Racism According To Malcolm X

Malcolm X addresses an important topic in his conversation with the American ambassador in Africa. His observations on the causes and nature of racism are of a philosophical nature and have multiple interpretations that relate differently to Malcolm X, Anne Moody and Ta-Nehisi Coates. To understand the origin of racism, it is important to distinguish it from discrimination, which is considered normal and universal. Racism on the other hand is pathological and stems from the belief that some people are superior because they belong to a specific nationality, race or ethnic group. While they are misconceptions, these attitudes are formed about people based on differences in culture, appearance, values and customs.

The major philosophical theory …show more content…
And the process of naming “the people” has never been a matter of genealogy and physiognomy so much as one of hierarchy. Difference in hue and hair is old. But the belief in the preeminence of hue and hair, the notion that these factors can correctly organize a society and that they signify deeper attributes, which are indelible—this is the new idea at the heart of these new people who have been brought up hopelessly, tragically, deceitfully, to believe that they are white,” which essentially states that racism is inherent (Page 7). His metaphor of the natural disaster further confirms his fear of white supremacy and the overbearing social constructs that ostracize blacks from society. Coates frequently touches on the subject of the black body and addresses the racially fueled violence that has been targeted at African-Americans for generations. He explains, “In America, it is traditional to destroy the black body—it is heritage. Enslavement was not merely the antiseptic borrowing of labor—it is not so easy to get a human being to commit their body against its own elemental interest,” which depicts the extent to which African-Americans are marginalized, oppressed and abused because of their skin color. This is an incredible reflection on society and the extensive damage racism has …show more content…
As Moody’s childhood memory depicted, children aren’t born with racial prejudice. Even Coates is teaching his son about racism to make him aware of the dangers he will face as a black man. Considering racism is not a part of a human’s character makeup, it is believed that racism stems from structure and approach of the child’s upbringing and conditioning. Based solely on human evolution, there is no plausible argument to support the idea that racism is natural. At the beginning of human evolution there were no possibilities for interaction between groups that had vastly different features or skin color. Therefore, racism couldn’t have innately developed and cannot be deemed an innate reaction. Further evidence suggests that increased diversity with peer groups can lessen the hostile views whereas completely polarized groups still maintained their perceptions. Malcolm X’s childhood played a large role in his belief that racism is learned. For example, his tendency to be called “nigger” as a child to the extent that he thought it was his real name. In school, Malcolm performs extremely well and is elected class president, yet his teacher had the audacity to discourage him from becoming a lawyer solely because of the color if his skin. Considering the teacher’s treatment of Malcolm, it is no surprise that students mimic this behavior and deem it acceptable. This is a prime example of the social