A Bold, New, Black Voice Speaking Truth to Power Without Fear
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Dyson and Baraka Engage in a Heated Debate About Marable's Book on Malcolm X
Today on Democracy Now, Michael Eric Dyson and Amiri Baraka engaged in an intense debate regarding Manning Marable's new book, Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention. Check out the debate and tell me what you think.
I watched the debate, and without having read Marable's book, I have a feeling that there may be a lot of unnecessary innuendos, based of Dyson's continuous defense by saying Marable loved Malcolm, he loved Baraka, he loved he loved he loved. That makes me nervous, because it's not about how much he loved, but what has he written in that book about our Hero, and why. Must be a bunch of lies dispersed in there, and Dyson must know it, thus the continued assertion of love for the man and the movement. What we want is the truth, and never has any nation fought harder to promulgate lies about black people than this nation.
And right now there is a monumental war on all fronts going on against black people in America, whether we know it or not. And there will be those blacks who capitulate to that and help our enemies. They may be set up comfortably in acedemia or wherever. And they maybe they do have love for our black heroes, but maybe not as much as they do for their positions in academia or wherever.
The war is on and imprisoning black men at record rates is just the tip of the iceberg. They are trying to destroy black womens' respect for black men, and vice versa, and black men's desire for black women, and vice versa; our self respect and ability to reason; our economics; our ability to form relationships with other blacks in the world; our ability to relate with whites and others races in unity and solidarity; and even our written history with these books that rewrite history, supposedly to get at the true "truth" of our heroes. They don't want us to even be able to pick up our history books and not be broken somehow. Dyson has to know that these little "tidbits" are highly distracting to our America youth, who have been trained to be ADHD with the stupid music and TV shows they are exposed to. Can you imagine our youth of today having the fortitude to be a part of a great movement like the Freedom Riders? Even risking their young lives, as those youth, both white and black did back then?
This is the madness that is white hegemony in the hands of a black man...the work that they wrought themselves. A work that is doomed to failure. The black people of the world cannot be destroyed. Sorry. Obama, no matter what his own position is, just by his presence has already unleashed huge amounts of black pride power, and even POC pride power that can be shaped for good. And "they" know it.
I'm almost finish reading Marable's book. To a certain extent, I agree with both Baraka and Dyson. As Baraka stated, Marable draws conclusions regarding Malcolm X's and Betty Shabazz's alleged infidelities without presenting clear evidence. The same is true as to the allegations of homosexuality.
However, based on Marable's past writings and statements, I do not think that Marable was deliberately attempting to undermine the legacy of Malcolm X. However, I do wonder why he would include such speculation about intimate personal matters in the book.
I watched the debate, and without having read Marable's book, I have a feeling that there may be a lot of unnecessary innuendos, based of Dyson's continuous defense by saying Marable loved Malcolm, he loved Baraka, he loved he loved he loved.
ReplyDeleteThat makes me nervous, because it's not about how much he loved, but what has he written in that book about our Hero, and why. Must be a bunch of lies dispersed in there, and Dyson must know it, thus the continued assertion of love for the man and the movement.
What we want is the truth, and never has any nation fought harder to promulgate lies about black people than this nation.
And right now there is a monumental war on all fronts going on against black people in America, whether we know it or not. And there will be those blacks who capitulate to that and help our enemies. They may be set up comfortably in acedemia or wherever. And they maybe they do have love for our black heroes, but maybe not as much as they do for their positions in academia or wherever.
The war is on and imprisoning black men at record rates is just the tip of the iceberg. They are trying to destroy black womens' respect for black men, and vice versa, and black men's desire for black women, and vice versa; our self respect and ability to reason; our economics; our ability to form relationships with other blacks in the world; our ability to relate with whites and others races in unity and solidarity; and even our written history with these books that rewrite history, supposedly to get at the true "truth" of our heroes. They don't want us to even be able to pick up our history books and not be broken somehow.
Dyson has to know that these little "tidbits" are highly distracting to our America youth, who have been trained to be ADHD with the stupid music and TV shows they are exposed to.
Can you imagine our youth of today having the fortitude to be a part of a great movement like the Freedom Riders? Even risking their young lives, as those youth, both white and black did back then?
This is the madness that is white hegemony in the hands of a black man...the work that they wrought themselves. A work that is doomed to failure. The black people of the world cannot be destroyed. Sorry.
Obama, no matter what his own position is, just by his presence has already unleashed huge amounts of black pride power, and even POC pride power that can be shaped for good. And "they" know it.
I'm almost finish reading Marable's book. To a certain extent, I agree with both Baraka and Dyson. As Baraka stated, Marable draws conclusions regarding Malcolm X's and Betty Shabazz's alleged infidelities without presenting clear evidence. The same is true as to the allegations of homosexuality.
ReplyDeleteHowever, based on Marable's past writings and statements, I do not think that Marable was deliberately attempting to undermine the legacy of Malcolm X. However, I do wonder why he would include such speculation about intimate personal matters in the book.