Instead of Worshiping Dr. King, How About Working Like Him?
Growing up, I never had a good sense of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life. In elementary school, I thought of him as a secular saint, a monument in history who dreamed of people of all colors holding hands around a globe. Indeed, the “I have a dream” soundbite is the most common version of Dr.…
Growing up, I never had a good sense of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life. In elementary school, I thought of him as a secular saint, a monument in history who dreamed of people of all colors holding hands around a globe.
Indeed, the “I have a dream” soundbite is the most common version of Dr. King taught in school and pushed through media coverage leading up to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday. Although my after school program at the Boys Club on Manhattan’s Lower East Side had a viewing of the documentary Eyes on the Prize, which made Dr. King a more real person, he still felt distant, as if the events in his life were more scripted than lived. Because such a caricature puts perfection in front of process, the Dr. King “sainthood” message puts the work for social justice at a disadvantage.
Only in college did Dr. King’s life become real to me. His part in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, his leadership for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, his sacrifices and arrests when forcing himself into segregated places, and his fiery oratory when speaking out against poverty, war, and racial justice are large parts of his astounding and well-celebrated legacy. I also learned about the rarely-taught, less luminous aspects of his history.
At first glance, the list of strikes against him puts dents in his legacy: the allegations of cheating in college and adultery as a pastor and married man, the distance he showed with different people in his movement, and the stroke of red communism that the FBI had a hand in painting to discredit his life’s work. For someone who grew up worshiping saints, I found these charges refreshing because they made his example easier to follow.
Yet, despite this evidence of Dr. King’s humanity, every year people speak of his work as something unattainable. If you look at his work through a modern lens, at first glance it seems difficult to replicate. For example, King was primarily sponsored by his congregation, thereby beholden to the people he served and not to government or corporate interests. In our times of austerity and economic inequality, very few advocates can work under such an agreement. They must diversify their funding sources to include philanthropists and benevolent venture funders—they owe those funders, not the people.
And, too many of us think that, because we made a mistake in our lives, activism doesn’t belong to us as a collective. In fact, it does. We ought to work as change agents in the different capacities we have. To wit, the redacted parts of King’s speech at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963 aren’t commercial-ready. To this day his social and economic vision for the American “Negro’ sparks controversy about his life post-Dream speech. In his boldest statement, Dr. King says, “… they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir,” which speaks to the centuries-old argument for reparations for the descendants of the slaves that ensured America’s prosperity.
The entire life history of such a complex man can’t fully be taught in schools, but we do a large disservice to him, his legacy, and the legacies of others if we don’t teach students these nuances—both his moments of triumph and his flaws— early on. Obviously, when first introducing this subject, we don’t have to give them the breadth of Dr. King’s—and other prominent figures in American history—life, but we need to find a balance between worship and critique so this generation of kids understand that, yes, they can change the world and open hearts, too.
A mom was relaxing poolside reading a book when her son spotted a massive tree falling toward her and yelled “Run mom!” and the video is absolutely wild.
Shocking footage taken in Alpharetta, Georgia shows a mother relaxing by a pool while her two sons play in the water. The peaceful scene quickly turned into a terrifying near-miss when one of the boys noticed something alarming overhead: a massive tree about to fall in their direction.
According to the video, the mother was lying poolside in a lounge chair, reading a book, while her sons splashed in the pool nearby. Suddenly, a cracking sound echoed through the yard.
“I was sitting at the pool relaxing and reading a book while watching my two sons swim, when I heard a tree cracking and then my son yelled ‘Run mom!’ so I bolted out of my chair right before a huge tree fell right on the chair I was sitting on,” the mother said, according to Viral Hog.
The tree crashed down with enormous force, splintering the chair and narrowly missing the spot where she had been seated just seconds before. Footage captured the dramatic moment, showing how a child’s quick thinking likely averted a tragedy.
A fallen tree against a destroyed roof after a storm. Photo credit: Canva
The source of the falling tree wasn’t immediately clear, but heavy spring rainfall in the region may have weakened its roots or trunk. Incidents involving falling trees are more common during storms or after long periods of moisture saturation, especially in areas with older or unmaintained trees.
An uprooted tree after a storm. Photo credit: Canva
The boy’s awareness and ability to respond so quickly stunned viewers of the video. Many praised him online for noticing the danger and warning his mom without hesitation—an instinct that proved life-saving.
The family has not released additional details, but the video has since gone viral, viewed thousands of times on social media platforms.
This article originally appeared four years ago. It has been updated.
Since 2015, the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, created by photographers and conservationists Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam, have been delivering laugh-out-loud moments through the lens of nature. With a mission to entertain while raising awareness about wildlife conservation, the competition celebrates the charming and comical side of the animal kingdom.
Let’s take a joyful stroll down memory lane with some of the most funniest entries from the 2019 contest (and if you’re feeling inspired, you’ll also learn how to submit your own wild and witty shots for future competitions).
