IMPORTANT ANALYTICAL AND RELATION-TO-MY-LIFE INFORMATION IS AT THE BOTTOM.
In writing about the March at Washington D.C. led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X comments, "'Talk about integrated!' It was like salt and pepper. And, by now, there wasn't a single logistics aspect uncontrolled."
Malcolm goes on to say that everything was organized; there were first aid stations, people were told when to march and where and what route to take. When they were instructed to leave early, they did...
HOWEVER. Malcolm says all of this in a very negative tone. He claims this was a perfect example of integration. He says integration is bad, which was a radically different--almost opposite--approach than the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
"Why is integration bad!?" the reader might ask, puzzled at even the suggestion of this. Well, Malcolm claims it is because the black man is doing exactly what the white man wants him to do: by integrating the blacks are bowing down to the whites.
Therefore, Malcolm believes that to remain steadfast in ones culture, even if it is not the black culture, rebellion and separation is necessary and that, in fact, the only right way to reverse assimilation. Although radical, this makes sense, correct?
On the contrary, most people who read chapter 15 think Malcolm is crazy. They think that him wanting nothing to do with the white race is a horrible thing. Or at least, that's what I first thought of when I read this chapter.
But then, he goes on to explain the reasoning behind this...
Malcolm goes on to say that blacks deserve more than the white race because they have been slaves for the white race for over 400 years. He says that blacks have just as much of a right [he even goes one to say that blacks have MORE of a right] to the country they live in as whites do--more strong pro-black ideas.
Although whites who read the Autobiography of Malcolm X find this book offending, and sometimes believe Malcolm is blind to his very anti-any-other-race-but-black attitude and views, we have to remember to read as if we were in Malcolm thoughts--respectively.
What I'm getting at here is that Malcolm was so pro-black that he was not only anti-white but also anti any other race even before the NOI members even contacted him.
This means he was also anti-semitic. He claims he isn't and that the Jews are "hyper-sensitive"...
[I should mention that although I read books as if I did not have any culture, religion, race, or beliefs, and although I take one's opinion as non-offensively as I can, I felt I had to speak up for any Jew who has read this book.]
... this came up when he claimed that whenever he speaks about the Jews taking the black's money in the ghettos, he is accused of being anti-semitic. However, he had just said before that the Jew thinks of himself FIRST as a Jew and THEN as a German or a doctor or a husband or etc. He says this is a bad thing because he is always being accused of being an anti-semitic. BUT just before he had said that the Jews assimilated. This makes his arguments COMPLETELY CONTRADICTORY! And what is wrong with the Jews thinking of themselves as Jews first before anything else? This is called having pride for who you are and what your religion/culture/belief is! What is wrong about that? As I recall, Mr. X, YOU are the one who is the black activist here! So why are you so anti Jewish activism!? You should be proud of the Jewish activists who think of themselves as Jews first--I know I am proud to be a Jew and that I think of myself as having a strong Jewish identity. Why can't you accept other religions and races? Assimilation doesn't have to be bad.
Although I can respect his opinion and although I am reading this book, as I said before, as if I am a "nobody", I felt this was appropriate material for a blog...
Comment if you'd like :]
MORE:
So this link just reinforces what I was just saying:
http://judaism.about.com/od/abcsofjudaism/a/beingjewish.htm
BEING JEWISH IS AN IDENTITY. IT IS A PART OF you.
