Eng. IV “Institutional Oppression is the systematic mistreatment of people within a social identity group, supported and enforced by the society and its institutions, solely based on the person's membership in the social identity group.” In The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley, the ideas of systemic oppression and ‘social’ or racial identity are frequently expressed through the conflicts and events in Malcolm's life. Every facet of Malcolm's life had been influenced or affected greatly by the socially instituted oppression placed on him by his racial identity. It started when he was young, at the very beginning of his story. From an early age, his father was harassed by the Ku Klux Klan, and then his mother was driven mad by social workers. Upon which his family was very …show more content…
Though even that wasn't enough to get rid of the blight itself. Systemic oppression is an issue still relevant today. In all things from the workforce to day to day living. Things were so bad in Malcolm's time, that in 1964, the US Equal Employment Commission was founded as aid for minorities and women in the workforce and private industry. Beyond that many other measures have been put into places by the US government and private organizations to combat systemic oppression. But the ideal is also symbolic, much of the fight Malcolm Little, his father, Marcus Garvey and Dr. King fought was largely symbolic rather than material. Some of those symbols still remain today. For example in South Carolina, at the capital. Lately on the news there has been the fiasco that took place when people took offense to the flying of the Confederate flag. Whether someone believe they flew the flag based on their appreciation of their history and culture, or flew it in order to continue to perpetuate old ideals of systemic oppression no one can
Modern proponents of the Confederate flag cite several reasons for their support, but the central theme is that the flag is historically significant. Cooper & Knotts (2006) found among other reasons that support for the flag was by white southerners who feel “a connection to the south” (p. 152). Supporters feel that the flag stands for freedom from an oppressive government, and that it serves to honor and remember those ancestors who died during the Civil War. Beyond that, supporters are divided again, as Martinez (2008) said, “’Heritage preservation’ traditionalists see themselves as guardians of southern inheritance of honor and chivalry while a second group of traditionalists, most notably the Ku Klux Klan, espouses racist views” (p. 200).
In Atlanta Ga, Charlottesville Nc, and in every other formerly Confederate State in the U.S. there has been controversial debates on whether or not the current standing Confederate statues should be removed from public areas. Many people claim that a modern society should not honor the racist soldiers who fought for slavery. Others believe that preserving historical accuracy is essential to learning from the mistakes of the past. The opinions of thousands of citizens clash with one another over the debate between offense and information. I believe that it is most beneficial for the majority of people if the current Confederate monuments remain where they are.
Annotated bibliography #3 "The Confederate Flag Needs To Be Raised, Not Lowered." 2015. 23 Aug. 2015 In Chuck Baldwin article about "The Confederate Flag Needs To Be Raised, Not Lowered" (2015), he claims that the flag should stay up because the confederate flag is not is not all about slavery and racism Baldwin supports his claim by importing details about the historic meaning of the flag. His purpose is to give the reader and understanding of witch it true and what is false.
The administrator ultimately banned the wearing of the confederate flag on school grounds nonetheless she admitted that she could not “ban it for eternity” (Hardie, 2013) and within months the students were back to wearing the flag. One of the teachers explained, “Our school’s, you know, real big, was real big into wearing the Confederate flag and they didn’t—I think it was lack of education or really understanding. I think we got a bunch of country bumpkins that just wore it because that’s what always—you know” (Hardie, 2013). This shows that although the history of the flag is known, the students’ allowed to wear the attire because the lack of understanding and education of the true meaning of the
How in the world do you explain bitter, unreasonable, pointless hatred and discrimination to your six-year-old child? MLK revealing
Although Malcolm X recognized the racial issue during the civil rights movement, he preached his methods in an immoral way by convincing the blacks that the white people are the devils, and they need to rebel against them in order to have equality. If this had happened, Malcolm X would have created an unequal society by causing hatred among the blacks and whites, and the problems would not have been
In an interview with NPR, two Iowa residents stated that they see the flag as such and that they identify with the plight of the Confederacy. The perceived “plight” here being that the rights of the southern states were being threatened by the federal government and they had to fight for their independence from that tyranny (NPR 2017). These two men belong to a far more dangerous part of the confederate flag holding population, a part that denies the idea that the secession that lead to the Civil War based in the loss of slaves rather than any other “infringement” of the south’s rights. By dismissing this aspect of the flag’s history and making the white people the into the victims, people like the interviewees can empathize guiltlessly with the flag’s creators. This is a dangerous mindset because it relies on a rewriting of history akin to Holocaust denial.
When a flag is presented in a rival that brings hate and discontent to America it should be removed from being displayed. I strongly am offended of the Confederate flag and my opinion is a lot of others are also offended. The constant reminder of the mistreatment and enslavement of the black race is still being suffered by black people today. The confederate flag brings grief to my heart as my ancestors were subjected to slavery.
It is the responsibility of every citizen in America to question authority, our government and its written and oral history, scrutinizing anything which has even a hint of uncertainty about it. All things true and just will stand up to the test of scrutiny each and every time. When it comes to the use of the Confederate Flag in the 21st century, only a full and complete scrutiny of the facts can determine the answer to this question. But to me the answer is clear, after close analysis and scrutiny, I personally feel that it should not be used or idolized in any form or fashion, but that is for you to decide, once you know all the facts. One thing I do know for certain, I will continue to admire, respect, and fly the American Flag high while appreciating its complexity and beauty all the
Racism is everywhere, to say the Confederate Flag is a symbol of racism is like saying the American flag is a symbol of racism, due to its 85 years it flew above a slave nation; but we see it as a different meaning, a symbol of freedom. We would not like the American Flag to be judged as a symbol of racism, but yet we are being hypocritical: and doing what we would not like done to ourselves towards the Confederate Flag. The Confederate Flag is a symbol of state rights and heritage for the family bloodlines that gave there life defending the southern states, not a symbol of racism. People are racist to one another, we say terrible things to each other every day, but then some choose to blame a symbol for other people 's actions; a symbol which lacks the ability to
It took the military to allow nine African Americans students to enter a school in a white neighborhood. This is only one event, other events created riots, bombings, discrimination, poverty, and racism. This is why Malcolm X’s philosophy is much better for the sake of time and our nation. Malcolm X
Malcolm has more justification for the black rights movement than just arguing about the variable of time, he also states that without African Americans the United States wouldn 't have its riches or status. This is all based on the idea that without slavery and generations of black workers, America would never have evolved into the prosperous
Thesis: In “The Autobiography of Malcolm X”, Malcolm X in his telling of his life to Alex Haley uncovers the theme of positive and negative environments unearthed by the interaction of African Americans and White Americans in his life and what those kinds of environments inherently produce. Annotated Bibliography Nelson, Emmanuel S. Ethnic American Literature: an Encyclopedia for Students. Greenwood, An Imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2015.This encyclopedia points out that the negative interaction he held with the white man as a young hustler was countered by these same experiences pushing Malcolm X to reclaim his “African identity”. This shows, as described by the cited work, what a man pushed by his negative interactions with the oppressive white men is willing to do to find his identity (i.e. through hustling).
In contrast to the violent approach proposed by other Civil Rights leaders at the time, such as Malcolm X, Dr. King paved the long road to
Malcolm X was an influential African-American leader he also rose to prominence in the mid-1950s. Malcolm opposed the mainstream civil rights movement, publicly calling for black separatism and rejecting nonviolence and integration into combatting racism by. However, Malcolm has combatted many obstacles during his lifetime. Some examples on how Malcolm combatted racism was… (insert evidence here)