Malcolm X on Suffering Peacefully -

[TBF]

Message to Grassroots by Malcolm X
October 10, 1963

To understand this, you have to go back to what young brother here referred to as the house Negro and the field Negro —— back during slavery. There was two kinds of slaves. There was the house Negro and the field Negro. The house Negroes — they lived in the house with master, they dressed pretty good, they ate good ’cause they ate his food —— what he left. They lived in the attic or the basement, but still they lived near the master; and they loved their master more than the master loved himself. They would give their life to save the master’s house quicker than the master would. The house Negro, if the master said, "We got a good house here," the house Negro would say, "Yeah, we got a good house here." Whenever the master said "we," he said "we." That’s how you can tell a house Negro.

If the master’s house caught on fire, the house Negro would fight harder to put the blaze out than the master would. If the master got sick, the house Negro would say, "What’s the matter, boss, we sick?" We sick! He identified himself with his master more than his master identified with himself. And if you came to the house Negro and said, "Let’s run away, let’s escape, let’s separate," the house Negro would look at you and say, "Man, you crazy. What you mean, separate? Where is there a better house than this? Where can I wear better clothes than this? Where can I eat better food than this?" That was that house Negro. In those days he was called a "house nigger." And that’s what we call him today, because we’ve still got some house niggers running around here...

On that same plantation, there was the field Negro. The field Negro —— those were the masses. There were always more Negroes in the field than there was Negroes in the house. The Negro in the field caught hell. He ate leftovers. In the house they ate high up on the hog. The Negro in the field didn’t get nothing but what was left of the insides of the hog. They call ’em "chitt’lin’" nowadays. In those days they called them what they were: guts. That’s what you were —— a gut—eater. And some of you all still gut—eaters...

The field Negro was beaten from morning to night. He lived in a shack, in a hut; He wore old, castoff clothes. He hated his master. I say he hated his master. He was intelligent. That house Negro loved his master. But that field Negro —— remember, they were in the majority, and they hated the master. When the house caught on fire, he didn’t try and put it out; that field Negro prayed for a wind, for a breeze. When the master got sick, the field Negro prayed that he’d die. If someone come to the field Negro and said, "Let’s separate, let’s run," he didn’t say "Where we going?" He’d say, "Any place is better than here." You’ve got field Negroes in America today. I’m a field Negro. The masses are the field Negroes.

Just as the slavemaster of that day used Tom, the house Negro, to keep the field Negroes in check, the same old slavemaster today has Negroes who are nothing but modern Uncle Toms, 20th century Uncle Toms, to keep you and me in check, keep us under control, keep us passive and peaceful and nonviolent. That’s Tom making you nonviolent. It’s like when you go to the dentist, and the man’s going to take your tooth. You’re going to fight him when he starts pulling. So he squirts some stuff in your jaw called novocaine, to make you think they’re not doing anything to you. So you sit there and ’cause you’ve got all of that novocaine in your jaw, you suffer peacefully. Blood running all down your jaw, and you don’t know what’s happening. ’Cause someone has taught you to suffer —— peacefully...

Much more at the link (and just as relevant now as it was in 1963): http://www.famous-speeches-and-speech-topics.info/famous-speeches/malcolm-x-speech-message-to-the-grassroots.htm

[Panaconda]

1. A breathe of fresh reality

Surprised this isn't getting more attention. Too close to the bone perhaps?

K&R

[Hannah Bell]

3. last time i posted it someone accused me of calling them a house negro.

[blindpig]

5. Heh...

imagine that.

Too close for comfort, even if not directly addressed.

[Hannah Bell]

7. sent me a nasty pm too. really, really nasty, had to block them.

[bobbolink]

11. I was across the street when that happened. ^_^

Seriously, it is so sad to realize just how far we have fallen in the two generations since we were listening to these words and applauding.

It is enough to make one feel like giving up.... but I refuse to do that.

:hi:

[H2O Man]

24. That would be

one of the typical tactics of those who fear that the democratic left will embrace the wisdom of Malcolm X.

[FrenchieCat]

49. Yeah....I'm waiting for the Democratic Left to embrace the wisdom of Malcom X too!

Especially this part stated early in the same speech.....
Which I find much more relevant than the actual OP selected tidbits....
especially 39 days before an election.

"And when you and I here in Detroit and in Michigan and in America who have been awakened today look around us, we too realize here in America we all have a common enemy, whether he’s in Georgia or Michigan, whether he’s in California or New York. He’s the same man: blue eyes and blond hair and pale skin —— same man. So what we have to do is what they did. They agreed to stop quarreling among themselves. Any little spat that they had, they’d settle it among themselves, go into a huddle —— don’t let the enemy know that you got a disagreement.

Instead of us airing our differences in public, we have to realize we’re all the same family. And when you have a family squabble, you don’t get out on the sidewalk. If you do, everybody calls you uncouth, unrefined, uncivilized, savage. If you don’t make it at home, you settle it at home; you get in the closet —— argue it out behind closed doors. And then when you come out on the street, you pose a common front, a united front. And this is what we need to do in the community, and in the city, and in the state. We need to stop airing our differences in front of the white man. Put the white man out of our meetings, number one, and then sit down and talk shop with each other. all you gotta do." - Malcom X - Message to the Grassroots .....as spoken in full speech that can be read at my link in its entirity, http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?document=1145
as opposed to going to the link in OP which provides an edited especially taylored version of the speech.

Why link to a site that edits brother Malcom? What's that about? :shrug:

[superduperfarleft]

50. He was talking about the black community, not the Democratic Party.

I'm not sure why you keep posting this passage, but I thought it was made pretty clear for the overly sensitive among us that this OP was not meant as a slam against Obama.

