By the time I entered a graduate program in social work (2012-2014), I was already familiar with the work of Malcolm X (later known as el-Hall Malik el-Shabazz). Although he also went by Malcolm Little, Detroit Red, and Brother Malcolm, herein I’ll refer to him simply as Malcolm X.
I recall that during one spirited in-class discussion with other students, one of the few male peers I encountered in the program described Malcolm X as a one who allegedly preached “hate” and who apparently was “violent.” Familiarized with Malcolm X’s work since high school, I offered by retort.
Citing imperfectly memorized portions of a speech Malcolm X delivered in May of 1962, in Los Angeles, California, I addressed two points sequentially: (1) hateful rhetoric and (2) violent rhetoric. For context, Malcolm X actually stated the following during his speech:
(1) Hateful rhetoric –
Who taught you to hate the texture of your hair? Who taught you to hate the color of your skin – to such extent that you bleach to get like the white man? Who taught you to hate the shape of your nose and the shape of your lips? Who taught you to hate yourself from the top of your head to the soles of your feet?
Who taught you to hate your own kind? Who taught you to hate the race that you belong to so much so that you don’t want to be around each other? No… before you come asking Mr. Muhammad does he teach hate, you should ask who… yourself who taught you to hate being what God gave you.
Admittedly, my contention during the class discussion was a selective source that couldn’t possibly refute all rhetoric espoused by Malcolm X before or after his 1962 speech. Nevertheless, I thought it adequately represented the human rights activist’s perspective on hate.
Hate is defined as intense hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury: extreme dislike or disgust. The selected quote from Malcolm X related to the antithesis of hateful rhetoric, as he questioned his black audience members why they hated themselves.
The logical and reasonable inference from the quote relates to advocacy for love – love of one’s own race. I have more to say on this point in a bit. For now, I’ll offer my second point of consideration offered to my former social work peer.
(2) Violent rhetoric –
The most disrespected person in America is the black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America is the black woman.
And as Muslims, the honorable Elijah Muhammed teaches us to respect our women and to protect our women. And the only time a Muslim gets real violent is when someone goes to molest his woman. We will kill you for our women.
I’m making it plain, yes; we will kill you for our women. We believe that if the white man will do whatever is necessary to see that his woman get respect and protection, then you and I will never be recognized as men until we stand up like men and place the same penalty over the head of anyone who puts his filthy hands out to put it in a direction of our women.
Malcolm X delivered his speech during the civil rights movement in the United States (U.S.) which was from approximately 1954-1968. My black dad and white mom lived through that era and I heard tales of oppression stemming from treatment of black individuals by white people.
If it’s considered “violent” to advocate physical protection of female members of one’s own in-group from members of an oppressive out-group, then I would ask which associated group is appraising violence—the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy.
Is violence from a white man toward a black woman in the ‘60s, presumably due to racial matters, appraised as morally, ethically, and legally righteous? Morals are what’s considered right or wrong in behavior. Ethics are rules one pledges to live by which are based on morals.
Similarly, that which is legal conforms to or is permitted by law or established rules which at times reflect the prescribed morals and ethics of a collective. Noteworthy, simply because a prescription is legal doesn’t mean that it’s just. There’s a difference between law and justice.
Justice is defined as the maintenance or administration of what is just—having a basis in or conforming to fact or reason—especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments. Perhaps a historical example is in order for improved understanding.
According to one source, “The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws introduced in the Southern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that enforced racial segregation, ‘Jim Crow’ being a pejorative term for an African American.” My parents lived under these unjust laws.
Readdressing the question about moral, ethical, and legal righteousness of a white man behaving violently toward a black woman during the ‘60s, such behavior may’ve been overlooked under the practice of Jim Crow – even if not expressly stated in doctrine. Malcom X challenged such behavior.
Did his advocacy for just treatment constitute “violent” rhetoric? I suppose it depends upon which side of the oppression debate one remains. Personally, and in the interest of justice as one of the four virtues of Stoicism that I practice, violence is permissible as a last resort – though it’s still an option.
