--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is at the outset a very obvious and…" description: "\"“There is at the outset a very obvious and almost facile connection between the war in Vietnam and the struggle I, and others, have been waging in Amer..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b29/martin-luther-king-jr-2-1523_black-and-white_there-is-at-the-outset-a-very-obvious-an_513524.jpg" --- # There is at the outset a very obvious and almost facile… ![“There is at the outset a very obvious and almost facile connection between the war in Vietnam and the struggle I, and others, have been waging in America. A few years ago there was a shining moment in that struggle. It seemed as if there was a real promise of hope for the poor -- both black and…” quote by Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b29/martin-luther-king-jr-2-1523_black-and-white_there-is-at-the-outset-a-very-obvious-an_513524.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b29/martin-luther-king-jr-2-1523_black-and-white_there-is-at-the-outset-a-very-obvious-an_513524.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b29/martin-luther-king-jr-2-1523_black-and-white_there-is-at-the-outset-a-very-obvious-an_513524.jpg) > ““There is at the outset a very obvious and almost facile connection between the war in Vietnam and the struggle I, and others, have been waging in America. A few years ago there was a shining moment in that struggle. It seemed as if there was a real promise of hope for the poor -- both black and white -- through the poverty program. There were experiments, hopes, new beginnings. Then came the buildup in Vietnam and I watched the program broken and eviscerated as if it were some idle political plaything of a society gone mad on war, and I knew that America would never invest the necessary funds or energies in rehabilitation of its poor so long as adventures like Vietnam continued to draw men and skills and money like some demonic destructive suction tube.”” [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. King links the Vietnam War to domestic poverty, arguing war drains resources and political will needed for social programs. **In simple terms:** War diverts money and focus from helping the poor. Key Takeaway Prioritize social welfare over military adventures. Themes social justice war poverty politics resource allocation Mood concerned critical Type political activist When to use this quote - policy advocacy - community organizing - budget debates - public health initiatives Key Concepts civil rights activism economic inequality government priorities Questions to Reflect On - How can a nation balance security and social welfare? - What alternatives exist to fund anti‑poverty programs during wartime? A Different Perspective The connection may oversimplify complex fiscal decisions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black and white](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-and-white/) [New beginning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-beginning/) [New beginnings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-beginnings/) [Vietnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vietnam/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [A time comes when silence is betrayal. That time has come for us in relation to Vietnam. A nation that continues year after year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/a-time-comes-when-silence-is-betrayal-that-time-has-come-for-us-in/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [I knew that America would never invest the necessary funds of energies in rehabilitation of its poor as long as adventures like Vietnam continued…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/i-knew-that-america-would-never-invest-the-necessary-funds-of/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Now, you might say – “But why should we pay people for doing what they’re supposed to do?” It’s a fair question – but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bloomberg/now-you-might-say-but-why-should-we-pay-people-for-doing-what-they-re/) [Michael Bloomberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bloomberg/) > [The best anti-poverty program is a world-class education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-best-anti-poverty-program-is-a-world-class-education/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The poverty program was not designed to eliminate poverty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rap-brown/the-poverty-program-was-not-designed-to-eliminate-poverty/) [H. Rap Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rap-brown/) > [You can't lift people out of poverty simply by tweaking the tax system, or by raising the minimum wage by a few cents, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-abramsky/you-can-t-lift-people-out-of-poverty-simply-by-tweaking-the-tax/) [Sasha Abramsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasha-abramsky/) > [Unions have been the best anti-poverty program that actually worked and did not cost the government a dime. But as unions grow smaller- not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stern/unions-have-been-the-best-anti-poverty-program-that-actually-worked/) [Andy Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stern/) > [“The typical poverty program creates dependency, robs people of dignity, stifles initiative, and can foster a “What have you done for me lately?” sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-asmus/the-typical-poverty-program-creates-dependency-robs-people-of-dignity/) [Barry Asmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-asmus/) > [You see, the poverty program for the last five years have been buy-off programs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rap-brown/you-see-the-poverty-program-for-the-last-five-years-have-been-buy-off/) [H. Rap Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rap-brown/) > [In what is perhaps the strangest turn in the President's efforts to rally support, he agreed that Iraq is just like Vietnam, but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/in-what-is-perhaps-the-strangest-turn-in-the-president-s-efforts-to/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [“Right.” He smiled. “Only war we’ve got, you know. Bit like your Vietnam.” From anyone else his tone would have been too like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-woods/right-he-smiled-only-war-we-ve-got-you-know-bit-like-your-vietnam/) [Stuart Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-woods/) > [Iraq was a war of choice, like Vietnam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/iraq-was-a-war-of-choice-like-vietnam/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [I was largely drinking to forget where I was. When you’re in a place like Vietnam, you get to a point where you don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/si-robertson/i-was-largely-drinking-to-forget-where-i-was-when-you-re-in-a-place/) [Si Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/si-robertson/) > [That's the problem. We've had too many easy wars. We need a good one. We need like a Vietnam to harden everybody back up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-strickland/that-s-the-problem-we-ve-had-too-many-easy-wars-we-need-a-good-one-we/) [Sean Strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-strickland/) > [Like Vietnam, Afghanistan was never about troop levels; it is about how troops are utilized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-prince/like-vietnam-afghanistan-was-never-about-troop-levels-it-is-about-how/) [Erik Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-prince/) ## More by Martin Luther King Jr > [We have learned to fly the air like birds and swim the sea like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/we-have-learned-to-fly-the-air-like-birds-and-swim-the-sea-like-fish/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [I had a dreamthat you would just shut the fuck up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/i-had-a-dreamthat-you-would-just-shut-the-fuck-up/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice; say