[FrenchieCat]

55. So the OP about his discussion about Field and House negroes is

somehow more relevant on Democratic Underground,
39 days before an election?

How silly of me to have thought otherwise! :crazy:

[TBF]

57. This is not posted in GDP - you may be lost ... nt

[Cha]

60. No one is lost..this is DU and it has a lot of forums that are free to post in.

[superduperfarleft]

59. I've only been here for a few years, but in the past, people regularly would post

articles or threads that would be of interest to a left-leaning audience. Quit being so paranoid.

[Catherina]

100. Here's one that's as relevant

"It was the black man's vote that put the present administration in Washington, D.C. Your vote, your dumb vote, your ignorant vote, your wasted vote put in an administration in Washington, D.C., that has seen fit to pass every kind of legislation imaginable, saving you until last, then filibustering on top of that. And your and my leaders have the audacity to run around clapping their hands and talk about how much progress we're making. And what a good president we have.

...

In this present administration they have in the House of Representatives 257 Democrats to only 177 Republicans. They control two-thirds of the House vote. Why can't they pass something that will help you and me? In the Senate, there are 67 senators who are of the Democratic Party. Only 33 of them are Republicans. Why, the Democrats have got the government sewed up, and you're the one who sewed it up for them.

And what have they given you for it? Four years in office, and just now getting around to some civil-rights legislation. Just now, after everything else is gone, out of the way, they're going to sit down now and play with you all summer long - the same old giant con game that they call filibuster. All those are in cahoots together...

They're playing that old con game. One of them makes believe he's for you, and he's got it fixed where the other one is so tight against you, he never has to keep his promise.


http://africawithin.com/malcolmx/malcolm_speaks.htm

[liberation]

116. What, people should stop discussing anything because the election is close?

Uh?

Is there some sort of imposed gag order I am not aware of?

[bobbolink]

130. You pretty much got it.

The gag order has been in effect for a while now.... it only affects certain ones. :(

[TBF]

51. The words are correct -

you can listen to them here if you'd like: http://www.brothermalcolm.net/index.html

[Number23]

103. Fantastic post, Frenchie

I'm still trying to figure out what the hell this OP is about to be honest with you.

[Solly Mack]

2. K&R

[Starry Messenger]

4. k & r

[Me.]

6. When I Read The Title Of Your Thread I Thought It Was An OP By H20Man

He's usually the one who discusses brother Malcolm.

[TBF]

8. Malcolm was an obvious leader during civil rights, but his words

have much to offer on the subject of class warfare as well. It amazes me that when I read his speeches they could've been written today.

For those who might be interested "The Ballot or the Bullet" is another very timely speech -

http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/speeches/malcolm_x_ballot.html

[Poll_Blind]

9. This Stockholm Syndrome-like effect is coverd a bit in the early part of Frederick Douglass'...

...autobiography. For those unfamiliar with the man, he was born into slavery in the deep south around 1820. Through his pursuit of knowledge and possessing an indomitable spirit he was able to free himself of the ignorance which kept him a slave (famously creating the stating "Knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave.") and proceeding to become (what I believe to be) America's finest, frankly-speaking, orator and abolitionist.

His account of life as a slave, and the physical as well as psychological domination which occurred is worth reading and understanding (though they may be so far outside of our frame of reference as to seem unbelievable) because humanity never really changes.

PB

[TBF]

12. Yes, "Stockholm Syndrome" was identified in the 70's

but Malcolm sure did a great job describing it in his own words the decade prior.

Wiki gives it decent treatment for those who haven't heard of it - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_syndrome

[blindpig]

10. kick

No more blinders.

[Binka]

13. I Got A 6 Disc DVD Set From KPFA's Last Pledge Drive On Malcom

My 9 year old daughter fell in love with the brother(so did I). I highly recommend the set it is so farking powerful and it left me in tears.

[H2O Man]

I have a collection

of albums with Malcolm's speeches. Some are of his well-known presentations, and others are some of the lesser-known ones. 'Spect that you've inspired me to get some of them out tonight.

[Binka]

36. I'm Doing The Same!

Hello:hi: good to see you Pat.

[EFerrari]

37. I hope you do.

I've been doing a lot of reading in black history, maybe sparked by the arrest of Dr. Gates last summer and partly sparked by reading "The Race Beat" -- which is about the black press around the time of Brown v Board.

The wisdom enfolded in the race struggle is so vast, I can see how someone could easily spend a lifetime studying it. And then you come to someone like Malcolm, and that's another lifetime, right there.

[EFerrari]

33. A lot of the recordings are on line.

I love listening to him.

[Count Olaf]

90. what collection is that?

sounds really good...

[bobbolink]

109. Could you please tell me the name of that set?

Our library only has the movie X, so I am interested in finding this.

Thanks!

[TBF]

110. Hopefully Binka will respond to this -

but I did find the link describing the set ...

http://uprisingradio.org/home/?p=2393

[bobbolink]

111. Thanks... I found this:

http://malcolmxfiles.blogspot.com/

Looks like it has all that the 6 disk set has.

I'm not one to contribute to a TV station, especially one I can't even see... (And I can't see any of them now, because my car doesn't have a TV).

I just wanted to find the title, to see if my library could order it.

Thanks!

[Blue_Tires]

14. thanks for this..

major kick

[Binka]

15. Another Kick

:kick:

[TBF]

16. Thanks - I guess brother Malcolm is history now to many...

was hoping some of the younger generation might find him interesting. There have been few in this country who have fought as hard for the poor as he did.

