Malcolm X’s Idea

You might look at Malcolm and think that he's a leader and that he tries to spread religion. He became a political and religious speaker, telling people that Islam was the perfect religion for black people. He spread the words of Elijah Muhammad, the messenger of Allah, and tried to tell people what they should do and how they should become better by converting themselves into something they may not want to be but, under the persuasive words of Malcolm X, will become.

It's troubling that he tries to convert people to a different religion because he wants them to change. He may show or try to reason as to why the change is needed and that it will make a person better, but it in no way has exact proof behind it other than buttered up words and the preachings of something that has not shown itself in physicality, but can apparently be felt through the soul. This is worrisome and confusing because Malcolm has no reason to tell people to live their lives in a certain way. His past speaks differently than his present, which may show that he has changed, but it also shows that he has not been a good man. Why trust someone that has chosen to walk down such a path, to lead yours? If he has went into prison because he has stolen, done and sold drugs, why should he be allowed to tell you what to do, who to look up to, and how you should be looking at others? Why does a man that has spiraled down, have the power to tell so many people what to do with themselves from what he does and doesn't want?

So what, if he tells others how to live their life? He walked down the wrong path, and choses to tell people his beliefs and share them and force them into these followings by using pretty words and interesting concepts and racism to gain people on his side instead of preaching as a preacher, and, instead, preaching as a politician. He has learned from his past mistakes and has grown as a person, but in no way should have the power and command of the people he has changed. He isn't even the messenger. He's a stoop that Elijah the paperboy drops with the words of Allah scribbled into the newspaper. He, as a wrong and misjudged man, should not have the right of judging others purely because he was, and still is, judged. His power should be spreading the Muslim faith, not his superiority complex onto others.

What about Malcolm leading people makes you feel conflicted? --- Malcolm leading people conflicts me because he came from prison for commiting crimes. He made multiple bad decisions in life and was judged by it, as I'm doing now, and I just see him as unfit for being a leader due to his mistakes.

So what if he made bad decisions? Doesn't a person learn from mistakes? --- On pages 156-157, the character, Bimbi, is mentioned. He's the one that made Malcolm change his mind and gain a more critical thinking. Bimbi helped Malcolm get past his bad decisions, but did it help Malcolm see through his mistakes? Bimbi is his motivation to learn more, but is he Malcolms answer?

Why does Bimbi seem to matter so much as to change the perspective of Malcolm? --- Bimbi is the one that was known for being philosophical and having many good arguments and rebuttals against people that had an opinion or decided to speak their mind. For a person to change in prison due to another person and not due to the prison itself is a bit weird, but usually you hear people say Prison really changes you, but here it's Bimbi.

Does it make sense for a person to change Malcolms mind than a solitary area? --- I think Malcolm learning and being persuaded by a person makes sense to me, but I feel that in a solitary place, he would probably turn out similar as his mom. He needs argument and facts and passion to be capable of understanding a topic. He needs persuasion and cognitive thinking, not a blank wall to stare at and be lost in his mind. He needs to hear new ideas to change.

Do you think this change is what Malcolm is trying to put onto others to join the Nation Of Islam? --- I think Malcolm had an idea of the same change being implemented onto others, but I think he's going along the same idea in a different fashion. He made himself loud, biased, and rude, which, when trying to prove an idea or opinion, isn't always the most useful strategy.

Why is the form of implementation different for being loud and the such? --- The form of implementation is weird because he tries to talk about the religion as if it's a saving grace and as if it'll change the race problem in The United States. On pages 193-194, it states how Malcolm tried to use religion or add it into his debates, so that other people would become more aware of it. This was, in my opinion, a sick way of trying to make the idea of religion more known, but it was his method.

Why is the spreading of religion sick? --- It's not that the spreading of the religion is sick. It's the way that he states it that creates confusion and slight anger. You come for a debate and all the time people care about the gist, but then you trail off and go from Thing 1 to Thing 2. It may look the same and add up, but they're two different things.

Don't you normally see this as a smart way of convincing people of something? --- I do see this as a good way of convincing someone of something because then different points can be used and expanded on based on the topic. The reason why I'm so mad here is the fact that he's cheating people into converting to another religion. It disgusts me that a person would stoop so low and be so pathetic, in my opinion, as to very lightly and delicately slide in your morals and attempt to change theirs. The idea of a change of a strangers morals are unsettling to me.

Why is it bad to change a person's morals? --- It's not the change itself that's bad. It's the idea of a person changing their morals to yours because you want them to makes me feel uncomfortable because everyone has their own idea and I don't believe they should have to change them for someone else. I hate it when people tell you what to do. Ella converted because she wanted to, not only because of Malcolm X.

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