--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That was exciting to be able to comment…" description: "\"That was exciting to be able to comment on civil rights. I mean, the civil rights movement that young people don't know about today, but Martin Luther ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/jules-feiffer-11086_civil-rights_that-was-exciting-to-be-able-to-comment_400403.jpg" --- # That was exciting to be able to comment on civil rights. I… ![“That was exciting to be able to comment on civil rights. I mean, the civil rights movement that young people don't know about today, but Martin Luther King was considered by the establishment press in the early years of the sit-in movement as a dangerous man, and he was the equivalent at that time…” quote by Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/jules-feiffer-11086_civil-rights_that-was-exciting-to-be-able-to-comment_400403.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/jules-feiffer-11086_civil-rights_that-was-exciting-to-be-able-to-comment_400403.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/jules-feiffer-11086_civil-rights_that-was-exciting-to-be-able-to-comment_400403.jpg) > “That was exciting to be able to comment on civil rights. I mean, the civil rights movement that young people don't know about today, but Martin Luther King was considered by the establishment press in the early years of the sit-in movement as a dangerous man, and he was the equivalent at that time as Malcolm X. And he was told to stop his demonstrations; they were against the law and all of that. Now that he's sainted and sanctified we've forgotten.” [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights how historical figures like Martin Luther King Jr. were once portrayed as dangerous, but later become sanctified, leading to collective amnesia about their struggles. **In simple terms:** Past dissent is often re‑framed as heroic, erasing original controversy. Key Takeaway Recognize and teach the full context of social movements. Themes history civil rights memory media heroism Mood reflective critical thoughtful Type historical analytical educational When to use this quote - education - public speaking - media analysis - activism - curriculum design Key Concepts social narrative revisionism collective memory Questions to Reflect On - How does media framing change public perception of activists? - What responsibilities do we have to preserve nuanced histories? A Different Perspective Simplifying complex histories can obscure ongoing injustices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civil Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-right/) [Civil rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-rights/) [Civil rights movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-rights-movement/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Rights movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights-movement/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Young people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-people/) ## Related quotes > [The Civil Rights Movement, it wasn't just a couple of, you know, superstars like Martin Luther King. It was thousands and thousands - millions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/the-civil-rights-movement-it-wasn-t-just-a-couple-of-you-know/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [ In that respect, Martin Luther King, whom A.J.\[Muste\] advised in the civil rights movement, was also a radical pacifist. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/in-that-respect-martin-luther-king-whom-a-j-muste-advised-in-the/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [It was so crucial to the Civil Rights Movement that on June 23, 1963, Martin Luther King came to town, walked down Woodward Avenue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-maraniss/it-was-so-crucial-to-the-civil-rights-movement-that-on-june-23-1963/) [David Maraniss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-maraniss/) > [If Martin Luther King came back, he'd say we need another civil rights movement built on class not race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/if-martin-luther-king-came-back-he-d-say-we-need-another-civil-rights/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [Martin Luther King, Jr., would have been the last person to have wanted his iconization and his heroism. He was an enormously guilt-laden man.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/martin-luther-king-jr-would-have-been-the-last-person-to-have-wanted/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [I was born after the Civil Rights Movement. I never saw Martin Luther King alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/i-was-born-after-the-civil-rights-movement-i-never-saw-martin-luther/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [Most students graduate from high school knowing nine words about the civil rights movement: Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, and "I Have a Dream."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-aydin/most-students-graduate-from-high-school-knowing-nine-words-about-the/) [Andrew Aydin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-aydin/) > [One individual can begin a movement that turns the tide of history. Martin Luther King in the civil rights movement, Mohandas Ganhi in India,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-canfield/one-individual-can-begin-a-movement-that-turns-the-tide-of-history/) [Jack Canfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-canfield/) > [I think hip-hop has definitely brought the black experience to white kids more than the civil rights movement did and more than any teacher's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-think-hip-hop-has-definitely-brought-the-black-experience-to-white/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [Detroit was an exaggeration of what was going on across the country. You could see the divisions, even within the Civil Rights Movement of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-maraniss/detroit-was-an-exaggeration-of-what-was-going-on-across-the-country/) [David Maraniss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-maraniss/) > [“They listened to a series of speeches by civil rights luminaries, capped off by a rousing, crowd-pleasing address by Martin Luther King. While the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-m-ward/they-listened-to-a-series-of-speeches-by-civil-rights-luminaries/) [Stephen M. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-m-ward/) > [I was involved in the civil rights movement way back in the late '50s and through the '60s and '70s. I was doing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/i-was-involved-in-the-civil-rights-movement-way-back-in-the-late-50s/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [Martin Luther King's 1963 'I have a dream' speech was a thrilling milestone in the civil rights movement, so enduring that we tend to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-j-williams/martin-luther-king-s-1963-i-have-a-dream-speech-was-a-thrilling/) [Patricia J. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-j-williams/) > [Half a century ago, the amazing courage of Rosa Parks, the visionary leadership of Martin Luther King, and the inspirational actions of the civil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cameron/half-a-century-ago-the-amazing-courage-of-rosa-parks-the-visionary/) [David Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cameron/) > [Obama has little or nothing to do with the civil-rights movement. His roots are in Kenya, and he is shaped far more by anti-colonialism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/obama-has-little-or-nothing-to-do-with-the-civil-rights-movement-his/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) ## More by Jules Feiffer > [When you do the kind of work I do, everything is challenging, but probably the most challenging thing is getting up in the morning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/when-you-do-the-kind-of-work-i-do-everything-is-challenging-but/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) > [When people started reading me and talking to me about the work, they didn't say how funny, or how satiric, or how brilliant, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/when-people-started-reading-me-and-talking-to-me-about-the-work-they/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) > [Artists can color the sky red because they know it's blue. Those of us who aren't artists must color things the way they