Righteous, Measured

Most of Dr. King's speeches, interviews, and writings are both righteous and measured, and "Letter from Birmingham Jail" epitomizes that kind of tone. It's righteous, not only in the sense of "righteous, bro," but also because every point he makes and every word he chooses is backed by a religious, spiritual, and moral understanding of what is right. For example, he writes:

I wish you had commended the Negro sit inners and demonstrators of Birmingham for their sublime courage, their willingness to suffer and their amazing discipline in the midst of great provocation. One day the South will recognize its real heroes. (36)

Courage, willingness to suffer for a cause, and discipline in the face of chaos are universally admired character traits typically associated with heroes. And there's nobody more righteous than a hero.

And yet, for all its righteousness, Dr. King's language is always measured. Sitting in jail, probably shaking his head in frustrated disbelief at the clergymen's letter, he doesn't ever fly off into vitriolic or hateful language, and he never rants. He has harsh words for racists, the police, and obstructionist government, but those moments come in the context of a well-reasoned argument and a lot of conciliatory language. For instance, after laying down the gauntlet, Dr. King writes:

If I have said anything in this letter that overstates the truth and indicates an unreasonable impatience, I beg you to forgive me. If I have said anything that understates the truth and indicates my having a patience that allows me to settle for anything less than brotherhood, I beg God to forgive me. (38)

By ending his letter with this disclaimer, Dr. King is unleashing his inner diplomat. He's already written about patience and waiting, and yet apologizes in advance if his words are taken for "unreasonable impatience." And then in the next breath he goes the other way, apologizing in advance (to God, no less) if his words are too measured. We're getting pretty meta here, but it seems like Dr. King is being measured about being measured.

So, yeah. Righteously measured, bro.