About
Content
Store
Forum

Rebirth of Reason
War
People
Archives
Objectivism

Post to this threadMark all messages in this thread as readMark all messages in this thread as unread


Sanction: 4, No Sanction: 0
Sanction: 4, No Sanction: 0
Post 0

Monday, January 9, 2006 - 10:09pmSanction this postReply
Bookmark
Link
Edit


I got into a debate with a friend about these two major figures and wanted to provoke discussion about the relative means they used to achieve their ends.

My friend's contention is that Malcolm X acted in his own rational self-interest and ended up gaining nothing, whereas Martin Luther's unsparing altruism/understanding/forgiveness and unity with his comman man ended up achieving a whole lot more.

I'm not an authority on either guy, but I wanted to get some responses from folks here who might be interested in further discussing the topic.

Post 1

Tuesday, January 10, 2006 - 1:23amSanction this postReply
Bookmark
Link
Edit
Hi Justin,

I read the autobiography of Malcolm X and enjoyed it very much. It provided a context I didn't have before. He was wrong about a lot of things and he hurt a lot of people. For those reasons he's no hero of mine. He did seem to have a quality of honesty that I admire. That's what kept me interested in the book. He seemed to be honest in looking for his answers. His childhood was pure chaos. Just awful. And I'm impressed that he worked so hard to find a life that made sense; even if he never found it. He claimed to have read Aristotle and Plato and "those guys" when he was in prison. I don't know how deeply he looked but I believe he tried his best. 

MLK wanted what is best for people. You judge a man by the content of his character and never the color of his skin. Just for that aphorism he gets a lot of respect from me. Both men had wrong premises that have inspired a lot of self-destructive behavior. Of the two I suppose MLK's approach was less violent and more passive but that doesn't mean it was a success. I actually think Malcolm's method was closer to getting at a rational philosophy.    

America could use a major black philosopher. There is a great deal of untapped potential out there. A kind of hidden treasure. Lots of gold in them thar hills.  


Post 2

Tuesday, July 26, 2011 - 7:40pmSanction this postReply
Bookmark
Link
Edit
Malcolm X was very altruistic. Malcolm X did not Act in his own self interest in fact nothing could be further than the truth. Anyone who make a statement like that is sadly mistakenly and very deceived.Malcolm X died broke. He sacrificed every dollar he had into building up the Nation of Islam. When he was not with the Nation of Islam he put all of his money into his Building Up other strong organizations on behalf of Black People. He did not even own his home or his car he had left everything in the name of the Nation of Islam. As of matter of fact the original beneficiary of his Autobiography, was the Nation of Islam, until he was ousted by the Black Muslims. Malcolm X drove an oldsmobile, while other civil rights leaders were taking Big time money from Corporations (Martin Luther King included, King would later regret this and boycott many corporations)

Malcolm X if anything was more altruistic than Dr.King especially in Dr.King's early career where he was being funded by the Ford Foundation. Dr.King would later become more radical as time went on as he himself was influenced by the militancy of Malcolm X. Malcolm X worked Day and Night to secure "A Spot in the Sun" for Black People. He slept on average no more than four hours a night and ate only one time a Day.

Malcolm Also built businesses in the community even though these businesses would later be exploited. Malcolm began working with Black People all over the world. He was very well Loved and Received in Africa. If Malcolm was about himself he could have lived well like the rest of the ministers in the nation of Islam, but instead he chose to sacrifice his life, luckily later on in his life Dr.King decided to make that same choice. Malcolm could have certainly lived well off in the Nation of Islam had he not been a just, righteous, and principled man. Malcolm was beyond intelligent. His intellect far surpassed Plato or Aristotle, his metaphors, and analogies, were brilliant. This is why Malcolm was able to defeat PH.D's in debates at Harvard, Oxford, Yale, and Michigan. He was a Brilliant. He could speak to the Man on the street and with that same tongue he could communicate to the Harvard intellect. He was not a self-serving man but rather a self-sacrificing man. Thank God for Malcolm X,

Sanction: 6, No Sanction: 0
Sanction: 6, No Sanction: 0
Post 3

Wednesday, July 27, 2011 - 3:55pmSanction this postReply
Bookmark
Link
Edit
Oye.

That's what I get for approving posts I can't read very well from my phone.


Sanction: 6, No Sanction: 0
Sanction: 6, No Sanction: 0
Post 4

Wednesday, July 27, 2011 - 4:14pmSanction this postReply
Bookmark
Link
Edit
Shabazz fashizzle!

Post to this thread


User ID Password or create a free account.