Malcolm X #3 (1)

After finishing chapters seven through ten I was astonished by Malcolm’s actions. From his hustling, steeling, to drug use, and smoking and gambling in jail, it was all unbelievable to me. 

Malcolm describes, "In any organization, someone must be the boss. If its even just one person you've got to be the boss of yourself" (Haley 145). 

The quote above proves that Malcolm is the only man that can control his actions. All of his illegal operations are his fault. This quote also begins the description of the elaborate, unheard of, process to burglarizing. The amount of work and planning that Malcolm went through demonstrates how desperate he really was. 

This quote still relates to my life today. I am the only one that determines my success in the future. No one pressures me to do the amount of work I do. Yes, some can call me an "over-achiever", but I don't mind. In a way I take it as a compliment. They are able to see the amount of work that I put in. My parents even feel that I am doing too much. They do not put pressure on me what so ever, because I put enough pressure on myself to succeed.  

Although this is positive, and some would want to be in my shoes because my parents aren't always on my back, it can also be a negative. To have all of this internal pressure built up inside of me it gets pretty difficult. I tend to stress way more than I should, and I also make little things big deals. Such as the amount of time I spend on my homework. I just wish that one day for a change some one could tell me, "Do this worksheet but only for 20 minutes, and work on this but there is no grade, and also YOU WILL NEVER HAVE TESTS!!" The stress in my life would be gone. 

After analyzing the way I live my life, I wanted to truly understand the psychological reasoning for my irrational thoughts. For example, how come I feel that if I fail a test or don't spend 3 to 4 hours a night on my homework I won't succeed in life? 

Here's what I came up with ..... 

http://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/extrinsic

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intrinsic

The first step to me figuring out what's going through my mind is determining whether or not it is intrinsic (a cause from inside my body) or extrinsic (a cause from something outside of my body). I came to the conclusion that it is most definitely extrinsic. School and all the work causes these irrational thoughts. I need to just breathe sometimes and be able to except failure when it comes my way. I need to understand that in order to succeed you have to experience failure at some point. It only makes you a better person, and you can learn from your mistakes. 

I am diagnosing myself... This is pretty weird. 

Ethnic Notions

After watching the video I felt like I walked away with a brand new view of the racism that occurred before the war. I never realized the amount that African Americans were truly criticized. Prior to watching this movie I hadn't learned about the way the blacks were categorized or anything like that. We just learned that whites thought they were superior and the slaves had very harsh living conditions.  As terrible as this probably sounds I thought that African Americans were all looked at the same. I didn't know the terms such as the "Sambo", "Pickaninny", or "Mammy. I thought that all slaves were unhappy to be in the situation that they were in. It was unbelievable to see the way whites would use African American behavior and dances for entertainment. 

Another eye opening part of the movie was e seeing the amount of exaggeration brought into the cartoons and pictures of the African Americans. The artist made sure that the lips were huge and not proportional with the rest of the facial features. Another stereotype used was all of the watermelons that were incorporated into paintings. The African Americans were treated horribly not just physically, but also the aspect of being mocked. 

In society today racism is still occurring. No, people of other ethnicities are not beaten or used as slaves anymore, but racist slurs are still in our everyday life. If you turn on Comedy Central or watch stand up comedies, most of the time they usually put in some very harmful terms or jokes. It is disturbing to hear some of the stereotypes that are still around today. In school and other work places, asians are normally stereotyped as the smart ones, mexicans and other hispanics are known as the landscapers, and blondes are thought to be dumb. These are all false descriptions that have been engrained in the minds of some teens and kids throughout the country. 

For me, it is truly hard to comprehend why the African Americans were treated so poorly, and also why some stereotypes are still around today. 

Malcolm X

So we just began reading Malcolm X last week and so far I really enjoy it. The style Haley writes in keeps me wanting to turn the page and read more. I also am interested in all of the topics that are being addressed in the first two chapters. It is very informative already. When Haley first starts discussing the KKK in the opening of the autobiography it allows me to picture the event actually happening. One specific example is when he writes, "Still shouting threats, the Klansmen finally spurred their horses and galloped around the house, shattering every window pane with their gun butts. Then they rode off into the night, their torches flaring, as suddenly as they had come"(Haley 1). Another informative piece Haley writes about is explaining the different classes of African Americans. I thought that all were treated the same during that time period; however, I was wrong. Haley explains, "Back when I was growing up, the 'successful' Lansing Negroes were such as waiters and bootblacks. To be a janitor at some downtown store was to be highly respected. The real 'elite,' the 'big shots,' the 'voices of the race,' were the waiters at the Lansing Country Club and the shoeshine boys at the state capitol"(Haley 5). This book gives the reader a lot of insights. 

The other issue that I took a lot from is when Malcolm's mother does not take any money or food from Welfare. This shows that she is a very strong woman. She does not want to seem weak or show any whites that she is not as great as them.