We Shall Overcome!

1/20/2020

Daily Literary Quote
"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Journal Prompt
Explain the above quote. Why are "sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity" so dangerous? If Dr. King were alive today, what do you think he would say about the state of racism and human rights in the United States?

79 Comments

Sienna

1/20/2020 01:16:14 pm

I believe that willingly being uneducated or ignorant can be very dangerous because it can decide the fate of our country. If Dr. King were still alive today I feel he would be slightly proud of the few advancements we’ve made but overall, disappointed that some still has not changed. We have a long way to go.

Olivia

1/20/2020 01:17:27 pm

Agreed.

Olivia

1/20/2020 01:16:22 pm

I think it means that not knowing that what we’re doing can be dangerous. That’s dangerous because what we don’t know we can’t change. Dr. King would be bittersweet about our current state of racism and rights. A lot of things have changed since then but we seem to be creating more issues.

Dakota James

1/20/2020 01:19:05 pm

Yeah I agree we can be dangerous and not even know it.

Janessa

1/20/2020 01:20:16 pm

I like how you said “what we don’t know we can’t change”.

Kendra

1/20/2020 01:20:33 pm

I agree

Sienna

1/20/2020 01:21:48 pm

True

Ele

1/20/2020 01:28:40 pm

Yes!

Ady

1/20/2020 01:17:22 pm

I think Dr. King would give our youth and some adults a wake up call to what’s going on in the world and how we should be treating people. Ignorance and stupidity could easily become the main or cause of the downfall of our country.

Dakota James

1/20/2020 01:19:43 pm

Yeah Dr. King probably would give us a wake up call, but what would he say?

Janessa

1/20/2020 01:22:57 pm

He’d lay out the truth about what’s happening and make people see what’s happening instead of ignoring it.

Ady

1/20/2020 01:24:39 pm

He would most likely say that we need to be treating others how we want to be treated, and to not judge one another by where they come from.

Trishelle

1/20/2020 01:19:51 pm

I preach

Carson

1/20/2020 01:21:44 pm

He would also be very proud of where we’re at today.

Nathan

1/20/2020 01:24:11 pm

Ya but racism is better than it was during his time

Dakota James

1/20/2020 01:17:34 pm

Sincere ignorance is stupidity because people get so caught up in protesting one thing that they end up either contradicting themselves or causing a big fuss. If Dr. King was here I know that he would be disgusted as to what racism has done to us. He would probably say we are only hurting ourselves by criticizing others.

Olivia

1/20/2020 01:19:41 pm

Honestly.

Keely

1/20/2020 01:21:53 pm

Very well stated.

hailey

1/20/2020 01:22:41 pm

I agree that problems that arise today are stupid.

Tyler

1/20/2020 01:17:40 pm

I think that he is trying to say that people get very stupid and ignorant when caught up in their emotions. Back then people were so against black people that they couldn’t step back and realize that they are just another race.

Janessa

1/20/2020 01:24:51 pm

It’s cool to see your interpretation was different than mine. People’s hate can really cloud everything else.

Jaylee

1/20/2020 01:17:49 pm

Ignorance and conscientious stupidity is dangerous because they way that we think can sometimes cause us to do things that have bad consequences. Also it can cause people disagreements among people. He be a little disappointed because racism is still around but he would like that we have come along ways since his time.

Lizzie

1/20/2020 01:22:15 pm

I agree.

hailey

1/20/2020 01:23:16 pm

I agree that he’d feel that way. There’s both good and bad things that he would see

Carson

1/20/2020 01:18:04 pm

Ignorance is so dangerous because if your are ignorant you will not be able to see the truth. Just like when people were so ignorant they hated black people for no reason. I think MLK would be very impressed at the strides the USA has taken against racism.

Tyler

1/20/2020 01:20:22 pm

I kind of said that too with people not seeing the truth and getting caught up in their emotions

Nathan

1/20/2020 01:25:42 pm

I agree

Megan

1/20/2020 01:18:37 pm

i don’t know what this quote means
. I think he might be proud of how much less of racism we have here now a day and how understanding everyone can be.

Kendra

1/20/2020 01:19:57 pm

Go Meg 😂😂

Eliza

1/20/2020 01:22:30 pm

It has improved a lot from then.

