When Leibniz was mentioned in both my calculus and philosophy classes on the same day toward the start of the year, I thought that there would be no more cross-class references from these two very different classes. It turns out, with all this talk of solving for x, integration, and differentiation, I was wrong.
That's of course meant to be funny, as integration and differentiation mean very different things in calculus and philosophy. But the philosophical discussion of racial integration and separation crosses all walks of life and directly impacts the connections I have with other people. Should the world be integrated, in spite of de facto segregation and occasional conflicts, or should races maintain a peaceful separation?
It's a tough question. There are pros and cons to both, and even as our society has moved down the "integration" path we see conflict and separation. In our own city, recently named as the most segregated in America, we see ethnic pockets with little integration. So which is better?
For me, the question comes down to this: is it fair to clump entire groups of people together with a single label, and assume that interaction among these umbrella groups leads to inevitable conflict? And for me, the answer is no. I have a problem when people say that all blacks and whites are different and will never be able to get along- I've personally encountered and lived out examples that dismiss that. To be separate, I think, is to loose a part of humanity. It's to loose our brothers and sisters, and to reduce our judgment of other people to the basis of skin tone.
Yes, integration isn't perfect. We still see conflicts. We still see separation. Look at neighborhood demographics across Chicago and it's suburbs. Look at non-selective high school demographics. We live in a society where the law says "integrate" and the people say "separate"- with only a few exceptions.
So whats next? Will there continue to be separation, or will we integrate fully? I think, and I hope, that the future will be the later. The old ideas of racism and stereotypes will begin to die out, replaced by a new idea of looking past each person's race and seeing who they are as a person. A generation of increased multinationalism and understanding will soon rise to make a more integrated society.
Differences shouldn't mean conflict. They should be recognized and respected, but shouldn't bar peaceful coexistence.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Find X
Who was Malcolm X?
That's a question which, if I take nothing else from his autobiography, I hope to answer after reading it. This is a man whose vision and ideas have been distorted and warped by history, and who very few people understand and know. Sadly, nowadays it seems that the only way to completely understand this great historical icon and his message is to read his autobiography, and see what his own words have to say.
I was slightly surprised, while coming to the completion of the first half of Malcolm X's autobiography, to see that the book wasn't divided into two parts. Yes, it's an autobiography- a journey through the life of one man- and breaks aren't common in autobiographies. People live one life, not multiple ones. But I thought it would help the reader to see who Malcolm X really is, since he lived a more or less two-part life. Part 1, a life as a young black boy and an adolescent hustler, and part 2 as a revolutionary black leader advocating for racial separation and black nationalism.
We've basically finished reading Malcolm X, part 1. This was his life story through childhood and his childhood stories- memories of the Ku Klux Klan's attacks on his family, memories from growing up in Michigan, the white people who murdered his father, the welfare people, the family he lived with, his crushed dreams from his teacher, living with his half-sister Ella in Boston, meeting Shorty, working in a drug store, as a shoeshiner, an on a train line, geting conks and zoot suits, and his hustles in Harlem. This all came to an abrupt end with his arrest, which started Part 2 of his life.
It is really interesting to me that history does't remember Part 1 of Malcolm X, which is quite fascinating and had a huge impact on who he came to be. Malcolm X stood out from other civil rights leaders due to his extreme ideas and his fiery passion, brought about by his early adversities. He lived the life of the average African-American suffering in America and knew well the challenges and unfairness the white America created. That's the one thing I would characterize Malcolm X as, and one thing that I overlooked- his passion. No other civil rights leader went through so much as he, and its evident in his passion he had for civil rights.
That's what we find when we look to "find x." A struggle to live in white society as part one of his life, and a call to action in part two. By looking at his entire life, especially part one, we can "solve for x" and see who Malcolm X truly was- a passionate civil rights leader using his struggles in a past life to make a new life better for his fellow man.
That's a question which, if I take nothing else from his autobiography, I hope to answer after reading it. This is a man whose vision and ideas have been distorted and warped by history, and who very few people understand and know. Sadly, nowadays it seems that the only way to completely understand this great historical icon and his message is to read his autobiography, and see what his own words have to say.
I was slightly surprised, while coming to the completion of the first half of Malcolm X's autobiography, to see that the book wasn't divided into two parts. Yes, it's an autobiography- a journey through the life of one man- and breaks aren't common in autobiographies. People live one life, not multiple ones. But I thought it would help the reader to see who Malcolm X really is, since he lived a more or less two-part life. Part 1, a life as a young black boy and an adolescent hustler, and part 2 as a revolutionary black leader advocating for racial separation and black nationalism.
We've basically finished reading Malcolm X, part 1. This was his life story through childhood and his childhood stories- memories of the Ku Klux Klan's attacks on his family, memories from growing up in Michigan, the white people who murdered his father, the welfare people, the family he lived with, his crushed dreams from his teacher, living with his half-sister Ella in Boston, meeting Shorty, working in a drug store, as a shoeshiner, an on a train line, geting conks and zoot suits, and his hustles in Harlem. This all came to an abrupt end with his arrest, which started Part 2 of his life.
It is really interesting to me that history does't remember Part 1 of Malcolm X, which is quite fascinating and had a huge impact on who he came to be. Malcolm X stood out from other civil rights leaders due to his extreme ideas and his fiery passion, brought about by his early adversities. He lived the life of the average African-American suffering in America and knew well the challenges and unfairness the white America created. That's the one thing I would characterize Malcolm X as, and one thing that I overlooked- his passion. No other civil rights leader went through so much as he, and its evident in his passion he had for civil rights.
That's what we find when we look to "find x." A struggle to live in white society as part one of his life, and a call to action in part two. By looking at his entire life, especially part one, we can "solve for x" and see who Malcolm X truly was- a passionate civil rights leader using his struggles in a past life to make a new life better for his fellow man.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)