[Binka]

18. My 9 Year Old Shares His Birthday and He Is Her Hero

:kick:

[Panaconda]

17. Lots of good stuff here:

http://www.brothermalcolm.net/mxwords/whathesaidarchive.html

[TBF]

19. Thank you for the link - and that quote. So true. nt

[bobbolink]

87. So true.. its so important to know the difference... "image"

Substitute "poor people" for Negro, and it also works.

[FrenchieCat]

20. 90% of African-Americans supports this President.......

So what is your point of posting what Malcom X said in 1963,
here at this site, in 2010 while we have an African-American President,
who a majority of White people are bitching about constantly,
talking about like a dog and basically shouting loudly about how much smarter
they are than he is, and how he should do whatever they order their way,
otherwise, he ain't worth shit!

FrenchieCat, a Black person, would like to know.

[TBF]

21. Malcolm's words from 1963 are just as relevant today

as they were then. The fact that an African American sits in the White House does not lessen his message. Do you disagree with what he said?

[FrenchieCat]

23. I believe that the 2010 House negroes are those who don't understand

that a man is but a man......whatever is color,
and however high he may rise, reasonable expectations
are the only thing they have a right to demand.

I think if Malcom X was alive today,
he wouldn't have his foot up Obama's ass......
because he always understood that a man is but a man,
never a God.


http://www.hss.state.ak.us/gcdse/history/Images/Section%2008,%20part%20one/8b-Civil-Rights-I-am-a-man.jpg

[TBF]

26. Read Malcolm's words again - he says exactly the opposite

"Suffering Peacefully"="reasonable expectations"

[FrenchieCat]

29. I have read a whole lot that Malcom X wrote and said during the period

which you quote him in your op.

Much of which he denounced later on.

Read this speech and understand who Malcom X was....
as he too was nothing but a man, a highly religious one at that.
http://www.malcolm-x.org/speeches/spc_120463.htm

Folks "use" Malcom X as though he was a dishcloth....
embracing some of what he said, while totally ignoring portions
that they may not agree with.

[TBF]

38. Thanks -

I've only read some of his speeches & not criticisms so I will look at it. I guess that happens to many historical icons - they are interpreted different ways and people will repeat what they personally find interesting to them.

[Hekate]

40. You should read his entire Autobiography, right to the last word. You will see how he changed

You know what got him assassinated? After his haj to Mecca, where he saw blond Muslims from the Caucasus alongside brown Muslims from the Middle East and black Muslims from Africa, he saw that Islam was not about the separation of the races at all.

Extrapolating from that, he saw the possibility of reconciliation between black and white in his own country. He spoke out, and being who he was he did so vigorously and publicly -- and he was killed by his former "brothers" in the Nation of Islam.

Read it to the last word. He was ferociously intelligent and this is one of the most remarkable autobios I have ever read.

Hekate

[H2O Man]

45. Acrually Malcolm had

"outgrown" Elijah's anti-white teachings well before the break with the NOI. Of course, he was still opposed to racists and the culture that promoted it. But well before the trip, he had grown -- in the autobiography, for example, we read what he said about Mike Wallace and others.

The trip allowed him the platform to publicly transform his positions. There are numerous valuable books on Malcolm that document this; reading them absolutely makes the autobiography more fascinating. He was a great human being.

[H2O Man]

39. This speech was

actually delivered a month later than the OP states (at the 11-9 & 10 Northern Negro Leadership Conference in Detroit). This is significant, because it is from the month when events in Dallas resulted in Malcolm's being expelled from the Nation of Islam. This speech is widely recognized as marking "the new" Malcolm; much of it would be further developed in his Cleveland speech, "The Ballot or the Bullet," a few months later.

John Henrik Clarke called "Message to the Grass Roots" Malcolm's greatest speech.

[FrenchieCat]

42. You realize that the speech that is linked to in the OP

is not his actual speech, right?

[H2O Man]

44. I'd refer to

pages 10 - 11 of the 1965 book, "Malcolm X Speaks." The quote in the OP is correct. (I also have the entire speech an an LP.)

[FrenchieCat]

46. The quote? That is an entire passage, and many words came before and after.......

the long passage in a vaccum might say something that the OP wants to highlight,
but Malcom said much more, including some shit that some might actually not totally agree
with.

Like I said, many use Malcom X without even fucking realizing that he changed,
became much more compromising in his approach and beliefs and moved for the Black/White
to more shades of grey.


In the same speech, I will again post what he said.....in bold.


"And when you and I here in Detroit and in Michigan and in America who have been awakened today look around us, we too realize here in America we all have a common enemy, whether he’s in Georgia or Michigan, whether he’s in California or New York. He’s the same man: blue eyes and blond hair and pale skin —— same man. So what we have to do is what they did. They agreed to stop quarreling among themselves. Any little spat that they had, they’d settle it among themselves, go into a huddle —— don’t let the enemy know that you got a disagreement.

Instead of us airing our differences in public, we have to realize we’re all the same family. And when you have a family squabble, you don’t get out on the sidewalk. If you do, everybody calls you uncouth, unrefined, uncivilized, savage. If you don’t make it at home, you settle it at home; you get in the closet —— argue it out behind closed doors. And then when you come out on the street, you pose a common front, a united front. And this is what we need to do in the community, and in the city, and in the state. We need to stop airing our differences in front of the white man. Put the white man out of our meetings, number one, and then sit down and talk shop with each other. all you gotta do."
http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?document=1145

[H2O Man]

48. I agree with Clarke.

It's a great speech. It upset some people then, and continues to today.

Some of Malcolm's early statements and beliefs are obviously dated. But that's not why we should continue to learn from Malcolm today: the Truths he spoke were and are eternal.

