Friday, August 31, 2012
Welcome & First Exercise
Welcome to this place in the "blogosphere" set up for this course, Sociology 306: The Sociological Lessons of the Life and Times of Malcolm X. We will be using this space over the course of this semester for what I call "individual and group activities and exercises," and for occasional posting of lecture notes, reminders, and other comments. I will usually give you notice in class if I have or will be posting anything on this blog, but let me suggest that you get in the habit of checking this blog at least once a week anyway. Often, if I feel that I did not do a terribly good job presenting something in class or responding to a question, I may use this blog space to make amends and try to clarify or elaborate on some remarks I made in class. This blog will also be used near the end of the term to post some questions (and answers) that you will be asked to make up for the final exam. I hope you will feel free to use this space to post any questions or comments you may not feel comfortable verbalizing in class. Finally, this space will be used for any extra credit opportunities which may arise during the semester.
FIRST EXERCISE
Toward the end of our first class meeting on Tuesday (9/4) I am going to play a brief YouTube clip of Malcom X addressing the question, "Who Are You?" What I want you to do for this first exercise is post a comment about this clip, addressing the question of whether you believe what Malcolm X says is "ancient history" (i.e., no longer really relevant, or just of historical interest), or whether it continues to have some relevance for our time? You are welcome to make any other observations about it that you'd like to make. I am just looking for a paragraph or two at most. Please try to submit your comment by Tuesday, 9/11 (or one week after our first class meeting). This exercise is worth 5 activity points.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I believe that the message Malcolm X relays in the brief clip you showed in class is very much so relevant in today's society. Even though he presents the question "who are you?" in more of a racial context, the same question could be altered in a way to further accommodate everyone in today's society. We all, at some point in our lives, have felt as though we have had to live up to a certain "image" that masked who we really were. Behind this image is the real, unique individual whom has somehow allowed society to altar their identity ultimately causing them to lose themselves. Henceforth, when Malcolm X asks the question "what were you before the white man named you negro?" the translation for today's society is a stated: Who were you before society told you who you were "supposed" to be?
When Malcolm X cries out in his telivised speach "who are you?" I am sure that he meant for his speech to echo into the future. Black men or women who were feeling disenfranchised, ostracized and humiliated could find refuge in the fact that they were forced into their situation by "the man." Down to the very name they go by, black men and women were forcefully molded by a white-dominated society.
While things are certainly better off now, the message still retains importance to this day. while the question may no longer be "who are you," I feel as though black men and women are still thought to have much lower ceilings in respect to what they could potentially accomplish by many in our society. The question is now "What can you become?" The answer I believe Malcolm X would give is "there is nothing you cannot do, there is nothing you cannot become."
I believe that Malcolm X brings up a valid point, as a family's history is typical preserved and carried on by the family's name. In essence, the painful reality is that many of the slaves were not only striped of their freedom, but they were also robbed of their family's history along with any sense of belonging. Therefore, they slowly began to lose any sense of independence which was further exasperated by that fact that many times they would take up their “oppressors” (owners) name. Consequently, by forcing individuals to reflect and question who they are and where they came form results in a liberating sense of pride. This pride in it self is the first step to any sense of self worth. It seems to me that Malcolm X recognized that many African-American individuals were not proud of being African-American. Thus, he attempted to change the prevailing mindset.
Post a Comment