Rosa Parks, Misremembered

[jre]

Rosa Parks died yesterday at age 92. Over the days to come, we'll hear a lot of very-much deserved prasie for Parks' refusal to abide bigotry and her courage in the service of a cause. Unfortunately, we'll also hear a new round of recitations of the stubborn myth that Parks was an anonymous, apolitical woman who spontaneously refused to yield to

Comments

[jox]

thank you. that was beautifully written.

[caromalinia]

Unfortunately, it is a shockingly large community. Seriously. Shocking.

The explanation these individuals would give seems to be something like this: "Spontaneous civil disobedience is a moving, heroic act that makes me feel warm and fuzzy/tears well up when I hear about it. It is reserved for super extreme terrible circumstances and very heroic people. Neither of these descriptions could ever fit me/ things that would happen to me."

So there are basically all these people who like the stories of civil disobedience but have a clear idea that things aren't and never again will be as bad as they were for Rosa Parks and that current activists are whiny and ungrateful. It is very, kind of, Chicken Soup for the Soul-ish.

[elisaana]

Thanks for writing this post