After reading two opposing articles, A Call for Unity and Martin Luther King Jr's A Letter From Birmingham Jail, it's clear that two completely different ideas, cultures, groups of people had opinions and saw no reason to back down from them. These oppositions were results of different regions of the United States, different backgrounds, and different moral standards. When one reads into each side, it's easy to realize why people act the way they do.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was right when he talked about the different kinds of people there are. Some people didn't want to deal with the consequences of the civil rights movement, others didn't care enough to get involved, and others actually benefited by the segregation taking place. Of course the latter group would rather continue benefiting than not.
I believe that during those hard times people had to have an altruistic perspective on life to care enough to look past themselves and onto the much greater realms of society. Those that didn't have this innate characteristic were the ones that created resistance to the movement. Even though in retrospect most feel that Martin Luther King Jr.'s words were true, at the time it's quite easy to see why most didn't. People, since the beginning of time, have been scared of change--scared of its possible outcomes on life. This time was no different. Even though some like King had a clear vision into the future and could see how humanity would benefit from this kind of change, most had a mindset that nothing good could come of treating everyone equal.
It's safe to say that society hasn't changed much. Though there are still issues of segregation in the United States, other issues have taken a greater role of importance and people still act much in the same old way. There's a sense of morality in all the issues we face as Americans today; some choose to take bold stands and change the world, while others resist because they might not benefit the way they think they should. Still, things take place and just like the segregation issues in the 50s and 60s, things are inevitably changing due to people's action and lack thereof.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was right when he talked about the different kinds of people there are. Some people didn't want to deal with the consequences of the civil rights movement, others didn't care enough to get involved, and others actually benefited by the segregation taking place. Of course the latter group would rather continue benefiting than not.
I believe that during those hard times people had to have an altruistic perspective on life to care enough to look past themselves and onto the much greater realms of society. Those that didn't have this innate characteristic were the ones that created resistance to the movement. Even though in retrospect most feel that Martin Luther King Jr.'s words were true, at the time it's quite easy to see why most didn't. People, since the beginning of time, have been scared of change--scared of its possible outcomes on life. This time was no different. Even though some like King had a clear vision into the future and could see how humanity would benefit from this kind of change, most had a mindset that nothing good could come of treating everyone equal.
It's safe to say that society hasn't changed much. Though there are still issues of segregation in the United States, other issues have taken a greater role of importance and people still act much in the same old way. There's a sense of morality in all the issues we face as Americans today; some choose to take bold stands and change the world, while others resist because they might not benefit the way they think they should. Still, things take place and just like the segregation issues in the 50s and 60s, things are inevitably changing due to people's action and lack thereof.
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