# Let's pit Martin Luther King! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 16, 2015, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-martin-luther-king/710016 "2015-01-16T20:05:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-martin-luther-king/710016/61 "2015-01-17T03:20:10Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Not to side with the OP, but Johnson did a LOT more than sign the bill. He strong-armed that bill through Congress in a way few presidents could. He’s got the stain of Vietnam on his hands, but on Civil Rights, he was right up there with the best of them. > > As for the OP’s suggestion that FDR be honored instead… you are aware of the marital infidelities of that president, aren’t you? I was aware of LBJ’s unique ability to get the Civil Rights Act passed, I would have voted for it. I actually was not aware of any FDR marital infidelities. ---
**Author:** ![Human\_Action](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@Human\_Action](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Human_Action)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-martin-luther-king/710016/62 "2015-01-17T03:35:37Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I actually was not aware of any FDR marital infidelities. So when can we expect his Pit thread? ---
**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-martin-luther-king/710016/63 "2015-01-17T03:45:54Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I was aware of LBJ’s unique ability to get the Civil Rights Act passed, I would have voted for it. > > I actually was not aware of any FDR marital infidelities. Someone did not watch “The Roosevelts” on PBS last year. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-martin-luther-king/710016/64 "2015-01-17T03:57:00Z")
I don’t care what MLK might’ve plagiarized over sixty years ago. I don’t care if MLK had women on the side. I don’t care if MLK jaywalked, was mean to old people, or fucked goats. What he was able to do for non-whites in the US is far more important than any human failing. Also, I’m fine with the holiday. I need a day off mid-January anyway. > [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Franklin Roosevelt had women on the side. > > **Eleanor** Roosevelt had women on the side. > > MLK, JFK, RFK, LBJ . . . > > Nixon, OTOH, was a perfect angel. 😉 Which might only prove that Nixon was so personally repugnant that _ **no one** _ wanted to fuck him. :dubious:😃 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-martin-luther-king/710016/65 "2015-01-17T03:59:11Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > Which might only prove that Nixon was so personally repugnant that _ **no one** _ wanted to fuck him. :dubious:😃 And what does that say about Pat . . . ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-martin-luther-king/710016/66 "2015-01-17T04:01:29Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > I think you mean “Stalin”. Though I think “National Stalin Day” might be a tough sell. if you aren’t ready to propose that, then you;re stallin’ on Stalin. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-martin-luther-king/710016/67 "2015-01-17T04:02:09Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > And what does that say about Pat . . . Rule 34. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-martin-luther-king/710016/68 "2015-01-17T04:03:13Z")
On the same note as the OP, I propose taking Lincoln’s face off all bills and coins and demolishing all his monuments and renaming all those public schools (and Lincoln, Nebraska). He did give his wife syphilis, after all. And might have been gay in his youth. And wrote an atheistic book debunking Christianity (he burned the manuscript when a friend pointed out what publishing it would mean for his political ambitions). ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-martin-luther-king/710016/69 "2015-01-17T04:05:23Z")
And, now . . . now we really need to talk about Thomas Jefferson . . . ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-martin-luther-king/710016/70 "2015-01-17T04:06:23Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Rule 34. _\_ _\_ ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-martin-luther-king/710016/71 "2015-01-17T04:50:40Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Did no one at the time ever, ever say, “Come to think of it, there’s no real reason why a national leader needs to be able to walk”? To be fair, a large part of FDR’s campaign was based around the idea of beating polio, and being stronger than the disease; using a wheelchair would make him “weak” and “surrendering” to it. The attitude to the disabled at that time was . . . not ideal, let’s say. On the one hand, it’s obviously a fantastic thing that society is more accepting of different kinds of people nowadays. But the gentleman’s agreement with the press really is remarkable. Just imagine having someone running for President in 2015, with a personal issue they’re ashamed/embarrassed of that doesn’t affect their leadership abilities, asking a horde of reporters to please not publicize it. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-martin-luther-king/710016/72 "2015-01-17T14:20:28Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > For a long time, my only real sense of the OP was that he’s some guy who follows baseball. We talked in the baseball threads, and everything was perfectly cordial. What team does he support? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-martin-luther-king/710016/73 "2015-01-17T14:34:13Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > What team does he support? The wrong one. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-martin-luther-king/710016/74 "2015-01-17T14:53:14Z")
Given his thoughts on King, there’s probably no support for the Royals. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-martin-luther-king/710016/75 "2015-01-17T16:34:24Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > What team does he support? I think the Arizona Diamondbacks, although i believe he moved to Chicago and now attends quite a few Cubs games. I’m not sure if his team loyalties have changed, or if it’s just a product of his new location. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-martin-luther-king/710016/76 "2015-01-17T16:50:11Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > I think the Arizona Diamondbacks Hates Martin Luther King Jr. and supports a team from Arizona? What are the [odds](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrFOb_f7ubw)? . ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-martin-luther-king/710016/77 "2015-01-17T17:16:00Z")
> [@Octarine](#): > > To be fair, a large part of FDR’s campaign was based around the idea of beating polio, and being stronger than the disease; using a wheelchair would make him “weak” and “surrendering” to it. Right. There was a whole mythology about how he overcame the disease, and that was used in turn as an allegory for leading the recovery from the Depression and the war effort. There are those who say that the effort to make it look so actually ended up accelerating the overall deterioration of his health. > [@](#): > > On the one hand, it’s obviously a fantastic thing that society is more accepting of different kinds of people nowadays. But the gentleman’s agreement with the press really is remarkable. Just imagine having someone running for President in 2015, with a personal issue they’re ashamed/embarrassed of that doesn’t affect their leadership abilities, asking a horde of reporters to please not publicize it. Hell, try and tell the people that thing in the person’s background \*does not \*affect the candidate’s leadership abilities. They’ll look at you like you’re claiming it improves it or you’re advocating making it mandatory for children. But either we decide that we judge _all_ historic figures by absolute morality and disown them _all_ if found in any way wanting (and that means stripping the mantle of “greatness” from the likes of Washington, Churchill, etc.), or we pass judgment on each one on individual merit and decide whether the Good outweighs the Bad from the Big Picture POV. In King’s case it still does (though I must agree the would-be keepers of his legacy don’t do a great work of it). ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-martin-luther-king/710016/78 "2015-01-17T18:03:40Z")
dalej42, in honor of your mindless stupidity, I have just made a donation to the NAACP. Thank you for inspiring me to do so, dipshit. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-martin-luther-king/710016/79 "2015-01-17T18:17:33Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I was aware of LBJ’s unique ability to get the Civil Rights Act passed, I would have voted for it. Well, there you fucking go. A dipshit in 2015 would have voted for the Civil Rights Act, therefore LBJ didn’t do anything politically difficult in 1964. I would’ve voted against the Alien and Sedition Act, therefore you’re an ignorant blowhard. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-martin-luther-king/710016/80 "2015-01-17T21:39:29Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > I think the Arizona Diamondbacks, although i believe he moved to Chicago and now attends quite a few Cubs games. I’m not sure if his team loyalties have changed, or if it’s just a product of his new location. I follow baseball pretty avidly. I’ve adopted the Cubs, since I plan to stay in Chicago for the rest of my life, although I still follow the D-backs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-martin-luther-king/710016.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-pit-martin-luther-king/710016.md?page=5)