Lumping the white supremacists who killed MLK to silence his voice in with people who are censuring those they perceive to be bigoted is out of line and wholly inappropriate. It's just another form of victim-blaming. Most people I've seen who are "just asking questions" are using that as cover to put forth racist narratives. I'm all for more civil conduct and actual dialogue, but that has to take place in good faith - which it mostly isn't, as far as I can tell. MLK didn’t “cancel” anyone because he didn’t have the social power to do so, but he used the power that he did have (to boycott buses used primarily by Black folks, etc.) to exert the same sorts of pressures — to provide some sorts of consequences for bad behavior and to bring about a new culture.

In the example penguin gave (when he responded to me), the woman in question did say something that was undeniably racist and inappropriate. It was in the net-positive for that not to be tolerated and to send a signal that although these sorts of things used to routinely be glossed over, they no longer will be. Whether she should have lost her job is perhaps debatable, but as you can see from what I posted, she went on to get another job fairly quickly and is now the VP of communications of another company. How do we create a world where racist statements and comments are not tolerated if there are no consequences for continuing to make them?

Unless you can give me a concrete example of where someone was "just asking a question" in good faith and got their life ruined for it, I'm going to say that you, like the penguin, are making up stories that suit your narrative and preserve the status quo.