I’ve been thinking that on the observance of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday I should offer some sort of comment, and I’ve kind of been at a loss.

Driving to work today, I had a flash of insight.

It’s not deep, but it is glib, and I think that it is an evocative way to give the lie to the idea that somehow or other Obama is a successor to Kings legacy.

Beneficiary, yes, successor, no f%$#ing way.

More generally,  I object to the the Disneyification of King’s memory.

At the core of his activism was a profound and deep moral outrage, and the process by which he has been reduced to some sort of “Magic Negro” by the mainstream media is a real shame.

It serves to dilute much of his message, which was not just about civil rights, but addressed poverty and labor rights as well.