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DudeistPriest · M
When I first heard Malcolm X say what he says at 1:00 into the video decades back, at first I was a bit surprised because it went against all that was prevalent and a default position for the Democrats at that time. But when you listen to what he actually meant it does seem to make some sense. Build yourself up from the bootstraps, depend on yourself and not become addicted to dependency on others for you, your family and your community. Edify yourself with dignity, honor and self respect.
Aside from the possibly incendiary title, what Malcolm X actually meant in some ways mirrors how this country declared independence and separated from Britain itself.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzz7R7Ro4x8]
"The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, our religious leader, teaches us the importance of doing something for ourselves now, rather than trying to continue to force ourselves into the white community or upon the white man. He teaches us that if we would do something for ourselves, clean up ourselves, morally, intellectually and otherwise, and then try and do something for ourselves economically, we would be recognized and accepted by others.
But as long as we try and force ourselves in upon others now, without having done nothing to prove that we are — are on any kind of equal basis with them, that there will always be this race tension and race problem.
If a white man puts his arm around me voluntarily, that's brotherhood. But if you — if you hold a gun on him and make him embrace me and [i]pretend [/i]to be friendly or brotherly toward me, then that's not brotherhood, that's hypocrisy. And what America is trying to do is pass laws to force whites to [i]pretend [/i]that they want Negroes into their schools or into — in their places of employment.
Well, this is hypocrisy, and this makes a worse relationship between black and white, the black man himself should learn how to develop himself in the same sense that the white man has developed himself. Then they can both come together and recognize each other as equals."
Aside from the possibly incendiary title, what Malcolm X actually meant in some ways mirrors how this country declared independence and separated from Britain itself.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzz7R7Ro4x8]
"The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, our religious leader, teaches us the importance of doing something for ourselves now, rather than trying to continue to force ourselves into the white community or upon the white man. He teaches us that if we would do something for ourselves, clean up ourselves, morally, intellectually and otherwise, and then try and do something for ourselves economically, we would be recognized and accepted by others.
But as long as we try and force ourselves in upon others now, without having done nothing to prove that we are — are on any kind of equal basis with them, that there will always be this race tension and race problem.
If a white man puts his arm around me voluntarily, that's brotherhood. But if you — if you hold a gun on him and make him embrace me and [i]pretend [/i]to be friendly or brotherly toward me, then that's not brotherhood, that's hypocrisy. And what America is trying to do is pass laws to force whites to [i]pretend [/i]that they want Negroes into their schools or into — in their places of employment.
Well, this is hypocrisy, and this makes a worse relationship between black and white, the black man himself should learn how to develop himself in the same sense that the white man has developed himself. Then they can both come together and recognize each other as equals."