If you have a problem with this, I think you’ll hate Malcolm X. Really, i was just trying to have a conversation and found out OP was screenshotting and sharing here. So if anyone would like to engage with the actual content of Malcolm X’s letter to the grassroots please continue the thread. Im open to rational conversation.
You realize that MLK was literally speaking up against racism, the Vietnam War, economic justice, to the point that they shot him, right?
They only have a little handful of in-broad-daylight public figure bullets they can use every decade without people starting to get all up in arms about it, and out of all the people in the US, they spent one on him. He was saying that the whole of race relations was a sideshow for the deeply rooted economic injustice that every working man was facing, we need to stop the wars, stop the exploitation of everyone black and white… do you think they shot him because he was doing too good a job of sidelining everyone’s righteous anger with these horizon-spanning marches, and they wanted more of a challenge with him out of the picture and the blacks better able to organize once he was gone?
What the fuck are you talking about?
The whole US media was saying he was a communist, a rioter, he was going to burn down the cities and ruin everything…
Why the fuck would I hate Malcolm X if I like MLK Jr? What the fuck are you even talking about? We need Matt Taibbi in here to come up with new metaphors for how little sense this all makes.
I was just quoting Malcolm X letter to the grassroots where he said MLK was working to keep people “on the plantation”. Please read the link comment in my edit on the original.
Sounds like a fine critique. I don’t really agree with it, but sure, they were both working for racial justice.
Personally I think there was a reason why MLK was killed probably by the government, and Malcolm X wasn’t. Sure, maybe if X had lived, they would have shot him too, I don’t know. And they probably knew it was coming and didn’t try to stop it. But they definitely thought MLK was dangerous enough to kill. Whatever Malcolm X thought about it and had to say, the government themselves definitely weren’t happy like “oh we gotta keep this guy around so he can keep everyone on the plantation for us.”
Thank you for engaging with the substance of the argument! Personally I think you probably need both. If there is no unhinged element it doesn’t make the nonviolent one seem that threatening, but honestly I go back and forth.
I did find it fascinating that contemporaries of MLK has such disparaging views of him.
I also think Malcolm was probably killed by the government or at least the government used the Nation of Islam against him, but i freely admit that is somewhat conspiratorial and we won’t know, at least until all the files are released.
I did find it fascinating that contemporaries of MLK has such disparaging views of him.
It wasn’t “his contemporaries.” It was Malcolm X, apparently.
His liberal contemporaries, sure, they were constantly telling him to tone it down or that it wasn’t the time, or that he was making it difficult for them to make “progress.” His civil rights contemporaries, by and large, were pretty in favor of what he was doing. Sometimes they even showed up and walked around with him in some little groupings, in public, just to subtly send a message that they might have been in favor of what he was doing.
I have no idea why you are going out of your way to shit on MLK in this particular way. It has been an interesting little window in the workings of some people on Lemmy. I think, honestly, that some of it comes from feeling comfortable expressing opinions and assertions about things where you honestly don’t know even a vague approximation of what the fuck you’re talking about.
I actually studied this era and movement at the masters level and wrote papers related to the topic. Lol.
Im not shitting on MLK as much as I am quoting Malcolm X. Everyone (not you, just generally speaking) always acts like black people are a monolith and always agree about who is a good guy or that to be black and disagree with the DNC or MLK makes you an republican or an uncle tom and thats it. There are actually critiques of MLK and DNC from the far left too.
I feel like it was interesting that this perspective was completely lost to history. If it means people think im an idiot but learn more about what actually happened thats fine me.
Theeeeere it is lmao. Starting from MLK was a creative and interesting choice, sort of a new spin on “this leftist person you like is actually BAD because he’s WORKING FOR THE MAN and as a good leftist I don’t think we should support him.” I certainly have seen that one, but not about a political figure that’s been dead for over 60 years.
In any case I think we’re done here. At least it explains why you follow closely with the pattern of:
Saying one thing and kind of sticking with it, not really varying or responding no matter what anyone says, just repetitiously talking about your thing
Explaining what a lot of people who disagree with you believe (“all black people are the same or at least have the same opinions”) by way of (a) making them sound stupid by putting stupid views in their mouths (b) redirecting away from what they’re actually saying to you about what they believe / why they might disagree with you about your wild one thing that you’re saying
Tying it back to the Democrats, and specifically why “a lot of people” have these important critiques of them
Like I say… we’re done here. Have fun with your engagement on Lemmy. I hope you find some people who really take you super super seriously and listen closely to what you are sharing with them, to help inform them fully about this urgent point of view they need to understand.
