“I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy.”Sound familiar? Some of you might remember this Martin Luther King Jr. quote that circulated the Internet after Osama Bin Laden’s death in 2011. Like many others, I’m a fan of this particular fake quote. Indeed, it resonated with so many people that the Atlantic ran an article in May of that year in which the writer traced the quote’s journey to cyber-fame. English teacher Jessica Dovey had written it as her Facebook status, which she concluded with a legitimate King quote:
"Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that."
At some point, her quote fused with King’s quote,
and she was called (quite poignantly, I think) “the woman whose words
accidently became Martin Luther King’s.”
So, what is a fake quote-debunker to think of this?
Dovey’s is not the story
of a woman who maliciously tried to deceive the world. She expressed her
thoughts, and thousands agreed with her. King or Dovey, the idea is the same.
And isn’t it uplifting to know that the words of a 24-year-old schoolteacher
can have the same impact as if they were uttered by one of the most revered
human rights activists in history? The man who gave what many claim to be the
greatest speech of all time—he could have been anyone.
As much as I push for the proper attribution of quotes,
I see this particular mistake as a testament to the power of the human voice. I’d
like to think that Dovey’s quote could have gotten around on its own. At any rate,
it should have, considering the degree to which it obviously echoed the view of
many. I have a theory that several fake quotes originate with people afraid of
the “anonymous” attribution. Collectively, we need to abandon the notion that
only celebrities possess ideas worth disseminating.
Any suggestions?
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