After presenting a rejoinder to my white male social work peer in graduate school, he ceded the argument. Still, he offered one parting comment about how all races recommendatorily should love one another equally. What a fantastically absurd ideal-world versus real-world outlook!
Later in life, I learned a term for people such as my classmate and many with whom I’d attended graduate school for social work. According to one source:
Baizuo is a derogatory Chinese neologism used to refer to Western liberals and leftists, especially in relation to refugee issues and social problems. The term originated in the 2010s and has since come into more frequent use by Chinese nationalists critical of Western liberal and leftist ideologies for their alleged over-tolerance to immigration issues and by netizens who agreed with Donald Trump’s anti-immigration policies. The term has begun to be used in English as well by American conservatives.
While experiencing and rejecting indoctrination of my social work education, I was introduced to the concept of diversity, equity, inclusivity, and accessibility (DEIA and derivatives thereunto, such as DEI), now rebranded as benchmarking race, inclusion, and diversity in global engagement (BRIDGE).
During what is now considered my least favorite U.S. presidential administration, under Joe Biden’s watch (or whomever it was running the country over the past four years), the DEIA concept I learned from baizuo academics was thrust upon our nation similar to the Jim Crow laws.
Perhaps the most subjectively egregious component of the Jim Crow era was that it was government-sanctioned oppression. So, too, is the case regarding DEIA, DEI, BRIDGE, or whatever acronym such divisive policy has gone by.
At its core, DEIA advantages nonwhites over whites. It represents the antithesis of the civil rights movement. Now, as previously stated, I’ll address illogical and unreasonable (collectively “irrational”) underpinnings of advocacy for love of the other rather than love of one’s own race.
First, it’s worth noting that one source reports, “Though black females are only six percent of the population, they obtained about 55 percent of top diversity officer roles among the country’s top 50 colleges and universities.” This may be true of academia, though I’ve not assessed such data.
Alternatively, one source reports, “The most common ethnicity among chief diversity officers is [w]hite, which makes up 76.1% of all chief diversity officers. Comparatively, 7.8% of chief diversity officers are Hispanic or Latino and 7.7% of chief diversity officers are Asian.”
Photo credit (edited), photo credit (edited), fair use
Although I’ve not analyzed the data regarding this claim, I’ll grant the premise as true for the sake of discussion herein. My justification for this charitable approach has to do with subjectively anecdotal observation.
The majority of people enrolled in my graduate program for social work, to include staff at the university, were white. Likewise, most of the mental, mental, emotional, and behavioral health care practitioners I’ve observed peddling skintellectual DEIA rhetoric have been white.
Within the DEIA category of my blog, I’ve referenced a number of examples to support this subjective claim. Nevertheless, I’m making no objective assertion herein in regard to the 76.1% statistic. I’m merely granting the premise for the sake of discussion.
Now, presuming it’s true that the majority of the chief diversity officers in the U.S. are white – and that they push rhetoric and enforce norms related to prejudicial and discriminatory treatment against whites, in favor of nonwhites – then modified questions of Malcolm X’s alleged hateful rhetoric are worth considering.
Who taught you to hate the texture of your hair? Who taught you to hate the color of your skin – to such extent that you tan not to look like your own race? Who taught you to hate the shape of your nose and the shape of your lips?
Who taught you to hate yourself from the top of your head to the soles of your feet? Who taught you to seek a Brasilian butt lift so that you no longer retain features of your own race or ethnicity? Who taught you to favor the appearance of anyone other than yourself?
Who taught you to hate your own kind? Who taught you to hate the race that you belong to so much so that you don’t want to be around each other? Who taught you to take up the banner of DEIA? Who taught you to discriminate against your own people, so much so that it took Trump to issue an executive order to stop your racist behavior?
Who taught you to hate yourself, baizou? No… before you come at me with irrational rhetoric about your white savior complex behavior, you should ask yourself who taught you to hate being what you inescapably are. Perhaps some unconditional self-acceptance would do you some good.
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At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!
Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW
References:
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