[TBF]

43. Thank you for that correction -

it is too late to make a change in the OP, but I appreciate your comment and will remember for future discussions.

[FrenchieCat]

84. so those of us who have reasonable expectations are

to be considered House Negroes, right?

And so it goes that since 90% of African Americans are in support
of the current administration and have reasonable expectations
of what one Black man can do for a fucked up nation, they are all House Negroes, right?

Guess that leaves a great percentage of White pure Liberals and 10% of the AAs
as the Field Negroes figuratively beaten from sunrise to sunset;
the real heroes in all of this?

That's how I read that OP...and I find appalling that Malcom X's words would
be "used" to even allude to such a statement.

[TBF]

86. The OP is Malcolm's words - there is no commentary

because none is needed. You only need to look at the financial newspapers daily to understand that we have headlines declaring "record profits" (for the elite) and "poverty spiking" to know his words are still relevant.

I am anti-capitalist, and I am anti-imperialist. As brother Malcolm was. I hope that helps to frame it.

[EFerrari]

27. The only one talking about Obama in this thread is you. n/t

[FrenchieCat]

30. Cause I'm not fucking stupid.

Here is what else Malcom X said....in December of the same year.

How can America atone for her crimes? The Honorable Elijah Muhammad teaches us that a desegregated theater or lunch counter won't solve our problems. Better jobs won't even solve our problems. An integrated cup of coffee isn't sufficient pay for four hundred years of slave labor, and a better job in the white man's factory or position in his business is, at best, only a temporary solution. The only lasting or permanent solution is complete separation on some land that we can call our own.

The Honorable Elijah Muhammad teaches us that the race problem can easily be solved, just by sending these twenty-two million ex-slaves back to our own homeland where we can live in peace and harmony with our own kind. But this government should provide the transportation, plus everything else we need to get started again in our own country. This government should provide everything we need in machinery, materials, and finance; enough to last us for from twenty to twenty-five years, until we can become an independent people in our own country.

If this white government is afraid to let her twenty-two million ex-slaves go back to our country and to our own people, then America must set aside some separate territory here in the Western Hemisphere, where the two races can live apart from each ot her, since we certainly don't get along peacefully while we are here together. The size of the territory can be judged according to our own population. If our people number one-seventh of America's total population, then give us one-seventh of this land. We don't want any land in the desert, but where there is rain and much mineral wealth. We want fertile, productive land on which we can farm and provide our own people with sufficient food, clothing, and shelter. This government must supply us with the machinery and other tools needed to dig into the earth. Give us everything we need for them for from twenty to twenty-five years, until we can produce and supply our own needs.
http://www.malcolm-x.org/speeches/spc_120463.htm

[EFerrari]

31. If you believe the OP was a slam at the president, alert the thread.

[FrenchieCat]

32. What if I comment as I have?

Do you mind?

[EFerrari]

35. It's always nice to read your contributions to our civil discourse. n/t

[H2O Man]

22. Strongly recommended.

The democratic left should make every effort to study the life and lessons of Malcolm X.

[Panaconda]

114. They can't

and there's a reason for this.

No illusions.

[felix_numinous]

25. Interesting there are threads about Johnny Cash and Malcolm X today

people who never stopped speaking the harsh truth. When I read their words it is like a salve, the best medicine there is. Real truth is timeless, and we are in sore need of it today.

Thank you for posting this speech.

[TBF]

28. Thanks for telling me about the Johnny Cash thread -

just did a search so I could read it. Someone posted the lyrics to "The Man in Black" - very powerful.

[truedelphi]

97. Such excellent men, with such wise words.

Our species was truly honored to have them among us.

One was long considered the "N" word by the segregationists back in that day, and the other was "poor white trash."

But Malcolm and Johnny were indeed royalty.

[Name removed]

34. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Radical Activist]

41. Now we have the cyber netro.

When someone comes to the field and says "Let’s separate, let’s run," the cyber netro says, "No way, I don't want your help unless you're also going to burn the house down, kill master, give me $10,000 dollars and kiss my ass while you're doing it! I'm going to stay in the fields and complain until you do it all for me!"

[Name removed]

62. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[leftstreet]

47. K&R

[NJmaverick]

52. Unrec for an utterly shameful misuse of Malcolm X and his ideals

Malcolm X would have been over joyed at seeing Barack Obama President.

[TBF]

54. There is no commentary with the speech -

so any shameful misuse is entirely in your imagination.

[NJmaverick]

56. Oh I caught that slick trick, but you offered up plenty of commentary

in your replies that indicates this thread was intended as an attack on President Obama. So please don't insult our intelligence by suggesting otherwise.

[Name removed]

58. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[TBF]

61. Absolutely false - we are talking about systems here

not personalities.

[NJmaverick]

65. posts #20 and #21 clearly dispute your claims

[TBF]

66. Post #20 is not mine. nt

[NJmaverick]

69. Post #20 gives context to your post #21

and clearly shows your intentions.

[TBF]

70. Right, I sad the thread has nothing to do with Obama,

and I said that in at least 2 places. So you assume the thread is about Obama? Ok. :eyes:

[Name removed]

68. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[leftstreet]

64. There are indeed 'slick tricks' in this thread, but not from the OP n/t

:eyes:

[Catherina]

128. +1. It's shamefully transparent. n/t

[Name removed]

71. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[superduperfarleft]

63. Oh good lord....

Fine. We get it. DU is no longer the place to talk about Malcolm X.

:eyes:

[Name removed]

67. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Ignis]

53. K&R. So much has changed, and yet...

So much remains the same since Brother Malcom's time.

The core message remains: Never give up. Never stop fighting. Don't just roll over and take it, in the hope that things will get better on their own.