really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/artists-can-color-the-sky-red-because-they-know-it-s-blue-those-of-us/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) > [I have no sense of direction; I never know where I am. When I back up a car, I'm more likely to hit what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/i-have-no-sense-of-direction-i-never-know-where-i-am-when-i-back-up-a/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) > [Design is important because chaos is so hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/design-is-important-because-chaos-is-so-hard/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) > [I was doing cartoons and mocking white liberals, mocking the attitude of government who said to go slow, while intending to do absolutely nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/i-was-doing-cartoons-and-mocking-white-liberals-mocking-the-attitude/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) > [Cartoons were very conservative. The country was very conservative. Although the liberals were allegedly in charge for a long time, there was a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/cartoons-were-very-conservative-the-country-was-very-conservative/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) > [Remember when you were a kid and the boys didn't like the girls? Only sissies liked girls? What I'm trying to tell you is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/remember-when-you-were-a-kid-and-the-boys-didn-t-like-the-girls-only/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) > [I didn't have a job. Employers were afraid of losing their reputations. I didn't have a reputation. I had zilch. So, I had the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/i-didn-t-have-a-job-employers-were-afraid-of-losing-their-reputations/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) > [I come out of a Cold War sensibility, a Cold War mentality, and during those Cold War years, I used to know, I thought,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/i-come-out-of-a-cold-war-sensibility-a-cold-war-mentality-and-during/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) > [I seemed to have instinctually a strong idea of how the strip had to be written from the beginning. That changed too, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/i-seemed-to-have-instinctually-a-strong-idea-of-how-the-strip-had-to/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) > [The artwork had very little to do with the thought process, and the writing too, for that matter. What happens, happens, and it happens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/the-artwork-had-very-little-to-do-with-the-thought-process-and-the/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) > [I'm not electronically geared at all; I'm really a 19th century cartoonist. I have a 15-year-old daughter, and what she's attracted to is of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/i-m-not-electronically-geared-at-all-i-m-really-a-19th-century/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) > [I found it was my good fortune to somehow be able to work in these forms that I loved when I was a kid.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/i-found-it-was-my-good-fortune-to-somehow-be-able-to-work-in-these/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) > [Over the years, I discovered over and over again that once you lose control, you have a chance of getting good at it. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/over-the-years-i-discovered-over-and-over-again-that-once-you-lose/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) [Explore all 62 Jules Feiffer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) ## More Civil rights quotes > [Every one knows that the exercise of military power is forever dangerous to civil rights; and we have had recent instances of violences that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/every-one-knows-that-the-exercise-of-military-power-is-forever/) [Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/) > [I am for freedom of religion, and against all maneuvers to bring about a legal ascendency of one sect over another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-am-for-freedom-of-religion-and-against-all-maneuvers-to-bring-about/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [I speak not for myself, but so those without a voice can be heard. Those who have fought for their rights. Their right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/i-speak-not-for-myself-but-so-those-without-a-voice-can-be-heard/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) > [The Patriot Act is certainly a concern; all of those things are dangerous. I think more important than me preaching is that we as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/the-patriot-act-is-certainly-a-concern-all-of-those-things-are/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) > [American civil rights leader, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? Lynching is a murder. For the past four hundred years our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/american-civil-rights-leader-where-do-we-go-from-here-chaos-or/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [“Why do we apologize for advocating for ourselves? Why do we apologize for taking up space that we are entitled to? Why do we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-tambascio/why-do-we-apologize-for-advocating-for-ourselves-why-do-we-apologize/) Elizabeth Tambascio > [We are a nation of innovators and problem-solvers who sparked revolutions in democratic government, civil rights, communications, flight, rural electrification and technology. We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-a-mcchrystal/we-are-a-nation-of-innovators-and-problem-solvers-who-sparked/) [Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/) > [“Mental illness is not something you misunderstand in this era. Get educated because bias is no different than racism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/mental-illness-is-not-something-you-misunderstand-in-this-era-get/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Civil rights leaders are involved in helping poor people. That's what I've been doing all my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-young/civil-rights-leaders-are-involved-in-helping-poor-people-that-s-what/) [Andrew Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-young/) > [I grew up in the early '60s, and there was a lot of civil rights, a lot of unrest in our country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herm-edwards/i-grew-up-in-the-early-60s-and-there-was-a-lot-of-civil-rights-a-lot/) [Herm Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herm-edwards/) > [The great paradox of the civil rights revolution is that instead of enforcing and expanding equality before the law, the revolution created differential rights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-craig-roberts/the-great-paradox-of-the-civil-rights-revolution-is-that-instead-of/) [Paul Craig Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-craig-roberts/) > [The world - and America - has been defined by people who haven't necessarily abided by the laws and the rules. Civil disobedience is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-kennedy/the-world-and-america-has-been-defined-by-people-who-haven-t/) [Rory Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-kennedy/) > [I do not believe that defending traditional marriage between one man and one woman excludes anybody or usurps anybody's civil rights and denies anybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-autry/i-do-not-believe-that-defending-traditional-marriage-between-one-man/) [Alan Autry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-autry/) > [Truth is on the side of the oppressed today, it's against the oppressor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/truth-is-on-the-side-of-the-oppressed-today-it-s-against-the-oppressor/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [The notion of women being written out of history is as old as the Bible, but it always seems more galling when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/the-notion-of-women-being-written-out-of-history-is-as-old-as-the/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) [Browse all 1,552 Civil rights quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-rights/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "That was exciting to be able to comment on civil rights. 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