Wow that’s a creative take on my thoughts. I just hadn’t got to talk to anyone normal about this and didn’t realize it work be taken that way. So my apologies I guess. Didn’t mean to tar your hero or anything. I guess thats definitely one logical way to read that though. I can’t fault you for reaching that conclusion.
If you have a problem with this, I think you’ll hate Malcolm X.
He’s not ideal before he left the Nation of Islam, no, but I understand that in his last year of life you’d probably regard him as a filthy shitlib like MLK Jr.
Comparing before and after like that sounds a lot like a purity test from the man who started a whole thread rage bating people into arguing about purity tests. Or am I missing something?
Comparing before and after like that sounds a lot like a purity test from the man who started a whole thread rage bating people into arguing about purity tests. Or am I missing something?
Do you have any fucking idea what a purity test is, or is your grasp of the English language as tenuous as your grasp of politics?
“Purity test is when you make a comparison, and the more comparison you make, the more purity test it is”
enough when he was in nation of Islam? The fact he embraced an eye for an eye means his criticism of MLK was invalid? That is your argument, correct? Just making sure i understand.
enough when he was in nation of Islam? The fact he embraced an eye for an eye means his criticism of MLK was invalid? That is your argument, correct? Just making sure i understand.
No, you don’t understand, unsurprisingly.
His criticism of MLK is invalid because the criticism is invalid on its own fucking merits, not because he was part of the Nation of Islam. My comment about before/after was not about the section quoted in the OP, but the general statement you made that:
If you have a problem with this, I think you’ll hate Malcolm X.
Wherein I pointed out that he had a stark difference in his views before and after he left the cult of the Nation of Islam.
I see your grasp of the English language is, indeed, as tenuous as your grasp on politics.
So what about how first hand account where he mentions having the corresponding newspaper clippings is without merit?
What the fuck does that have to do with the criticism?
“Malcolm X talked about infighting amongst Civil Rights leaders and had newspaper clippings of this; therefore, MLK Jr. was a filthy shitlib and a figurehead who achieved nothing”?
So you think Kennedy just magically out of the goodness of his heart passed the civil rights bill. Why did that happen your account. Malcolm lays out a clear logical reason. You have yet to engage with the substance of his argument.
If you have a problem with this, I think you’ll hate Malcolm X. Really, i was just trying to have a conversation and found out OP was screenshotting and sharing here. So if anyone would like to engage with the actual content of Malcolm X’s letter to the grassroots please continue the thread. Im open to rational conversation.
https://lemmy.world/post/33270073
Edit: i suck at links. This one might be better https://lemmy.cafe/comment/12584550
You realize that MLK was literally speaking up against racism, the Vietnam War, economic justice, to the point that they shot him, right?
They only have a little handful of in-broad-daylight public figure bullets they can use every decade without people starting to get all up in arms about it, and out of all the people in the US, they spent one on him. He was saying that the whole of race relations was a sideshow for the deeply rooted economic injustice that every working man was facing, we need to stop the wars, stop the exploitation of everyone black and white… do you think they shot him because he was doing too good a job of sidelining everyone’s righteous anger with these horizon-spanning marches, and they wanted more of a challenge with him out of the picture and the blacks better able to organize once he was gone?
What the fuck are you talking about?
The whole US media was saying he was a communist, a rioter, he was going to burn down the cities and ruin everything…
Why the fuck would I hate Malcolm X if I like MLK Jr? What the fuck are you even talking about? We need Matt Taibbi in here to come up with new metaphors for how little sense this all makes.
I was just quoting Malcolm X letter to the grassroots where he said MLK was working to keep people “on the plantation”. Please read the link comment in my edit on the original.
Edit : link https://lemmy.cafe/comment/12584550
Okay. Here’s the whole non-excerpted speech BTW:
https://www.themelaninproject.org/tmpblog/2021/7/12/message-to-the-grassroots-by-malcom-x-full-transcript
Sounds like a fine critique. I don’t really agree with it, but sure, they were both working for racial justice.