[Binka]

72. Never Give Up!

"When "the system" is gonna take EVERYTHING from you anyway what has a man or woman to lose? If one never stops fighting one NEVER loses their dignity."

Binka

[Ignis]

81. You got it.

:fistbump:

[Cirque du So-What]

73. What will it take to shake off this insidious complacency?

I've long contended that people must be comfortable in their level of misery, or else the possibility of rebellion would be discussed openly. I expect change is coming, however, as the middle class has been shrinking in numbers over recent years. The demise of the middle class strips away the illusion of 'the American dream' - a Horatio Alger-ian hope, bordering on religious belief, that upward mobility is achievable - that has quelled dissent for so long.

The ultra-rich obviously believe they've reached the point where they can maintain control without even going through the motions of providing for the 'field negroes' - among whom I count myself & everyone replying to this thread. If you believe you've achieved the status of 'house negro,' you're living in a fool's paradise. The 1%ers have either failed to learn from history or else believe they are able to quash rebellion and maintain control unlike any other monied class has been able to accomplish.

Perhaps the 1%ers believe they've dumbed-down the rest of society to the point that organized resistance is impossible. Perhaps they believe that we're just so many sheep to be fleeced when the mood strikes. Perhaps they assume that resistance has been bred out of the masses and that they can run roughshod over our interests with impunity. Having never known true misery for even a single day in their lives, they fail to recognize how powerfully suffering focuses the mind - motivating on such a scale that no self-help guru could ever hope to accomplish.

No, we obviously aren't miserable enough, seeing that our society still rolls over and takes it. We're still wallowing in complacency in the face of another massive money-grab that is transferring what remains of our wealth into the pockets of those who need it least. Meanwhile, the field negroes in France - the nation that took to the streets over 200 years ago and upended their society - is seeing rebellion over an increase in retirement age. What will it take to inspire such fire in the belly in our country? I predict we'll find out the answer to that question sooner rather than later.

[Binka]

74. This Should Be A Stand Alone Thread

Excellent analysis and writing. Well done. :hi:

[superduperfarleft]

76. Funny, I can't see how I could twist that post into being anti-Obama.

So I doubt it'd get as much attention as this one has.

[Binka]

77. Sad It Is An Excellent Post

:kick:

[Cirque du So-What]

80. Gee, thanks

I do have my moments, although in this instance I'd prefer to be wrong. Even the semblance of an equitable society is preferable to the turmoil of revolution, but if it becomes impossible to maintain that facade, then it's time to ponder open rebellion as an actual possibility.

The American people were able to turn the tables, peacefully, on the robber barons of the late 19th century, so I cling to hope that some in the monied classes are able to convince their fellow 'have-mores' that concessions are preferable to the guillotine. It all depends on whether the 1%ers have learned from history or whether they are willing to engage in open warfare with the rest of society.

[Hydra]

106. They've made their bet

And they cast the dice in 2006 when they crashed the economy.

They have bet everything that they can exterminate us and most of them will walk away from it.

Will they? Even I can't run a calculation that complex. Too many variables...but I have to say that I slightly favor the 1%ers chances. For one thing, we're so far out in left field that the tipping point may not even exist anymore. For another, they seem confident of their chances...maybe they know something we don't?

[TBF]

78. Thank you for your post -

as the others indicated it could be posted as an OP on its own and I hope you decide to do so. Workers are active in Greece, France, and there is an upcoming anti-austerity protest Sept. 29 across Europe: http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE65S39420100629

I have faith that the workers in this country will find their way. People aren't stupid (despite what the elites say), it will come.

[inna]

134. Outstanding post.

Thank you for that.

[treestar]

75. Unrec'd for not making sense

What point are you trying to make? No one today is suffering as slaves did.

[Ignis]

83. Nor were they slaves when Malcom X said the words in the OP.

So what's the point of that comparison? :shrug:

[Cirque du So-What]

85. No, we're not literally slaves in the antebellum southern sense

but would you tell a family who has been kicked out of their home because the wage-earners have lost their jobs that they have it better than slaves so they need to STFU and quit complaining? Is the misery of someone who cannot afford to get treatment for their illness any less real because they're not answering to a literal slavemaster who refuses their pleas for help?

If there's a point to the words of Malcolm X, it's that we will never allow anything resembling slavery to take hold again. What is the point of your disapproval? That we should just STFU and get back to work, seeing that literal slavery is not around nowadays? Fuck THAT!

[truedelphi]

And many of us cannot get "back to work" - there are not many jobs out there.

So our current day Lords and Masters (And Mistresses too) let us know that we are not productive people, but just lazy bums avoiding employment to get that unemployment check.

Malcolm X's words resonate now as much as ever, don't they?

[hfojvt]

79. peaceful and non-violent is not the same as passive

MLK covered that in his book "Stride toward freedom"

[Uncle Joe]

82. I don't view this as an attack against the President, I'm looking at it through a class prism.

Since the 1960s tax rates on the mega-wealthy have dropped to a small fraction of what they were when the nation was booming, today CEO pay is approximately 300x the average worker.

Naturally there would be a strong populist sentiment from the people for the government to rectify this situation and what does the corporate media/Novocain - talking head/house slaves do in response?

They try to hijack the populist movement toward the direction of the conservative/corporate loving Tea Party by giving their manipulated point of view excessive coverage, while either ignoring or distorting what populism is truly about.

Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, TBF.

[FrenchieCat]

88. I view this op as an attack against those who have reasonable expectations with the current admin...

we are being called House Negroes.

That's what this OP was about, far as I'm concerned....
and the accuracy of my interpretation of this Selective Malcom X quoting
is evidenced by OP writer stating that Suffering Peacefully = Reasonable Expectations.

