# Did Rodney King originate "Why can't we all just get along?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 27, 2009, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rodney-king-originate-why-cant-we-all-just-get-along/494531 "2009-04-27T18:24:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rodney-king-originate-why-cant-we-all-just-get-along/494531/1 "2009-04-27T18:24:13Z")
Did King originate it as in current vernacular, or was it somebody else?? I be thinking that it was in current use as of 87 or earlier. Thanks, hh ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rodney-king-originate-why-cant-we-all-just-get-along/494531/2 "2009-04-27T18:42:06Z")
Rodney King offered four versions of the phrase during his interview on May 1, 1992: “Can we all get along? Can we get along? . . . We can get along here. We can all get along.” Since those are not unusual strings of words, I’m sure that each was uttered many times before in the history of the English language. As a pop-culture catch-phrase, however, yes–it definitely dates to that moment. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rodney-king-originate-why-cant-we-all-just-get-along/494531/3 "2009-04-27T20:28:48Z")
Here it is, by the way, live from NBC news. [Can we all just get along?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkqezCDxTZE) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rodney-king-originate-why-cant-we-all-just-get-along/494531/4 "2009-04-27T23:00:00Z")
I never understood what the phrase was subject to such mockery. Here is a guy making an appeal to end violence, and the phrase becomes a joke. Do people like rioting that much? ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2009, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rodney-king-originate-why-cant-we-all-just-get-along/494531/5 "2009-04-28T15:57:26Z")
The phrase came out sounding like a joke because it was silly to think that a bunch of violent criminals would respond to such a simplistic plea. Kind of why hippie peaceniks tend to be mocked. Yes, it would be nice if we could all just get along. Unfortunately, there really are people who don’t want to play nice with the rest of us. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2009, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rodney-king-originate-why-cant-we-all-just-get-along/494531/6 "2009-04-28T16:39:15Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > I never understood what the phrase was subject to such mockery. Here is a guy making an appeal to end violence, and the phrase becomes a joke. Do people like rioting that much? I think it became a joke because Mr. King himself wasn’t exactly a peace loving hippie nor a saint. “At this point, Sergeant Stacey Koon intervened and ordered Singer to holster her weapon. LAPD officers are taught not to approach a suspect with a drawn gun.[8] Sergeant Koon felt Singer’s actions endangered King, herself, and other officers.[1] Koon then ordered the four other LAPD officers at the scene—Briseno, Powell, Solano, and Wind—to subdue and handcuff King. As the officers attempted to do so, **King physically resisted. King rose up, tossing Officers Powell and Briseno off his back. King then allegedly struck Officer Briseno in the chest.** ” - Wikipedia (bolding added) As drunk who failed to comply with the police, endangered society by drunk driving, and even attacked the police when caught, it’s a bit of a joke to pretend that you’re a peace lover who doesn’t understand why anyone would think he’s not the nicest fellow ever.