Carson Mildon

1/20/2020 01:23:03 pm

Yes I agree.

Trishelle

1/20/2020 01:18:51 pm

Ignorance and stupidly can be dangerous because it’ll make you do stupid things. But we all do stupid things. Dr King would probably make a speech about how we have some what changed.

Lizzie

1/20/2020 01:22:41 pm

Well said.

Ady

1/20/2020 01:25:20 pm

Yeah

Kendra

1/20/2020 01:19:05 pm

If people are ignorant and stupid it is dangerous because things can go south really quick. They can say things that aren’t true and not be open to other opinions. I think he would be disappointed because people are still racist today and they won’t change their minds about it.

Trishelle

1/20/2020 01:20:33 pm

You right

Eliza

1/20/2020 01:21:36 pm

Yeah I agree

Ele

1/20/2020 01:27:04 pm

Yes, I like what you said

Janessa

1/20/2020 01:19:11 pm

So conscientious stupidity is being stupid on purpose, right? That could be dangerous because you’re choosing to ignore problems and just letting them play out. No bueno. That doesn’t help the world go round. If Dr. King was here today, he’d say something philosophical. Like usual. I feel like he would get a lot of hate nowadays.

Keely

1/20/2020 01:21:27 pm

Ignoring problems is never a smart idea.

Madeline

1/20/2020 01:25:23 pm

I agree conscientious stupidity is no bueno.

Eliza

1/20/2020 01:19:32 pm

I think that ignorance and stupidity are dangerous because you need to informed on anything and everything. I think that racism is a heck of a lot better than it was when Dr. King was alive. I think that we are very lucky to live where we live right now.

Keely

1/20/2020 01:19:46 pm

Having the conscious knowledge that we are being ignorant or stupid, and ignoring the facts is just immature. Why not just be smart and think logically. I think he would have some strong opinions on certain things but overall I don’t think he was be to upset.

Cade

1/20/2020 01:22:20 pm

Girl you completely right.

Boaz

1/20/2020 01:24:56 pm

It is common to be attached to what we think is right but it is a very bad thing. The smart and mature thing is to be able to let go of them but it is hard because we do not want to change

Cade

1/20/2020 01:20:27 pm

They’re dangerous because if you ignore something for too long, the problem will only grow until it’s too big. If he were alive today, I think he would be disappointed and tell us to take a step back and think about where our country is heading.

Ady

1/20/2020 01:22:44 pm

I definitely agree

Janessa

1/20/2020 01:26:25 pm

I said something similar to you. You can’t just ignore something and hope it’ll go away. Unless it’s clouds. Those usually go away.

Cade

1/20/2020 01:27:24 pm

I totally agree. But what if clouds are racist towards one another?

Janessa

1/20/2020 01:32:39 pm

Yeah. “You stupid cumulonimbus!”

Erik Oliverson

1/20/2020 01:20:39 pm

Ignorance is dangerous because if a lot of people are ignorant then people will not be able to get along with each other. People will also become very opinionated and arguments could form and then those arguments could escalate into something very dangerous and could lead to violence.

Tyler

1/20/2020 01:23:26 pm

I thought that too how people becoming so ignorant that their emotions get the best of them and wars start because of it

Jonah

1/20/2020 01:35:27 pm

I agree that this is a major cause of starting wars.

hailey

1/20/2020 01:20:44 pm

Sincere ignorance & conscientious stupidity are dangerous because they disintegrate the state of open mindedness. They allow one to be oblivious to the feelings & wellness of those around them. If Dr. King were alive today, I think he would be proud of how far the country has come.

Myah

1/20/2020 01:24:06 pm

I agree with the comment of, “disintegrating the state of open mindedness”.

Micah Tolman

1/20/2020 01:28:51 pm

I agree with the same thing Myah commented about.

Jonah

1/20/2020 01:21:37 pm

Ignorance is dangerous because it can make other people ignorant and then everybody is stupid. Dr. King would for sure be disappointed. When you reach the point of kicking people out of the country because they look Mexican, so you just assume they don’t have legal documents. Or when you attempt to build a billion dollar border. Things like the KKK still exist now. Just visit the comments section on a popular Instagram sports post and you will see way too many racist comments than you’d like to see, and you know they wouldn’t say those things in person. Just another example of stupidity doing damage.