that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/yes-if-you-want-to-say-that-i-was-a-drum-major-say-that-i-was-a-drum/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [“We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/we-must-forever-conduct-our-struggle-on-the-high-plane-of-dignity-and/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [“It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can stop him from lynching me, and I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/it-may-be-true-that-the-law-cannot-make-a-man-love-me-but-it-can-stop/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [“Privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/privileged-groups-seldom-give-up-their-privileges-voluntarily/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [God has set the type of marriage everywhere throughout the creation. Every creature seeks its perfection in another. The very heavens and earth picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/god-has-set-the-type-of-marriage-everywhere-throughout-the-creation/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [A nation that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/a-nation-that-continues-to-produce-soft-minded-men-purchases-its-own/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [“It is not enough to say, 'We must not wage war.' It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it. We must concentrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/it-is-not-enough-to-say-we-must-not-wage-war-it-is-necessary-to-love/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [“When, for decades, you have been able to make a man compromise his manhood by threatening him with a cruel and unjust punishment, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/when-for-decades-you-have-been-able-to-make-a-man-compromise-his/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [The question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/the-question-is-not-whether-we-will-be-extremists-but-what-kind-of/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [“Deep in our history of struggle for freedom, Canada was the North star”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/deep-in-our-history-of-struggle-for-freedom-canada-was-the-north-star/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [“And he's allowed me to go to the mountain. And I've looked over, and I've seen the promised land! I may not get there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/and-he-s-allowed-me-to-go-to-the-mountain-and-i-ve-looked-over-and-i/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [“We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/we-know-through-painful-experience-that-freedom-is-never-voluntarily/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [“Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/returning-hate-for-hate-multiplies-hate-adding-deeper-darkness-to-a/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) [Explore all 219 Martin Luther King Jr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) ## More Black and white quotes > [“In the picture, Ava Gardner's tousled black hair obscured her right eye, and her full, closed lips were pulled slightly to the right, resulting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-gifford/in-the-picture-ava-gardner-s-tousled-black-hair-obscured-her-right/) [Barry Gifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-gifford/) > [The world doesn't see a lot of gray. The world sees black and white, and then it understands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-wolfe/the-world-doesn-t-see-a-lot-of-gray-the-world-sees-black-and-white/) [George C. Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-wolfe/) > [We shall be free only together, black and white. We shall survive only together, black and white. We can be human only together, black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/we-shall-be-free-only-together-black-and-white-we-shall-survive-only/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [“The world isn't always black and white. sometimes, it's gray, and sometimes that gray explodes into colors you never knew existed before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-darhower/the-world-isn-t-always-black-and-white-sometimes-it-s-gray-and/) [J.M. Darhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-darhower/) > [“The Runaway Five's obvious influence is The Blues Brothers. During localization, their black and white suits were made more colorful to avoid legal action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-baumann/the-runaway-five-s-obvious-influence-is-the-blues-brothers-during/) [Ken Baumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-baumann/) > [I shoot in black and white, sometimes color, sometimes if it looks good I shoot out the window of the airplanes or whatever, anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barry/i-shoot-in-black-and-white-sometimes-color-sometimes-if-it-looks-good/) [Robert Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barry/) > [“I think you want very much to make this black and white--to make us all out to be sinners or saints. But it's just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-sexton/i-think-you-want-very-much-to-make-this-black-and-white-to-make-us/) [Marie Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-sexton/) > [Teenage girls are extremists who see the world in black-and- white terms, missing shades of gray. Life is either marvelous or notworth living. School…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pipher/teenage-girls-are-extremists-who-see-the-world-in-black-and-white/) [Mary Pipher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-pipher/) > [I remember thinking all TV was black and white, but that was because we had a really old, broken TV. And then I went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-rose/i-remember-thinking-all-tv-was-black-and-white-but-that-was-because/) [Ruby Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-rose/) > [Everything is not black-and-white . I'm really interested in the gray area - not justifying it, not glorifying it, not condoning it, but at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-washington/everything-is-not-black-and-white-i-m-really-interested-in-the-gray/) [Isaiah Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah-washington/) > [Anyone who will look at my life from the outside won't see the struggles inside. Sometimes, things are not always as we see or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chanda-kaushik/anyone-who-will-look-at-my-life-from-the-outside-won-t-see-the/) [Chanda Kaushik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chanda-kaushik/) > [Light and subject is inseparable. But when it is well integrated, it becomes the work of a fine masterpiece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-chong-hasang/light-and-subject-is-inseparable-but-when-it-is-well-integrated-it/) Paul Chong Hasang > [“Annabelle, if there is one thing I’ve learned over my years watching and protecting humans, it’s that we can talk about black and white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-p-bartels/annabelle-if-there-is-one-thing-i-ve-learned-over-my-years-watching/) [A.P. Bartels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-p-bartels/) > [Which is probably the reason why I work exclusively in black and white... to highlight that contrast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-nimoy/which-is-probably-the-reason-why-i-work-exclusively-in-black-and/) [Leonard Nimoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-nimoy/) > [There is nothing gray about whether a follower of Christ should see 50 Shades of Grey. This is a black and white issue. Don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/there-is-nothing-gray-about-whether-a-follower-of-christ-should-see/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) [Browse all 1,368 Black and white quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-and-white/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There is at the outset a very obvious and almost facile connection between the war in Vietnam and the struggle I, and others, have been waging in America. 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