Ballet or the Bullet
I like Malcolm X.
One day I went to the University of South Carolina for graduate school. Ok more than a day. While getting my classes set it was suggested I take "The African American experience in the US from 1865." Cool sounds good. Great class. Especially because race is still such a huge issue in South Carolina and other states. For those of you who disagree just look at the education system and tell me who's coming out on top. The class really got me into studying about the African American experience. I really enjoy it. I also love teaching it. Good stuff.
So my class was studying Civl Rights the other day. We'd been talking about Dr. MLK Jr. (DMLKJ) and about the Montgomery Improvement Association and his famous "Letter from a Montgomery jail" and other stuff. Good guy that DMLKJ is. But then we got to Malcolm X.
As a white person living in the south it is my natuarl inclination to dislike Malcolm X. His rhetoric wasn't really friendly to people like me back in his day. So growing up I was never a big Malcolm X fan (who doesn't have a last name?) and was slightly afraid of Denzel Washington for a while.
I was reading X's "The Ballet or the Bullet" speech the other day. It has this great tone to it. The title is a little ominous and not exactly what you think it is; close but not exactly. X basically argues that when equality is not offered you must take it, defend it, do what it takes.
I found myself realy agreeing with X on his points. Especailly after understanding a little bit about the strugles for equality and against racism. I like the idea of fighting for freedom. Isn't that what the Revolutionary War was about. I like the idea of protecting my family, by all means necissary- even when that means buying a rifle. No Taxation w/o representation right? This is really my kind of guy, someone willing to fight for something worth fighting for.
Then there's DMLKJ. He really looks like a pansy next to Malcolm X. DMLKJ was getting hosed while X was preparing to fight. DMLKJ was worried about his daughter not being able to go to "fun town" while X was starting a militant movement in the Civil Rights. Non-violence, phshhshs!!!! Who needs that?! You've got to fight for your right to party, or vote, or eat at the same counter as white people. I agree the Ballet or the Bullet.
But I'd be wrong. It is an interesting lesson Civil Rights is. More was accomplished by not fighting, by resistence, by civil disobidience (why do I like Thorough more now than high school???) then by any use of force. It seems that people may be able to accomplish more by not fighting. What a profound idea. I still don't get it. It seems like it shouldn't work, but apparently it does.
I like Malcolm X, my first inclinations are to agree with him, but I'd be wrong. And he called me a cracker. Jerk.
Paul "Cracker" Murphy
I like Malcolm X.
One day I went to the University of South Carolina for graduate school. Ok more than a day. While getting my classes set it was suggested I take "The African American experience in the US from 1865." Cool sounds good. Great class. Especially because race is still such a huge issue in South Carolina and other states. For those of you who disagree just look at the education system and tell me who's coming out on top. The class really got me into studying about the African American experience. I really enjoy it. I also love teaching it. Good stuff.
So my class was studying Civl Rights the other day. We'd been talking about Dr. MLK Jr. (DMLKJ) and about the Montgomery Improvement Association and his famous "Letter from a Montgomery jail" and other stuff. Good guy that DMLKJ is. But then we got to Malcolm X.
As a white person living in the south it is my natuarl inclination to dislike Malcolm X. His rhetoric wasn't really friendly to people like me back in his day. So growing up I was never a big Malcolm X fan (who doesn't have a last name?) and was slightly afraid of Denzel Washington for a while.
I was reading X's "The Ballet or the Bullet" speech the other day. It has this great tone to it. The title is a little ominous and not exactly what you think it is; close but not exactly. X basically argues that when equality is not offered you must take it, defend it, do what it takes.
I found myself realy agreeing with X on his points. Especailly after understanding a little bit about the strugles for equality and against racism. I like the idea of fighting for freedom. Isn't that what the Revolutionary War was about. I like the idea of protecting my family, by all means necissary- even when that means buying a rifle. No Taxation w/o representation right? This is really my kind of guy, someone willing to fight for something worth fighting for.
Then there's DMLKJ. He really looks like a pansy next to Malcolm X. DMLKJ was getting hosed while X was preparing to fight. DMLKJ was worried about his daughter not being able to go to "fun town" while X was starting a militant movement in the Civil Rights. Non-violence, phshhshs!!!! Who needs that?! You've got to fight for your right to party, or vote, or eat at the same counter as white people. I agree the Ballet or the Bullet.
But I'd be wrong. It is an interesting lesson Civil Rights is. More was accomplished by not fighting, by resistence, by civil disobidience (why do I like Thorough more now than high school???) then by any use of force. It seems that people may be able to accomplish more by not fighting. What a profound idea. I still don't get it. It seems like it shouldn't work, but apparently it does.
I like Malcolm X, my first inclinations are to agree with him, but I'd be wrong. And he called me a cracker. Jerk.
Paul "Cracker" Murphy
posted by Paul Murphy at
11:33 PM
2 Comments:
great post. there is so much there. What a huge concept. It seems so counter intuitive, I love thinking about that. Thanks.
btw I still think about my blog from time to time, maybe i will get that up and going again. I think i need to.
By
Justin and Heather Bland, at 6/03/2008 10:09 AM
Neat post. I tell my students pretty much the same story--when I take off my "teacher" mask and look inside, I know that if I had been a discriminated-against black kid in the late 60s, I would have MUCH preferred the Black Power movement over nonviolence. But with the power of hindsight, we see that pretty much all of the gains that were made in Civil Rights were made before Dr. King was killed--when the radicals finally got the reins of the movement, they provoked a backlash that stopped all the incremental gains in their tracks (oh yeah, and gave us Nixon).
Good luck finding a job. My sage advice--do everything you can to stay in education. Until some other field starts offering 180-day work years, it's the only way to fly.
By
Coach Sal, at 7/14/2008 9:49 AM
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