Beth

1/20/2020 01:24:16 pm

That is a very good point

Boaz

1/20/2020 01:25:36 pm

I agree that he wouldn’t be to happy

Myah

1/20/2020 01:26:12 pm

Then again, compared to his day, our rights are way more free than what if used To be.

Janessa

1/20/2020 01:27:14 pm

Being racist is so much easier now because no one knows who you are on the internet.

Lizzie

1/20/2020 01:21:42 pm

I think that ignorance and conscientious stupidity is dangerous because if we don’t have the whole story our choices will be affected. I think that Martin Luther King would be proud of where we are now but we can still get better.

Myah R

1/20/2020 01:22:10 pm

if Dr. King was alive today i think he would be pretty pleased about human rights that have been made. Everyone in our country, all races, are equal to one another.

Cade

1/20/2020 01:23:21 pm

That was well said.

Madeline

1/20/2020 01:23:47 pm

We have definitely come a long way but I still think that we still have a long ways to go.

Janessa

1/20/2020 01:30:52 pm

But are they really? It may be written as a law, but a law is just a piece of paper. It doesn’t mean people follow the law.

Boaz

1/20/2020 01:22:25 pm

Conscientious stupidity is very dangerous because it often means that the people value their opinion greater than the truth. This often results in a very violent group of people that will do anything to protect their opinion even though it is wrong. Depending on the opinion this could result to hate and violence between two groups. Many of our major problems and wars have been a result of ignorance whether it be intentional or not

Micah Tolman

1/20/2020 01:27:05 pm

Good perspective about violence being associated with it.

Anthony

1/20/2020 01:40:09 pm

It is important to acknowledge that ones own opinion is not always truth. This could prevent violence.

Madeline

1/20/2020 01:22:35 pm

I think that sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity are very dangerous things because they can lead to rash decisions and abrupt choices that could put them or someone else in danger just because they didn’t have the common sense to look before they leapt. I think that Dr. King would say something similar to: “we have have come far, but we still have a ways to go.

Beth

1/20/2020 01:25:52 pm

I think that he would definitely say that

Beth

1/20/2020 01:22:47 pm

The quote is basically saying that us choosing to ignore and and be unaware of the worlds issues is the most dangerous thing we could do. I think he would not be satisfied with the world’s state of racism, and would still be fighting for human rights.

Jonah

1/20/2020 01:32:03 pm

Yeah it’s too bad that someone who was consciously ignorant decided to shoot him.

Nathan

1/20/2020 01:22:52 pm

It’s so dangerous because it is really hard to discover truth. If you are conscientiously stupid you have decided to not listen to what you know is true refusing to accept what you don’t agree with. If Dr. King was alive today he would be disappointed with how much racism there Sill is in the world today.

Ele

1/20/2020 01:23:30 pm

Ignorance to a manner of not at all knowing the difference between right and wrong can be dangerous. It is like ignoring what is left or right when there is a sign right in front of you saying that direction is left when you think it is right so you go the other way. If it hides you from the truth that also can be dangerous because you can be blinded of things that you need to know are true. One person can be caught up in their own stupidity that they can be very self proud of themselves. When yet, you are not caught up with with the honest commitments even though they are aware that they are wrong.

Micah Tolman

1/20/2020 01:23:48 pm

The quote above means that we know something needs to be done but we choose not to do it. These are dangerous because people won’t create or go along with changes if they are ignorant of what needs to be changed. I think Dr. King would say that Donald Trump is setting a bad example for America with his criticism toward certain races.

Anthony

1/20/2020 01:46:12 pm

Bringing Trump into the discussion is a great way to consider the legacy of Martin King.

ele

1/20/2020 01:26:04 pm

Dr. King might be proud of a lot of things we have made happen as a country today.

Anthony Barton

1/20/2020 01:34:56 pm

I see this passage as honestly unaware and being stupid and not caring. This is dangerous because being unaware and stupid can cause a lack of success and even death and being unaware and not caring can make it 100 times worse. If Martin King where here today he would be greatly impressed with how far we have come but he would still want to change some things.

We Shall Overcome!

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