Personally I think there was a reason why MLK was killed probably by the government, and Malcolm X wasn’t. Sure, maybe if X had lived, they would have shot him too, I don’t know. And they probably knew it was coming and didn’t try to stop it. But they definitely thought MLK was dangerous enough to kill. Whatever Malcolm X thought about it and had to say, the government themselves definitely weren’t happy like “oh we gotta keep this guy around so he can keep everyone on the plantation for us.”
Thank you for engaging with the substance of the argument! Personally I think you probably need both. If there is no unhinged element it doesn’t make the nonviolent one seem that threatening, but honestly I go back and forth.
I did find it fascinating that contemporaries of MLK has such disparaging views of him.
I also think Malcolm was probably killed by the government or at least the government used the Nation of Islam against him, but i freely admit that is somewhat conspiratorial and we won’t know, at least until all the files are released.
It wasn’t “his contemporaries.” It was Malcolm X, apparently.
His liberal contemporaries, sure, they were constantly telling him to tone it down or that it wasn’t the time, or that he was making it difficult for them to make “progress.” His civil rights contemporaries, by and large, were pretty in favor of what he was doing. Sometimes they even showed up and walked around with him in some little groupings, in public, just to subtly send a message that they might have been in favor of what he was doing.
I have no idea why you are going out of your way to shit on MLK in this particular way. It has been an interesting little window in the workings of some people on Lemmy. I think, honestly, that some of it comes from feeling comfortable expressing opinions and assertions about things where you honestly don’t know even a vague approximation of what the fuck you’re talking about.
I actually studied this era and movement at the masters level and wrote papers related to the topic. Lol.
Im not shitting on MLK as much as I am quoting Malcolm X. Everyone (not you, just generally speaking) always acts like black people are a monolith and always agree about who is a good guy or that to be black and disagree with the DNC or MLK makes you an republican or an uncle tom and thats it. There are actually critiques of MLK and DNC from the far left too.
I feel like it was interesting that this perspective was completely lost to history. If it means people think im an idiot but learn more about what actually happened thats fine me.
Theeeeere it is lmao. Starting from MLK was a creative and interesting choice, sort of a new spin on “this leftist person you like is actually BAD because he’s WORKING FOR THE MAN and as a good leftist I don’t think we should support him.” I certainly have seen that one, but not about a political figure that’s been dead for over 60 years.
In any case I think we’re done here. At least it explains why you follow closely with the pattern of:
Like I say… we’re done here. Have fun with your engagement on Lemmy. I hope you find some people who really take you super super seriously and listen closely to what you are sharing with them, to help inform them fully about this urgent point of view they need to understand.
Wow that’s a creative take on my thoughts. I just hadn’t got to talk to anyone normal about this and didn’t realize it work be taken that way. So my apologies I guess. Didn’t mean to tar your hero or anything. I guess thats definitely one logical way to read that though. I can’t fault you for reaching that conclusion.
Thanks engaging with me, genuinely.
He’s not ideal before he left the Nation of Islam, no, but I understand that in his last year of life you’d probably regard him as a filthy shitlib like MLK Jr.
Comparing before and after like that sounds a lot like a purity test from the man who started a whole thread rage bating people into arguing about purity tests. Or am I missing something?
Do you have any fucking idea what a purity test is, or is your grasp of the English language as tenuous as your grasp of politics?
“Purity test is when you make a comparison, and the more comparison you make, the more purity test it is”
Lol. So what about Malcolm wasnt
pureenough when he was in nation of Islam? The fact he embraced an eye for an eye means his criticism of MLK was invalid? That is your argument, correct? Just making sure i understand.
No, you don’t understand, unsurprisingly.
His criticism of MLK is invalid because the criticism is invalid on its own fucking merits, not because he was part of the Nation of Islam. My comment about before/after was not about the section quoted in the OP, but the general statement you made that:
Wherein I pointed out that he had a stark difference in his views before and after he left the cult of the Nation of Islam.
I see your grasp of the English language is, indeed, as tenuous as your grasp on politics.
So what about how first hand account where he mentions having the corresponding newspaper clippings is without merit?
What the fuck does that have to do with the criticism?
“Malcolm X talked about infighting amongst Civil Rights leaders and had newspaper clippings of this; therefore, MLK Jr. was a filthy shitlib and a figurehead who achieved nothing”?
What the fuck
So you think Kennedy just magically out of the goodness of his heart passed the civil rights bill. Why did that happen your account. Malcolm lays out a clear logical reason. You have yet to engage with the substance of his argument.