TBF (1000+ posts) Fri Sep-24-10 11:15 AM
Response to Reply #23
26. Read Malcolm's words again - he says exactly the opposite
"Suffering Peacefully"="reasonable expectations"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=9192636&mesg_id=9194548




I may not be that smart as my "White (the new Field Negro) Liberal" friends,
but I'm no fool.

[EFerrari]

89. Thank you for the free projection, Frenchie Cat. You never fail to deliver.

[TBF]

91. I didn't say "reasonable expectations with this admin" did I?

Being "reasonable" usually equates with going with the flow, and that is how I wrote the analogy. I didn't write anything about President Obama or his administration, that is your projection & yours alone.

[FrenchieCat]

92. Being reasonable DOES NOT "usually" equate going with the flow......

why make things up? Why do you get to decide what shit means after the fact?

Status quo isn't necessarily reasonable.
and being reasonable is a fucking virtue, not a vice....

Giving an administration more than 20 months to fix 30 fucked up years,
is not only reasonable....it is the only sane thing to do.

[TBF]

93. Again, nobody is talking about the administration but you.

In my mind reasonable=status quo. You may interpret it differently. I guess you can also decide that everything written on this site is a personal attack on President Obama. But that doesn't make it so.

[FrenchieCat]

94. Yeah....whatever.

((((Clean up on aisle 1!))))

Got it. :eyes:

[Uncle Joe]

99. These are the words, that I read.

As soon as King failed in Birmingham, Negroes took to the streets. King got out and went out to California to a big rally and raised about —— I don’t know how many thousands of dollars. come to Detroit and had a march and raised some more thousands of dollars. And recall, right after that Wilkins attacked King, accused King and the CORE of starting trouble everywhere and then making the NAACP get them out of jail and spend a lot of money; and then they accused King and CORE of raising all the money and not paying it back. This happened; I’ve got it in documented evidence in the newspaper. Roy started attacking King, and King started attacking Roy, and Farmer started attacking both of them. And as these Negroes of national stature began to attack each other, they began to lose their control of the Negro masses.

And Negroes was out there in the streets. They was talking about we was going to march on Washington. By the way, right at that time Birmingham had exploded, and the Negroes in Birmingham —— remember, they also exploded. They began to stab the crackers in the back and bust them up ’side their head —— yes, they did. That’s when Kennedy sent in the troops, down in Birmingham. So, and right after that, Kennedy got on the television and said "this is a moral issue." That’s when he said he was going to put out a civil—rights bill. And when he mentioned civil—rights bill and the Southern crackers started talking about they were going to boycott or filibuster it, then the Negroes started talking —— about what? We’re going to march on Washington, march on the Senate, march on the White House, march on the Congress, and tie it up, bring it to a halt; don’t let the government proceed. They even said they was going out to the airport and lay down on the runway and don’t let no airplanes land. I’m telling you what they said. That was revolution. That was revolution. That was the black revolution.

It was the grass roots out there in the street. scared the white man to death, scared the white power structure in Washington, D. C. to death; I was there. When they found out that this black steamroller was going to come down on the capital, they called in Wilkins; they called in Randolph; they called in these national Negro leaders that you respect and told them, "Call it off." Kennedy said, "Look, you all letting this thing go too far." And Old Tom said, "Boss, I can’t stop it, because I didn’t start it." I’m telling you what they said. They said, "I’m not even in it, much less at the head of it." They said, "These Negroes are doing things on their own. They’re running ahead of us." And that old shrewd fox, he said, "Well If you all aren’t in it, I’ll put you in it. I’ll put you at the head of it. I’ll endorse it. I’ll welcome it. I’ll help it. I’ll join it."

A matter of hours went by. They had a meeting at the Carlyle Hotel in New York City. The Carlyle Hotel is owned by the Kennedy family; that’s the hotel Kennedy spent the night at, two nights ago; belongs to his family. A philanthropic society headed by a white man named Stephen Currier called all the top civil—rights leaders together at the Carlyle Hotel. And he told them that, "By you all fighting each other, you are destroying the civil—rights movement. And since you’re fighting over money from white liberals, let us set up what is known as the Council for United Civil Rights Leadership. Let’s form this council, and all the civil—rights organizations will belong to it, and we’ll use it for fund—raising purposes." Let me show you how tricky the white man is. And as soon as they got it formed, they elected Whitney Young as the chairman, and who you think became the co—chairman? Stephen Currier, the white man, a millionaire. Powell was talking about it down at the Cobo today. This is what he was talking about. Powell knows it happened. Randolph knows it happened. Wilkins knows it happened. King knows it happened. Everyone of that so—called Big Six —— they know what happened.

Once they formed it, with the white man over it, he promised them and gave them $800,000 to split up between the Big Six; and told them that after the march was over they’d give them $700,000 more. A million and a half dollars —— split up between leaders that you’ve been following, going to jail for, crying crocodile tears for. And they’re nothing but Frank James and Jesse James and the what—do—you—call—’em brothers.

soon as they got the setup organized, the white man made available to them top public relations experts; opened the news media across the country at their disposal; and then they begin to project these Big Six as the leaders of the march. Originally, they weren’t even in the march. You was talking this march talk on Hastings Street —— Is Hastings Street still here? —— on Hasting Street. You was talking the march talk on Lenox Avenue, and out on —— What you call it? —— Fillmore Street, and Central Avenue, and 32nd Street and 63rd Street. That’s where the march talk was being talked. But the white man put the Big Six head of it; made them the march. They became the march. They took it over. And the first move they made after they took it over, they invited Walter Reuther, a white man; they invited a priest, a rabbi, and an old white preacher. Yes, an old white preacher. The same white element that put Kennedy in power —— labor, the Catholics, the Jews, and liberal Protestants; same clique that put Kennedy in power, joined the march on Washington.

