The Daily Show Features a Montage of Conservatives ‘Appropriating’ MLK’s Message

WOOD JR What I ░░░░░░░░ love to do is ░░░░░░░░ you a clip of ░░░░░░░░ who have appropriated MLK ░░░░░░░░ message Let s just ░░░░░░░░ s just let s ░░░░░░░░ listen to a run ░░░░░░░░ conservatives quoting Dr King ░░░░░░░░ starts O REILLY Dr ░░░░░░░░ would not participate in ░░░░░░░░ Black Lives Matter protest ░░░░░░░░ The great MLK said ░░░░░░░░ you have a moral ░░░░░░░░ to object to unjust ░░░░░░░░ and rules that make ░░░░░░░░ sense Pence One of ░░░░░░░░ favorite quotes from Dr ░░░░░░░░ was Now is the ░░░░░░░░ to make real the ░░░░░░░░ of democracy You think ░░░░░░░░ how he changed America ░░░░░░░░ inspired us to change ░░░░░░░░ the legislative process to ░░░░░░░░ a more perfect union ░░░░░░░░ s exactly what President ░░░░░░░░ is calling on the ░░░░░░░░ to do MACE Today ░░░░░░░░ m asking my colleagues ░░░░░░░░ remember the words of ░░░░░░░░ legendary the great leader ░░░░░░░░ this country Dr Martin ░░░░░░░░ King who once said ░░░░░░░░ time is always right ░░░░░░░░ do what is right ░░░░░░░░ And I just want ░░░░░░░░ leave you with a ░░░░░░░░ from Martin Luther King ░░░░░░░░ That we must learn ░░░░░░░░ live together as brothers ░░░░░░░░ we will perish together ░░░░░░░░ fools Thank you Trump ░░░░░░░░ Race Theory is a ░░░░░░░░ doctrine that rejects the ░░░░░░░░ of Martin Luther King ░░░░░░░░ McCarthy Critical Race Theory ░░░░░░░░ against everything Martin Luther ░░░░░░░░ has ever told us ░░░░░░░░ t judge us by ░░░░░░░░ color of our skin ░░░░░░░░ now they re embracing ░░░░░░░░ right They re going ░░░░░░░░ Clip ends OTIS It ░░░░░░░░ kind of like everyone ░░░░░░░░ dead like my black ░░░░░░░░ is like this dead ░░░░░░░░ who you can make ░░░░░░░░ anything Right And with ░░░░░░░░ thing about you know ░░░░░░░░ has this huge body ░░░░░░░░ work in his entire ░░░░░░░░ it s kind of ░░░░░░░░ if someone maybe this ░░░░░░░░ a poor analogy but ░░░░░░░░ s like I m ░░░░░░░░ Oh you know Outkast ░░░░░░░░ know the group Outkast ░░░░░░░░ Oh yeah hey ya ░░░░░░░░ it like a Polaroid ░░░░░░░░ I m like yes ░░░░░░░░ even one within the ░░░░░░░░ Hey Ya you re ░░░░░░░░ that the entire song ░░░░░░░░ incredibly sad and about ░░░░░░░░ ability of love to ░░░░░░░░ but there s also ░░░░░░░░ songs Outkast has made ░░░░░░░░ know WOOD JR That ░░░░░░░░ much deeper and more ░░░░░░░░ than Hey Ya So ░░░░░░░░ as a writer at ░░░░░░░░ Daily Show you have ░░░░░░░░ I consider to be ░░░░░░░░ most difficult job in ░░░░░░░░ building which is to ░░░░░░░░ sadness and make it ░░░░░░░░ And so when you ░░░░░░░░ you all were researching ░░░░░░░░ piece and you started ░░░░░░░░ up all these wonderful ░░░░░░░░ factoids on Dr King ░░░░░░░░ know and how the ░░░░░░░░ you know they tried ░░░░░░░░ destroy him with wiretaps ░░░░░░░░ they called him playing ░░░░░░░░ audio they told him ░░░░░░░░ should kill himself suggested ░░░░░░░░ but then the FBI ░░░░░░░░ Twitter account gives Dr ░░░░░░░░ a shout out on ░░░░░░░░ Day How do you ░░░░░░░░ in the writer s ░░░░░░░░ juggle the gravity of ░░░░░░░░ situation versus the need ░░░░░░░░ still be able to ░░░░░░░░ humor into this topic ░░░░░░░░ Well I guess it ░░░░░░░░ for me it s ░░░░░░░░ of like just focusing ░░░░░░░░ one the honesty of ░░░░░░░░ situation which is I ░░░░░░░░ like I think if ░░░░░░░░ just basically look at ░░░░░░░░ reality of what you ░░░░░░░░ said you know they ░░░░░░░░ to have this man ░░░░░░░░ and then are celebrating ░░░░░░░░ on its face is ░░░░░░░░ and heightened to a ░░░░░░░░ that is almost hard ░░░░░░░░ comprehend And it s ░░░░░░░░ of in a way ░░░░░░░░ that kind of like ░░░░░░░░ Trump problem Like when ░░░░░░░░ is so