CNN Tweets Martin Luther King Was a Socialist ‘Before It Was Cool,’ Internet Freaks

“Is CNN suggesting it wasn’t cool to starve to death in China circa 1960,” tweets one user

CNN

CNN’s tweet honoring Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy on Monday was met with backlash for stating that the civil rights icon was a socialist “before it was cool.”

CNN’s remarks were met with silence by prominent liberals, but generated a swift backlash from conservative voices.

“Is CNN suggesting it wasn’t cool to starve to death in China circa 1960 because THAT was an amazing party,” said FoxNews.com contributor Stephen Miller.

“And here’s CNN using Martin Luther King Jr for a chance to call socialism cool. Take a bow, CNN,” wrote Josh Jordan.

The tweet linked to an article by CNN writer/producer John Blake, which explained King’s ties to socialism at length.

“There was a time in American politics when calling someone a socialist was a slur. Not anymore, at least for many younger Americans who are developing a distrust of capitalism,” wrote Blake. “Many historians describe him as a ‘democratic socialist,’ someone who, according to the Democratic Socialists of America, believes the economy should be shaped “‘to meet public needs’ and ‘not to make profits for a few.’”

The article then approvingly cites fawning remarks made by King about socialism in the 1960s, a time when socialist regimes in China and the Soviet Union starved millions of people.

 

Below is the original tweet along with reactions.

https://twitter.com/redsteeze/status/952930312908103680

https://twitter.com/Matt_ryan18/status/952932155147083779

https://twitter.com/NickAPappas/status/952932429207130122

Comments