Martin Luther King Jr. was a 'socialist before it was cool,' CNN claims

CNN sparked a backlash on social media Monday when it claimed Martin Luther King Jr. was a “socialist before it was cool.”

In a tweet commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the cable network also said the civil rights pioneer was an “environmental hero.”

- He’s an environmental hero

- He was a socialist before it was cool

- He never let a political disagreement turn nasty

Many Americans have turned MLK into a safe holiday mascot, but some say King still speaks in ways that go beyond civil rights https://t.co/zMBtSBfPIm pic.twitter.com/Y8gl4Kx7lP

— CNN (@CNN) January 15, 2018

Users on social media mocked CNN for implying that socialism is “cool” and accused the network of lumping modern-day progressive causes in with King’s civil rights advocacy.

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news organization wrongly stating MLK was a socialist. millions who died under socialism would prob disagree with @CNN’s statement it’s “cool” https://t.co/mFx1SjB0SS

— Elisha (@ElishaKrauss) January 15, 2018

Can I ask why @CNN’s twitter is openly promoting socialism? https://t.co/QTCqyF7BCn pic.twitter.com/kKzhEbUh1y

— Harry Khachatrian (@Harry1T6) January 15, 2018

Those in the Gulag thought socialism was quite cool.

What a garbage tweet, @CNN. Stop letting your 22 year-old Marxist-educated college grad run your account. https://t.co/iqQHRvmujU

— Erielle Davidson (@politicalelle) January 15, 2018

And here’s CNN using Martin Luther King Jr for a chance to call socialism cool.

Take a bow, CNN. https://t.co/1la80VynT7

— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) January 15, 2018

When, exactly, did socialism become “cool”? https://t.co/XYBQowDmwH

— David French (@DavidAFrench) January 15, 2018

is cnn telling me that it is currently Cool to be a socialist? https://t.co/OgoOV6mfHO

— Logan Dobson (@LoganDobson) January 15, 2018

Socialism is never cool.

— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) January 15, 2018

So I see that Martin Luther King Day has now become “Martin Luther King was totally on board with my personal political hobby-horse that wasn’t even on his radar in the 1960s” day.

We’re backsliding, people.

— Jeff B. (@EsotericCD) January 15, 2018