Martin Luther King Jr. Day - Commentary round up!

Every year, around Martin Luther King Jr. Day, my socials are full of commentary about MLK, coming from a diverse pool of people with diverse ideologies. They pretty much go something like this :

Centrist: Reminder that MLK just wanted everyone to get along and live in peace! He was a pacifist who supported slowly changing the system from within, he wouldn't have wanted anyone breaking the law or rocking the boat too much. I have this one quote that proves it!

Progressive: Actually, he was a radical who called out milquetoast White liberals and their lukewarm support of Black rights! He would've totally supported modern left-wing racial identity politics! And all the other stuff I support! I have this one quote that proves it!

Conservative: No, no, he would've condemned all the parts of modern African-American culture that I don't like! And don't forget, he opposed anti-White discrimination too! I have this one badly out-of-context quote that proves it!

Socialist: You're all leaving out the fact that he was a socialist revolutionary who sought to unify poor Blacks and poor Whites against the capitalist elite! If he was around today he'd be a card-carrying member of the Democratic Socialists of America! Viva la revolucion!

Far-Leftist: Fuck MLK, he was just a tool of the US government used to trick Blacks into assimilating into the cisheteronormative patriarchal imperialist American hegemony, I bet he was secretly a CIA plant too.

Far-Rightist: I'm not racist, but what if MLK had it wrong and racism was actually good? Also, why are we celebrating his birthday as a federal holiday when there are so many Americans who were even more important? Just asking questions.

Contrarian: Hey, did you know MLK cheated on his wife? And hired prostitutes? And had ties to some genuinely awful people? Oh, you did? Well, I still feel like I should remind you anyway. Also it invalidates literally anything else he ever did and is the only thing worth remembering about him.

Libertarian: You're all leaving out the fact that he was a ̶s̶o̶c̶i̶a̶l̶i̶s̶t̶ libertarian revolutionary who sought to unify poor Blacks and poor Whites against the ̶c̶a̶p̶i̶t̶a̶l̶i̶s̶t̶ government elite! Also, he actually wasn't a pacifist at all, he really liked guns and wanted all Blacks to own firearms!

Like most issues, his stance on guns changed a lot over time. There was a point when he strongly favored gun rights and encouraged Black activists and communities to arm themselves for self-defense, but he walked back on that stance later in life.

Maybe try remembering that MLK Jr. was a human being and not some kind of Platonic archetype? And recognize that his views were complex, and sometimes contradictory, and changed dramatically several times over the course of his life? And accept that a man's life can't be reduced to a handful of cherry-picked quotes that just so happen to support your own personal ideology, whatever that might be?