Stated reasons abound for the collapse of the Toyota North Texas Martin Luther King Jr. Parade this week, including dissatisfaction from some quarters over the choice of parade honorary grand marshal Gov. Greg Abbott, a shortfall of funds to pay for insurance and security and confusion over who was involved in the parade’s organization.

But was the parade’s demise due to something else, something more sinister and socially malignant — the expanding politicization of almost everything in our society and an unwillingness to embrace common, core principles that bind us together as Americans and Texans? Maybe.

The celebration planned in Arlington would have drawn together people from six north Texas counties Monday to honor King, an iconic civil rights figure during the 1950 and ‘60s, his moral teachings and American principles on which his life was based.

King’s public journey was ever evolving. It began in earnest with the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott in 1955 but eventually spoke to greater, universal concerns, including equal rights under the law for all Americans. His struggle expanded to issues sometimes peripheral to race relations, including non-violent struggle, economic equality and global peace.

His intellectual and moral journey over some 13 years included occasional confrontation and disagreement with national leaders with whom he was sometimes famously allied. Thus, while King sometimes bristled over America’s growing participation in the conflict in Vietnam, he worked collaboratively on voting rights and civil rights with two Democratic administrations that supported the war effort.

Son of a longtime Republican, King worked with people from both major political parties when their interests aligned. Thus, he found support among Republicans like Sens. Everett Dirksen and Jacob Javits on civil rights as well as among Democrats like Sens. Hubert Humphrey and Mike Mansfield.

The choice of Abbott, our governor, as a King parade grand marshal was unconventional but not absurd. (What would Abbott’s critics have said if he had rejected the honorary role?) Abbott holds the highest state office in Texas, and said appropriate things about his parade role:

“I am a Christian, I’ve committed my life to ensuring justice, I come in peace. The day will be a worthy celebration of all the good Martin Luther King Jr. did for America. I serve as Governor for all Texans.”

Sound inflammatory? Sounds respectful.

Yet Abbott came under quick rebuke among protests over this role, including one that suggested his political record was closer to “grand wizard” than “grand marshal” because of Abbott’s political positions on issues like Voter ID and Medicaid expansion that are standard fare for mainstream Texas Republicans.

Would King have insulted Abbott over political differences? Or would King have sought common ground with Abbott where dialog was possible?

King’s history suggests the latter. That message got lost in Arlington.