It’s just like when you’ve got some coffee that’s too black, which means it’s too strong. What you do? You integrate it with cream; you make it weak. If you pour too much cream in, you won’t even know you ever had coffee. It used to be hot, it becomes cool. It used to be strong, it becomes weak. It used to wake you up, now it’ll put you to sleep. This is what they did with the march on Washington. They joined it. They didn’t integrate it; they infiltrated it. They joined it, became a part of it, took it over. And as they took it over, it lost its militancy. They ceased to be angry. They ceased to be hot. They ceased to be uncompromising. Why, it even ceased to be a march. It became a picnic, a circus. Nothing but a circus, with clowns and all. You had one right here in Detroit —— I saw it on television —— with clowns leading it, white clowns and black clowns. I know you don’t like what I’m saying, but I’m going to tell you anyway. ’Cause I can prove what I’m saying. If you think I’m telling you wrong, you bring me Martin Luther King and A. Philip Randolph and James Farmer and those other three, and see if they’ll deny it over a microphone.

No, it was a sellout. It was a takeover. When James Baldwin came in from Paris, they wouldn’t let him talk, ’cause they couldn’t make him go by the script. Burt Lancaster read the speech that Baldwin was supposed to make; they wouldn’t let Baldwin get up there, ’cause they know Baldwin’s liable to say anything. They controlled it so tight —— they told those Negroes what time to hit town, how to come, where to stop, what signs to carry, what song to sing, what speech they could make, and what speech they couldn’t make; and then told them to get out town by sundown. And everyone of those Toms was out of town by sundown. Now I know you don’t like my saying this. But I can back it up. It was a circus, a performance that beat anything Hollywood could ever do, the performance of the year. Reuther and those other three devils should get a Academy Award for the best actors ’cause they acted like they really loved Negroes and fooled a whole lot of Negroes. And the six Negro leaders should get an award too, for the best supporting cast.

I see this same coopting, misdirecting and distorting of the natural and well deserved populist sentiment, by the corporate media; Glenn Beck being one small, but primary example.

[liberation]

117. ... and let me guess, only you guys are allowed to define what "reasonable" means. Right?

Nice projection with a side of red herring BTW.

I love how basically you get to tell others to watch what they write/speak yet act as the victim. Doublethink like that could have escaped even Orwell himself.

Cheers.

[TBF]

98. Your welcome -

and I agree with your analysis. This week's TIME magazine is exactly what you describe - I've been reading it today to try to understand how these folks think. It is so muddled.

I posted brother Malcolm's words after noticing the discrepancy in the financial pages lately. It is the quickest way to find out what the elites are doing, you only have to look at the WSJ or Financial Times to see the priorities. "Record Profits" vs. "Poverty Spikes". "Jobless Recovery". It makes me ill.

Take care.

[backscatter712]

95. Malcolm X must have been talking about Michael Steele... n/t

[TriMera]

96. k&r. n/t

[Catherina]

101. One of my favorites. Thanks and recommended n/t

[Number23]

102. "and just as relevant now as it was in 1963"

Relevant to whom???

[TBF]

104. Relevant to all who are oppressed. nt

[Number23]

105. And that would be...?? I am honestly not understanding the point of your OP

There is no question to whom Malcolm was addressing his speech. I have no idea who you're addressing this OP to.

[TBF]

107. Economic oppression -

I wish I could find recent hard numbers, but I did pull up this Reich article of today -

http://yubanet.com/opinions/Robert-Reich-The-Super-Rich-Get-Richer-the-Poor-Get-Poorer-and-the-Democrats-Punt.php

Sept. 24, 2010 - The super-rich got even wealthier this year, and yet most of them are paying even fewer taxes to support the eduction, job training, and job creation of the rest of us. According to Forbes magazine’s annual survey, just released, the combined net worth of the 400 richest Americans climbed 8% this year, to $1.37 trillion. Wealth rose for 217 members of the list, while 85 saw a decline.

(will update this if I can find the exact Forbes info)

[TBF]

108. OK, found some info for you on Forbes.com re billionaires vs. poverty rates increasing

http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/09/billionaires-2010-richest-people_interactive-map.html

World's Richest People
Interactive Map: The World's Billionaires
Jon Bruner, 03.10.10, 06:00 PM EST
The world's billionaires have gained $1.2 trillion in collective net worth since 2009, and now 56 countries have at least one billionaire among their citizens.


At the same time that the billionaires have been increasing their net worth, our Census Bureau reports that the nation's poverty rate jumped to 14.3% in 2009, its highest level since 1994, and the 43.6 million Americans in need is the highest number in 51 years of record-keeping.

http://money.cnn.com/2010/09/16/news/economy/Census_poverty_rate/index.htm

[Number23]

112. Are the "super wealthy" the ones who are "oppressed?"

Why did you post those articles re: billionaires? Are you inferring that people who are NOT billionaires are oppressed?

What is this OP about? And why are you using Malcolm X's words -- spoken to people who suffered from America's own home grown version of apartheid -- to further whatever your agenda is? If you're trying to draw attention to poverty, why would you not include the millions of fantastic quotes/speeches that SPECIFICALLY address this issue?

[TBF]

113. The articles are meant to show the growing gap between

rich & poor. But obviously from the tone of your message you know that, and are pressing your own agenda with your questions. Sorry we disagree.

[Number23]

115. Well, the gap between the rich and poor is a serious issue and always will be

But it's odd that you jump to the "oppression" angle to make this point and even weirder for you to use Malcolm X's words regarding racism and discrimination to do so.