OVERALL WINNER, CREATURES OF THE LAND WINNER: “Grab Life By the…”
You don’t think about how hard it would be to be the parent of a small, curious creature with massive, sharp claws. Let’s all take a moment to be grateful that even though it’s very hard to have a human baby, they don’t have super sharp claws. That would make things ten times worse.
CREATURES IN THE AIR WINNER: “Family Disagreement”
I think if I were an otter, I too would constantly clutch my face in disbelief. “I can’t possibly be this cute, can I? Cute nose, fuzzy head, tiny little eyes? That can’t be! Oh, but it is! I really am this adorable! I am! I am!”
Have you seen those videos of foxes diving headfirst into the snow to catch prey? It’s hilarious and fascinating, and I think this fox forgot that there was no snow. His friend is really trying to help him not hurt himself, but his buddy insists on being dumb. Oh, foxes!
“And then Carol was like, ‘You otter come over for dinner sometime!’ Get it? Get it? Man, Carol’s hilarious. So I went over for dinner and she had like, this whole seafood spread. Crabs, clams, mussels…the whole shebang. Anyway, I think I’m going to marry her.”
Just think about how much poise it took for this photographer to take this photo. Not only is the shark sneaking up on this poor fish, but there’s a person behind that camera! Presumably, the photographer escaped unscathed, since he was able to enter this photo in the contest.
It’s clearly not just human women who have to put up with the incessant nagging conversation from dudes we have no interest in talking to. See the look on that bird’s face? Staring straight out just willing him to go away? Tell me you haven’t made that face. Yeah, that’s what I thought.
“O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?” No one really knows this, but squirrels are generally huge Shakespeare fans. They saw him put up a play in Europe centuries ago and have just carried that love for his words through generations and generations of squirrels.
I relate to this bear hard. Anyone who has had to get up and go to work after a long weekend knows this feeling. Sometimes, you just don’t want to deal with anything. Sometimes, you just want to lie on the ground, cover your face with your hands, and nap for a little while longer.
I love this photo so much. Because not only is it a picture of a penguin farting, but it’s a picture of a penguin who is clearly trying to hide the fact that he’s farting and play it off like he’s doing absolutely nothing. He’s just standing there twiddling his wings. He has no idea what that big bubble under his butt is.
There seems to be a whole genre of “Small rodents holding flowers” photos, and I am a sucker for every single one of them. I’m pretty sure this comes up when you look up “cute” in the dictionary. It’s just so pure.
“Hi there! Welcome to my flower. So glad you could make it! It’s a little cold and wet right now, but once the sun comes up we’ll be in business. Help yourself to a dewdrop. They’re especially fresh this morning.”
“And then my friend Steve, the otter, told me that Carol said to him, ‘You otter come over for dinner!’ Get it? Get it? Because they’re otters! So it’s funny. Hey, where’d you go?”
These poor monkeys were just trying to get it on. Their kids were finally out of the tree, they had some peace and quiet, and then they were so rudely interrupted by a photographer. Although mom looks like she was kinda zoning out anyway.
This little chimp is living the life! He’s got it all figured out, and from the looks of him, he’s still a tiny baby. He’s just looking out at the jungle, thinking about all that milk he’s going to drink later.
I bet that when you’re a Snowy Owl and it finally snows, you are just so ecstatically happy. I mean, it’s right there in your name. Look at her face! It’s full of such pure joy.
Like this little monkey, I, too, usually save my existential crises for bath time. There’s something about the weightlessness of floating in the water that makes you question everything you know to be true about yourself and the world.
Who’s calling this snapping turtle slow? He’s just “taking his time.” On another note, I think turtles are probably the most prehistoric-looking creatures that still exist. If you really take the time to look at them, they’re so crazy.
Imagine playing hide and seek on a block of ice as a polar bear. On one hand, there aren’t too many places to hide. On the other hand, you’re looking for white on white, and that’s not easy.
I don’t know if you knew this, but rodents love ABBA. Here is one getting down to “Dancing Queen.” Because they’re so small, they really feel the music down to their bones. Raise your hand if you would watch an all-rodent adaptation of Mamma Mia! Yeah, me too.
If you want to enter next year’s competition, follow the link here to sign up for mailing list updates!
This article originally appeared six years ago. It has been updated.
Signs are meant to inform, warn, or direct, but sometimes, they unintentionally entertain. Whether due to poor wording, clever humor, or just plain absurdity, some signs end up being comedic gold.
Thanks to the internet, we no longer have to stumble upon them by accident—there’s even a whole subreddit, r/funnysigns, dedicated to collecting the most ridiculous ones.
Here are 25 of the funniest signs that prove not all signage is created equal.
1. Some people might need this reminder
“Not knowing who Taylor Swift is doesn’t make you interesting.”
