Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Malcolm X pg1-44
One of the most interesting things that I found in reading these first couple chapters was the fact that both black and white people were prejudiced against black people to varying degrees. I thought it was very interesting that the black people found those who were shining shoes in the statehouse to be the most deserving of respect. This is probably mostly rooted in the fact that black people were allowed to succeed in life only so far as they didn't mess up the existing order of things. For example, Malcolm's father was not bothered until he started preaching about things that might possibly be giving black people cause to rise up against the whites. For this he was ultimately killed. Even though he was quite obviously murdered, the life insurance company still called his death a suicide. Though Malcolm's family very much needed the life insurance money, they were unable to receive it simply because of the color of their skin.
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I also found it interesting that blacks were segregated within their own race. It seems strange that the shoe shiners were seen has more successful as the other blacks, I'd think it would be the other way around. Another thing that sparked my attention was the treatment the children and mother went through in their house. Since Malcolm was a lighter color than the rest the father didn't beat him like he did with the others. Even though they were all part of the same family they were all treated differently
I agree with what Hillary said. The fact that every subject we have discussed throughout the school year, whether it is the Muslim community or the African American community in this case, there will always be differences. Consistantly this has shown to be true from almost every religious group and their sects to even social groups such as the African American population.
There will always be segregation no matter what. I also thought that is was interesting to read about the fact that african americans did not fully support eachother in their own race. Your ethnicity does not define the type of beliefs you have. In comparison, you see the same thing still happening today with whites as well. The fact that Malcom X's issue correlated with religious beliefs is what made this issue such a popular topic. Within ethnic backgrounds it is apparent that there is separation due to numerous factors. As far as the shoe shinners this shows that in that moment of time particular jobs had a different meaning back in that time.
What I found most interessting about these first couple chapters of Malcolm X is the way his father treated each child differently. Along with Hillary, I found it shocking that he would beat Malcolm less just because his skin was a shade or two lighter than the rest of the children. I feel that this segregation from blacks to blacks came from the notion that they all thought it was someone else who was somehow degrading their race. Even though nobody was doing anything wrong, they thought that there had to be a reason why the white people hate blacks so they would blame it on the shoe shiners.
I found it interesting that Malcom's father treated all of his children differently based on how dark their skin was. Because he was targeted so many times by white supremacists, it would seem that he would not encourage segregation in his home. Because Malcom has the lightest skin out of his siblings, he has more opportunities and his father treats him better. Malcolm had more opportunities in the white community than other blacks, but only so much that it did not interfere with white America. I think it shows that there is always going to be separation between groups and within groups.
I too found it interesting that Malcom's father treated his children different depending on the color of their skin. You wouldn't expect this from a father to his children. Also, i agree with the original post that is it surprising when black and white people are prejudice against black people. Segregation within their own race is a bizarre concept but I believe this type of behavior is apart of human nature.
I really think that the prejudice between blacks was interesting. I agree with Dylan. I think that white Americans made the black Americans believe that they were inferior to them. It is sad that people good divide themselves even between races back than. The idea of prejudice is something that I have been learning about in one my psychology classes and it is interesting to see how little it takes for a prejudice to begin. When a person in a leadership role tells a certain group of people that they are inferior to this other group than many people will play either down or up to that level. That is why Malcolm X had an influence because he had power.
I found quite interesting that blacks were prejudice against blacks. One would think they would all be on the same side, fighting for one goal and not be separated. Also, I found it very unusual for a father to judge his own kids based on the tone of their skin. One, the father is teaching his kids to prejudice, which is not what the world needs, in those days and these days. Secondly, what are the other kids going to think of Malcolm if he does not get as many beatings as the rest of them. This father seems like he is taking his family down a path of complete destruction. Fathers should be teaching their kids to be good citizens and show how to treat people with full equality. This book definitely brings up some interesting areas.
I thought it was very interesting the way that Malcolm was treated during his school years. His acting out probably was about the same as the other children, like putting the tack on the teacher's chair. If another white child did it he probably would have been punished lightly. But Malcolm was sent to a home for bad children. Also, I thought it was interesting how the people that owned the house treated Malcolm like he wasn't black. They would say racist remarks right in front of him, but would never direct them at Malcolm. It's like they were racist and could accept African Americans but loved Malcolm and didn't associate him as a black child.
In chapter eighteen it seems that Malcolm was very happy and excited during the pilgrimage or hajj, he felt and enjoyed the reality of Islam where there was no discrimination between people. He mentioned that he eat from the same dish and drink from the same glass. I really like his thought when he said Islam' conversion around the world could be doubled and tripled if the colorfulness and the true spiritualness of HAJJ pilgrimage were properly advertised and communicated to the outside world.
Looking back over the past century of racial prejudice in our country is an interesting look into past, present, and future struggles with that issue. Racial struggles will always exist. From the discussion that has been presented in this blog I feel like there was a lot of cultural influences that lent to the way people reacted to racial prejudice. The example of the shoe shiners is a perfect example. Whether a person was white or black everyone, because prejudice was much more "visibly" practiced back then, there were certain thoughts and judgements that were deemed morally right and wrong because of the culture of that time in the United States.
i found it interesting of the prejudice shown between the blacks because it seemed as though a person was more socially accepted if their skin was lighter than darker. today i feel as though the role has been reversed especially among the white community. People strive to be tan and to get that perfect bronze. The darker your skin, the more attractive you become. If someone is albino, people look at them and think they are weird. These people are still white, they just have very low skin pigment. I dont really know when this change occurred but the role of skin color among whites has taken on a different path these days.
I found the segregation between blacks also very interesting. This is also true with most races, lighter skin people within other races are seem to normally be higher on the economic scale. I grew up on the border and this holds true in Mexico. Lighter skinned Mexicans are treated much different then darker Mexicans. With a better treatment this means more opportunities and greater economic success.
Malcolm was a man of power and pure intelligence. As i continued to read the book, I realized that he begun to see that it wasn't only about the black man rising up against the white man. He found that unity was the key to ending segregation and racism. Malcolm stayed true to the Africa American society, but made an even bigger splash in the Civil Rights Movements when he combined the black and whites.
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