Malcolm X Chapters 1-12

                After reading the first few chapters of the book in many ways I feel ashamed to be white.  The active bigotry that Malcolm and his family experienced when his father was killed was terrible, but what bothered me even more was the fact that even “the well meaning whites” had racial prejudices.  It really shocked me that Malcom’s teacher had such a negative perception on the intellect of blacks that he believed it was impossible for Malcolm, the brightest student in his class, to become a lawyer.  I can understand why in the later chapters, Malcolm speaks out against blacks straightening their hair and being obsessed with white women, because it affirms white superiority.  In my view, it is worse when blacks believe this than when whites do, because they essentially then allow whites to treat them any way they want.

                This passive racism that Malcolm experiences in his youth is still very present today.  It still seems to me that many whites subconsciously feel that they are the dominant race.  They may feel this way, because they may grow up in more privileged communities than minority students, which effectively makes them feel entitled to their thrown.  I think that many people would disagree with me, because it is so subtle and often hard to see.  I think at times white people, including myself can be discriminatory without even knowing it.  For example, my mailman happens to be black and there are no black residents that live in my neighborhood. One day when a mailman was walking through my block I said “Hello Charles.”  It just so happened that this was not Charles, just another mailman.   I must have felt that since for so much time Charles was the only black man I had seen on my block that that had to be him, but that simple assumption was very offensive.  Luckily the other man was very kind and laughed off the mistake.  My point is that some things we do might not seem like much, but can actually be very demeaning and presumptuous just like the white characters Malcolm encounters.

Is Poverty A Choice?

I would say that poverty is definitely not a choice.  No one can choose who they are born into.  If one is born into a lower socioeconomic family it is very difficult to raise him/herself out of poverty.  This is especially true when public education is poor.  Often times in our society today, those with the most wealth can afford the best private schools for their children.  It is true that there are magnet schools in our city, but the many violent inadequate neighborhood schools greatly out number of magnet schools in Chicago, which makes it almost impossible for people of low income communities to build a better life for themselves.

            I do not agree with the belief that most people are poor, because they refuse to work hard, and rich people have earned all of their wealth.  In my view, it is quite the contrary.  The richest people in America are often times born into their wealth and are not required to work a day in their lives.  Someone who lives paycheck to paycheck to provide for their families can even have two jobs and still struggle to pay the bills.  There are many professions that require a lot of diligence and knowledge as well, but may not pay very well.  Teaching is certainly one of those occupations.  Many teachers I have known slave for hours preparing lesson plans or grading papers.  All in all you cannot assume that someone on welfare is lazy, because it is simply not fair.

Civic Duty

This may seem like a trivial thing to some, but for me it is very important.  I have utter disdain for arrogant people.  For many people when they deem someone arrogant it is only in an extreme case when he/she acts like a pompous jerk, but for me arrogance is demonstrated in more subtle ways.  Others would agree with me that when someone from a rich background openly displays their wealth with every piece of flashy clothing or the finest diamond jewels can really grind my gears.  Also they can be verbally demeaning to people of “lower” classes without even knowing it.  One example is of someone I knew who went to Latin.  Because she was Hispanic the other students immediately asked her in a rather friendly tone: How much scholarship money are you getting? 

            Even more subtle than was previously mentioned is when a person displays his/her egocentricity by just talking too much about his/herself.  It may not be bothersome for some to hear about every academic honor a person has achieved and every prestigious college he/she has been accepted too every day in class, but it certainly irks me.  However, it is not because the subject matter is annoying, it is that the person who speaks does not realize how self-centered she comes across to everyone else.  I know self- confidence is important, but there is too much self-confidence.  When one has the audacity to enter any random conversation in a group of people that they barely know that is a perfect example.  People who overstay their welcome at a gathering can be very bothersome as well.  (You can only tell that joke so many times.  Trust me you’re not that interesting. 

            Why is a bit more humility important in our society?  Well if we come to terms and realize that we are not the impeccable creatures that we think we are, we can create a more positive perception of ourselves and we can learn to treat everyone as our equals.  In my opinion simple arrogance is the root of all racism and I think we all can agree that racism is bad.  Hopefully if we limit egotism, we can ameliorate tensions of different races and social classes.  It obviously won’t be easy, but it starts with a little self-reflection.