Bernie Sanders could not, and will not be able to, get racist White Americans to stop voting against

[JCanete]

22. Just so you know, I use MLK because I admire him and personally think of him as a hero. Exactly

why shouldn't I think of him as my hero though? That isn't appropriation. The opposite seems obscene to me actually. "you have your heroes and we have ours, and never the twain should mix."

And this was kind of his wheelhouse. I'm not citing Neal Degrasse Tyson to try to pander to you or something.
Besides, you are creating a catch 22 where I wouldn't be able to site a white person who I think is a hero without you claiming that I'm trying to raise somebody up in the ranks of civil rights compared to those who suffered at the hands of inequality anyway.

By the way, I don't want to suggest that you don't have a point. I know that shit happens. I don't think you can apply it to me in this instance. I don't exactly know what rhetorical tools you think I should be left with if I don't use the historic figures who have informed me on these issues.

Edit: It needs to be said, I don't just have respect for King. I have it for the Black Panther Party and for Malcolm X. I would never suggest that there isn't a legitimate argument to be made that civil disobedience isn't enough. More to the point, it is entirely sane and human and brave to stand up against racial violence with actual force. It is rarely as effective on its own though as far as I can tell.