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Originally Posted by Martian
Can you clarify this? I'm not entirely certain what your point is. Perhaps it's simply that I'm not sufficiently familiar with the writings of your founding fathers. If your point is that Malcolm X is somehow excused by having said these things in the time he said them, I would point out that the specific reason I chose to contrast him with Martin Luther King is because they were contemporaries who had completely opposite opinions on how best to achieve equal status for black Americans. Context is crucial, but holding up Malcolm X as an example of a man who promoted peace and understanding amongst all races is a bit flawed. Some people seem to be under the impression that when he left Islam he gave up his militant beliefs, but as far as I've ever been able to determine this is simply untrue.
This is a valid point; really, my only intention here was to highlight what I view as a flawed argument. Malcolm X was many things, but peaceful was rarely one of them.
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I forgot you are in Canada.
I understand now that you were referring to Malcolm X as a man of 'peace' and not for his political activity as a whole. I misunderstood, I'm sorry.
My reasoning for comparing Malcolm X's statement in the context of the years of the civil rights movement to the American Revolution, was that, if you were to read the statements that incited the Revolution to take this country from the British, you would find them full of revolutionary rhetoric that is seen as not only justifiable, but admirable
to this day. Therefore, I don't think the sentiment, whether it be that of peaceful or forceful revolution, inspired by the realities of segregation and cultural and systemic racism can ever be construed as out of line, inappropriate or (importantly)
unexpected. It is the way people have reacted to oppression throughout all of history.
And it also bears to be mentioned that Malcolm X wasn't even a year out of his association with the Nation of Islam when he was assassinated and he was in the process of moderating his stance on revolution and black nationalism. Of course, we will never know who he might have evolved into and what he might have been able to achieve.