KING IN WATTS (TWO SOCIETIES)

Document One

On August 11th, 1965, a riot broke out, and continued for six days. Throughout that next week, around 600 buildings were burned/destroyed.

What is a riot? A riot is a form of civil unrest, and a wave of very sudden violence is directed (likely in cities) towards authority, people, and/or property. Riots characterize "herd-like" and chaotic behaviors. Some incidents/protests become riots because sometimes the people who are protesting cannot deal with the situation through negotiation and/or law, by discussing right and wrong. This is because blacks were separated and whites felt superior. Most whites felt that anyone who associated with blacks were less than them, and this became a constant thought throughout whites' minds. Whites felt that their time was too worthy to spend "negotiating" with blacks and their demands/complaints/protests, etc. Some incidents like these cause riots because blacks feel it would be easier and more beneficial to them, to be violent in their protesting. MLK urges and encourages the blacks to fight together, nonviolently. One of the white officers points a shotgun at the black boy's mother, Marquette was hit with a nightstick, and Ronald and his mother were bruised up. They were all taken into custody. Within six days, six hundred buildings were destroyed if not burned to the ground. This incident in California became an ongoing 6-day riot. The blacks that were protesting were still let down without violence. The 3 blacks were taken into custody, insulted, and beat up, without blacks protesting with violence. And then this happens, and MLK continues to encourage the blacks to fight together, nonviolently. It is obviously very difficult for blacks to listen to MLK while their brothers are being de-humanized (with no violence in the first place). This is how the "incident" broke into a 6-day riot. Power lies upon the laws that are created discriminating against blacks preventing them from expressing their true feelings about whites and how the whites treat them.
"They're selling us again, and we're tired of being sold as slaves!" -one black man at MLK's speech, talking about Martin Luther King JR.

Emerson's "Self-Reliance" ---The Individual

"It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude" (23). In this quote, Emerson is illustrating that individuals are those who stay true to themselves in times of hardship. Emerson also believes in noncomformity, and hopes that everyone can make their own decisions in reguards to their roles that they play in their societies. This quote represents how Emerson encourages people to be their own person, and not to live after the world's opinion. I completely agree with him, and i don't really care what people think of me; as long as I know who I am, and I'm happy with it, then life is good for me. Kurt Cobain once said "I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I'm not." One of the main reasons I believe in noncomformity is because of my parents' divorce, which gave me the independence to take my mind power, and use it, since it is mine and only my mind. Growing up with this attitude helped me adapt to most things around me, which is why I am so open-minded these days. A person should define his/her place in the society as what ever role he/she feels is best, in their mind. Most people define their places in their societies by following others, such as family, friends, and elders. I follow my mind 'cause I know what I like, I know what I want, and I know that being your own person is the coolest and best way to live life.
"Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are." -Kurt Cobain
"Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be." -Abe Lincoln
"A man is sucess if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between does what he wants to do." -Bob Dylan

Burning of the Quran

I just read the article "Quran-burning on again, off again" and it made me upset. A church's pastor in Florida, Terry Jones, believes that burning copies of the Quran will be beneficial. I assume that he wants to do this because he was either hurt on 9/11/01, he doesn't want a Mosque built near Ground Zero, and/or he just hates Muslims. The part that he doesn't understand is that the 9/11 bombing wasn't contributed by all muslims; It was only the sick, cruel, extremists that attacked America. He thinks he'll get back at the extremists by retalliating and burning the book that Muslims believe to be very sacred. Terry Jones made America look stupid, immature, and radical. If he believes that the Quran caused Muslims to be more radical/violent, what is he proving by promoting this idea of burning copies of the Quran? HE is the radical piece of shit who made America seem to discriminate against Muslims. If I were to go crazy and cuss-out a kid at my school, who was 1/3 German, because I was offended that his ancestors tortured my ancestors, I would look like a fool. I think Terry Jones is a fool.

"President Barack Obama urged Jones to listen to 'those better angels,' saying that besides endangering lives, it would give Islamic terrorists a recruiting tool. Defense Secretary Robert Gates took the extraordinary step of calling Jones personally. He briefly spoke to the pastor before his first announcement to call it off. Gates expressed 'his grave concern that going forward with this Quran burning would put the lives of our forces at risk, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan,' Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said."

"These are the times that try men's souls."

I just read an article about Thomas Paine's thoughts on the British, and i enjoyed reading it the most out of anything we've read so far this year. This is because I admire him so much for using analogies rather than being harsh and going into details about the British. This shows how many points he had, and how much evidence he had to back up his ideas.

"If we reason to the root of things we shall find no difference; neither can any just cause be assigned why we should punish in the one case and pardon in the other. Let them call me rebel, and welcome, I feel no concern from it; but I shou8ld suffer the misery of devils, were I to make a whore of my soul by swearing allegiance to one whos character is that of a sottish, stupid, stubbord, worthless, brutish man" (53).

"It is the madness of folly, to expect mercy from those who have refused to do justice; and even mercy, where conquest is the object, is only a trick of war; the cunning of the fox is as murderous as the violence of the wolf; and we ought to guard equally against both" (53).

These two quotes helped me understand what he was trying to express. Thomas Paine seemed to be one of the most commited men in town, and he seemed to illustrate the saying "stand up for what you believe in" in this article. Thomas Paine put a lot of images in my head, and his words are extremely convincing. Even if I didn't know that he was talking about how we needed to win the American Revolution, his perspective and analogies convinced me enough. An interesting article I read.

The Band

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQbN0IeMedQ&feature=related