[bobbolink]

131. And the "poverty rate" is in the same category as the "unemployment rate"--- highly inaccurate.

[onpatrol98]

118. What is the problem?

Why wouldn't the words of Malcolm be relevant today? If it's not personally relevant to some...ignore it and push on. I find it very relevant.


I find it personally relevant. For me (AND PERHAPS ME ALONE - WHICH IS FINE), it's a call to beware of complacency. To avoid the status quo. For me, that sentiment does not attach itself to any color, time period, or administration. It's a personal reminder that not every one that smiles and pats you on the book and offers you a meal is a friend.

I assumed the OP posted it to start a conversation. It certainly did exactly that. I am a fan of all things Malcolm X.

I'm quite comfortable not having a clue as to how brother Malcolm would have felt about President Obama. I like to think he would have been proud and hopeful.

As much as I like President Obama...I think I respected Malcolm X more. No real need to compare the two, but America would never let a man like "Malcolm X" become president. But, wow! What kind of things would a man like that try to get done. What a thing to consider.

[Name removed]

119. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

120. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[TBF]

121. As I stated many times, that was not the intent of the OP,

but I guess that's what it says to you.

Yesterday morning when I decided to post this, it was after reading an OP in which the headlines "Poverty Spikes" and "Record Profits" were shown on a financial newspaper, ironically on the same day. Of course that made me think about the sharp inequalities in our world today, and that is not a partisan issue (which is why this is not posted in GDP). This is the piece about inequality I chose to post, though as you pointed out I suppose there are others. If I had wanted to use Malcolm to talk about the current election I would've posted his "Ballot or the Bullet" speech.

I know for you in the trenches of the election you think of voting as the end all to be all, and the focus of your attention especially at this time. But for some of us on the left it is just one (very small) thing in political life.

Edited because I can't spell at 6:00 am.

[onpatrol98]

127. Intent of the OP

I was clearly having problems thinking and spelling yesterday. I meant to say...pat on the back not book. LOL. I just knew I didn't plan on judging the "intent". I read the words and wanted to consider what they would or could mean for me.

[JTFrog]

122. Nailed it. n/t

[bobbolink]

132. Oh, considering that.... head explodes...

Yes, it would be a wonder to behold. I had never let myself imagine it before, because, as you say, it could never happen, but what a tremendous change it would be! :bounce:

[maryf]

133. Amen to that, nt.

[H2O Man]

123. There is a wonderful part

if Malcolm's autobiography, when he is speaking at Harvard: he realizes that he is but a stone's throw away from where he was, in his criminal past. At the end of the book, Malcolm talks about how he wondered, had his life been different, what he might have become? Perhaps the lawyer he had wanted to be as a child.

I remember thinking of those things when Barack Obama gave his powerful speech to the 2004 Democratic Convention. The more I have learned about Barack Obama, including his being influenced by Malcolm's autobiography as a young man, the more determined I have become to support him politically.

During the 2008 primary season, there were non-Obama supporters who became upset by my quoting Malcolm in OPs supporting Obama. Some people even wanted me to be "tombstoned." Oh, well. I wasn't supporting Barack Obama because he has brown skin: I supported him then -- as I do today -- because I believe in the Power of Ideas.

That doesn't mean that I agree with every position that he has taken as President. As Malcolm used to say, any time two people think just alike, it means only one of them is thinking. I do believe, however, that President Obama is the only politician at the DC level who offers the potential for change today.

If I thought that this OP was intended to be anti-Obama, I not only would not have recommended it, but I would be loud and clear in my opposition to it. Yesterday, upon reading the OP and some of the responses, I thought that the opposition here was purposely misreading the OP. But the more I read through here this morning, the more I am inclined to think that many, perhaps most, of the critics are sincere. While I read it one way (Obama is not running this year; there are other obvious interpretations, including what the OP's author consistently says), I am confident that others here are just as sincere in their reactions.

Malcolm, of course, was not a member of the Democratic Party. He was, in his last years, closely associated with a number of democratic politicians, and delivered a great speech to the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. What he spoke about to the MFDP and the SNCC in the last month of his life are still powerful messages, that the democratic left can benefit from studying.

I suppose that I should not be suprised that references to him still cause some conflicts here today. But I am convinced that Malcolm offered ideas on how grass roots members of the democratic left can make their voices heard in Washington, DC. I am also convinced that President Obama is sincere in saying he wants people to speak out, make their voices heard, and hold his feet to the fire.

Oh, I do wish that we could step back from arguing, set aside the bitterness, and try to find common ground. Certainly, I admit to my contributions to some of the hostility. I'm guilty of that. But it's time to move forward.

[Bluenorthwest]

124. There was more to Malcolm than meets most eyes...

It is sad to me that these universal words are being treated as if they were a 47 year old commentary on a specific person. These words are about Malcolm, and about each and every one of us. It is shocking to me how few people can see that.
Of course, 99% of the readers of his Autobiography have no idea what his youth was all about anyway, because they are outsiders, and miss the meaning.
At the DC march, both Malcolm and James Baldwin were not allowed to speak. Red and Jimmy. Some things never, ever change.

[H2O Man]

126. Right.

It is foolish, at best, and purposeful, when worst, for people to attempt to limit the message of Malcolm X to any one group of oppressed people. Quite the opposite: every oppressed group can learn and benefit from his teachings.

James Baldwin? Oh, man, do I love reading his books. What a way with words.

[maryf]

125. big huge kick

sorry I missed this! :yourock:

[Odin2005]

129. K&R

[inna]

135. too late for Rec, but...

:kick:

[Panaconda]

136. Good thread