
I watched a midday movie recently about his earlier work in getting the right for Black people to vote. The laws of the land were certainly used or should that be ABUSED against him in his endeavor to change them.
Daily Kos: Most of you have no idea what MLK actually did. He ended racial terrorism in the South.
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