ridiculous how ░░░░░░░░ you heighten that reality ░░░░░░░░ part of it is ░░░░░░░░ I guess I like ░░░░░░░░ on like some of ░░░░░░░░ reactions of the serious ░░░░░░░░ So if something is ░░░░░░░░ incredibly serious incredibly potent ░░░░░░░░ incredibly important it may ░░░░░░░░ hard to joke about ░░░░░░░░ thing in and of ░░░░░░░░ but the deflections off ░░░░░░░░ that topic can be ░░░░░░░░ you can go And ░░░░░░░░ s usually where I ░░░░░░░░ a lot of humor ░░░░░░░░ people s reactions to ░░░░░░░░ the FBI has said ░░░░░░░░ a good source of ░░░░░░░░ So it s like ░░░░░░░░ of like it s ░░░░░░░░ to stare directly into ░░░░░░░░ sun but you can ░░░░░░░░ the rays off what ░░░░░░░░ sun provides You know ░░░░░░░░ I mean WOOD JR ░░░░░░░░ Kendi the the thing ░░░░░░░░ I guess is so ░░░░░░░░ to me about Dr ░░░░░░░░ is that he is ░░░░░░░░ one that we re ░░░░░░░░ taught So I m ░░░░░░░░ product of the Birmingham ░░░░░░░░ school system Birmingham is ░░░░░░░░ about a 75 80 ░░░░░░░░ black city all the ░░░░░░░░ schools are predominantly black ░░░░░░░░ are predominantly black taught ░░░░░░░░ lot of blackety blackness ░░░░░░░░ did a lot of ░░░░░░░░ trips to blackety black ░░░░░░░░ Yet when I look ░░░░░░░░ in reflection on everything ░░░░░░░░ was a black school ░░░░░░░░ but it was for ░░░░░░░░ a white board of ░░░░░░░░ a white state board ░░░░░░░░ education And when I ░░░░░░░░ at everything that we ░░░░░░░░ taught we were just ░░░░░░░░ the basic hits You ░░░░░░░░ lucky if you found ░░░░░░░░ about Marion Anderson Like ░░░░░░░░ they taught you I ░░░░░░░░ call it suit brother ░░░░░░░░ a flute brother You ░░░░░░░░ learn a black person ░░░░░░░░ plays an instrument and ░░░░░░░░ black person who wore ░░░░░░░░ suit They didn t ░░░░░░░░ you about anybody else ░░░░░░░░ did Dr King become ░░░░░░░░ one that was synonymous ░░░░░░░░ the Civil Rights Movement ░░░░░░░░ there are so many ░░░░░░░░ figures that did things ░░░░░░░░ move the black race ░░░░░░░░ and like how do ░░░░░░░░ make for a more ░░░░░░░░ rounded civil rights education ░░░░░░░░ this country Like can ░░░░░░░░ we misquote other people ░░░░░░░░ than Dr why is ░░░░░░░░ King the only one ░░░░░░░░ misquote Abernathy said some ░░░░░░░░ sh t too KENDI ░░░░░░░░ mean I think there ░░░░░░░░ probably two reasons without ░░░░░░░░ in too much trouble ░░░░░░░░ think the first is ░░░░░░░░ that I mean I ░░░░░░░░ King certainly was an ░░░░░░░░ pivotal figure during during ░░░░░░░░ Civil Rights Movement and ░░░░░░░░ the movement itself captured ░░░░░░░░ of the media narratives ░░░░░░░░ civil rights when in ░░░░░░░░ cases there were other ░░░░░░░░ who were sort of ░░░░░░░░ the way you know ░░░░░░░░ we re talking about ░░░░░░░░ the Montgomery sort of ░░░░░░░░ boycott which was largely ░░░░░░░░ by women and it ░░░░░░░░ more mainly domestics who ░░░░░░░░ boycotting Of course King ░░░░░░░░ of became one of ░░░░░░░░ premier sort of media ░░░░░░░░ and and so I ░░░░░░░░ there s that Then ░░░░░░░░ think the other reason ░░░░░░░░ because how they frame ░░░░░░░░ So they frame King ░░░░░░░░ Mr Nonviolence They sort ░░░░░░░░ want to essentially just ░░░░░░░░ during the Civil Rights ░░░░░░░░ they want to frame ░░░░░░░░ as non violence Malcolm ░░░░░░░░ as violence which are ░░░░░░░░ course both flawed And ░░░░░░░░ they want to to ░░░░░░░░ King as an assimilationist ░░░░░░░░ he was essentially seeking ░░░░░░░░ integrate into superior white ░░░░░░░░ and you black people ░░░░░░░░ s what y all ░░░░░░░░ supposed to be doing ░░░░░░░░ that s also false ░░░░░░░░ I think the way ░░░░░░░░ which they frame King ░░░░░░░░ you know is a ░░░░░░░░ why I think they ░░░░░░░░ misrepresenting him as opposed ░░░░░░░░ somebody else.”