Sunday, February 17, 2013

Almost Never (Malcolm X Part 1)


Integration. Is it possible? Malcolm X is completely opposed to it. There was something he said specifically that rattled my perspective of the world for a bit. ”I don’t care how nice one is to you; the thing you must always remember is that almost never does he really see you as he sees himself, as he sees his own kind.” Woah.

I don’t want to blindly generalize an entire group of people. I can only make judgments from what I’ve experienced personally. Taking a realistic view of the subject, I’d say that Malcolm X is right. But the only reason I say this is because he leaves some room for exceptions. In the quote he says “almost never”, and those two words are what redeem his statement for me. The “almost never” leaves room for people who genuinely see everyone as equals. I believe that those people exist because I’ve met them.

As for the others…sometimes they don’t even realize it. Racism continues to thrive in our society. Racism is not solely alive in the South or in other environments that seem far away from here. Racism occurs every day, in Chicago, at Whitney Young, probably even amongst your friends. I’m not trying to put race into everything, not at all. I simply think that denying a problem’s existence is just as bad as supporting the problem. Denying that racism is still going on won’t make it go away. So what will? I’ll be honest and admit that I don’t have a solution. Change has to be individual before anything concrete is accomplished. So think, reflect, and do better.

            

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