Malcolm X Warned About These Bourgeois Hustlers
January 30, 2019
Barack Obama was not an outlier but the norm when it comes to the tokens who
are paraded by Democrats to represent faux-progress and counterfeit
diversity and Kamala Harris is the next in line, says Teodrose Fikre of the
Ghion Journal.
By Teodrose Fikre
Ghion Journal
Growing up, one of my biggest heroes and the person I wanted to emulate when
I got older was Malcolm X. This was during my time of militancy and youthful
rebellion, when I thought the only way to arrive at justice was through a
revolution. The insurgent within me was captivated by Malcolm X's take no
prisoner approach and the way he spoke harsh truths to the status quo.
It was not until I matured and learned through hardship and indigence that I
realized Malcolm X's power was not his fiery rhetoric but his unifying
message after returning from Mecca. However, as much as I've become an
admirer of El Hajj Malik El Shabazz's latter days, there are still aspects
of his earlier reflections that ring true given the times we live in.
What I'm referring to are not his blistering speeches where he would call
"white" people devils or his addresses where he echoed the teachings of
Elijah Muhammad-Malcolm X himself walked away from that type of demagoguery.
Rather, what intrigued me the most was his dissection of the political and
social dynamics that kept "black" folks subjugated.
To this day, one of the most compelling arguments that Malcolm X made about
the evils of both political parties is found in a speech he gave about the
political and economic state of "black" America. He brilliantly exposed the
false-distinction between Democrats and Republicans as a choice between the
lesser of the same evil.
Malcom X's last speech after Feb. 1965 firebombing of his home
https://vimeo.com/192326332
"Foxes and wolves usually are of the same breed. They belong to the same
family-I think it's called canine. And the difference is that the wolf when
he shows you his teeth, you know that he's your enemy; and the fox, when he
shows you his teeth, he appears to be smiling. But no matter which of them
you go with, you end up in the dog house."
It took a mean mugging by reality-one that shook me out of cognitive
dissonance-for me to realize that Democrats are no different than
Republicans. They differ in their methods, but in the end they feast on us
regardless of their gang affiliation. Both parties are subsidiaries of
corporations and oligarchs; our entire political system is based on two
factions bamboozling their respective bases while manufacturing dissension
on all sides.
Gone When They Get Your Vote
Now that I've shed my political blinders, I see how this game is played.
I'll be honest here and admit that Democrats irritate me more than
Republicans for this one simple reason. I've come to expect Republicans to
be malicious-there is honesty in their advertisement. However, it's the
Democrats who smile like foxes as they pretend to be our allies only to stab
us in our backs the minute they get elected. They have maintained power for
decades by successfully treading on the pains of marginalized groups as they
concurrently enact legislation and regulations that inflame the very
injustices they rail against.
If there is one group that has been leveraged the most by Democrats, it's
the descendants of slaves and "black" diaspora as a whole. For generations,
supposed liberals-who now call themselves progressives-have cunningly used
the pains of "African-Americans" to further their own agendas. The
Democrat's most loyal voting bloc have time and time again been taken
advantage of only to be tossed to the side as soon as Democrats gain power.
They talk a good game and pretend to be for us right up until election day,
soon as the last ballot is counted, they are nowhere to be found.
It's on this front that another observation by Malcolm X comes into clear
focus. One of the things that really grabbed my attention while I was
reading his autobiography is the way Malcolm described the dynamic between
the impoverished masses and the black bourgeoisie during the Civil Rights
Era.
"There are two types of Negroes in this country. There's the bourgeois type
who blinds himself to the condition of his people, and who is satisfied with
token solutions. He's in the minority. He's a handful. He's usually the
hand-picked Negro who benefits from token integration. But [it's the] masses
of Black people who really suffer the brunt of brutality and the conditions
that exist in this country."
King and Malcolm X meet March 26, 1964 at Senate debate on the Civil Rights
Act. It is their only known meeting that lasted one minute. (Wikimedia
Commons/ US News & World Report)
What Malcolm X was describing was the class hierarchy within the construct
of race. He railed against the select few "negroes" who willingly stepped on
their own people in order to advance their own selfish ambitions. Malcolm X
was against integration for this reason; he realized that a modification of
a racist system that benefits a fraction of society while keeping the
majority repressed was morally bankrupt. This same realization eventually
dawned on Martin Luther King Jr when he confided to his closest advisers
that he might have "integrated his people into a burning house."
Fast forward fifty years and it's evident that the bourgeoisie "negroes" who
Malcolm X talked about have been unleashed by the establishment to work
against the interests of their people. As the majority of
"African-Americans" suffer economic inequalities and are burdened by
financial uncertainties, black politicians, pundits and so-called
"activists" are enriching themselves while they pretend to be fighting
injustice.
Forget Plymouth Rock, the biggest hoodwink of them all that landed on us was
a boulder named Barack. After losing a Congressional primary to Bobby Rush
in 2000, Obama's inner circle realized that he was not embraced by
"African-Americans" in Chicago because many did not see him as one of them.
He quickly adapted and learned the art of duplicity; Obama perfected his
ability to talk eloquently about our issues and suffering as a means to an
end. The end was his unabated ego. After he scaled the heights of politics,
he ended up enacting policies that exacerbated the wealth gap. For his
brazen act of betrayal, Obama was rewarded handsomely.
The Audacity of Trope
Obama at NAACP Convention in Philadelphia, July 14, 2015.
(White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Barack Obama was not an outlier but the norm when it comes to the tokens who
are paraded by Democrats to represent faux-progress and counterfeit
diversity. Kamala Harris is the next black bourgeoisie in line who is hoping
to use the plight of African-Americans and the tribulations of "black" folk
to win the White House. After spending a career locking up brown and "black"
folk with impunity and resurrecting the ugly legacy of penal slavery, she is
now shamelessly pretending to be the next coming of Sojourner Truth-hers is
the audacity of trope.
Given the fact that too many are conditioned to think in binary fashion, I
must take a pause here to clarify one thing. This is in no way to excuse the
pernicious nature of Republicans and the vile racism of Donald Trump. After
all, not only are Republicans insidious when it comes to the way they treat
"African-Americans" and minorities as a whole, the party of Trump uses the
same playbook of feigned concern to dupe their respective side. However, the
more I observe the rank opportunism of the Democrat front-runners, the more
I appreciate the sagacity of Malcolm X.
Obama signs bill in May 2013 designating Congressional Gold Medal to
commemorate lives of four girls killed in Birmingham's the 16th Street
Baptist Church bombing of 1963. (White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
It's not only politicians like Barack Obama and Kamala Harris who traffic in
this most insincere form of paternalism, there is a whole cottage industry
of black opinion leaders and gate-keepers who actively work against our
interests while passively speaking against injustice. They abound on TV, in
the press and throughout social media; the surest way to make a name for
oneself is to be a part of the "woke" intelligentsia who lull their people
into collective comas.
Adding insult to injury is the fact that these same bourgeoisie mouthpieces
are not only using the pains of the oppressed to advance themselves, they
are now employing the injuries of the masses to deflect well-deserved
criticism. Identity has been weaponized, instead of addressing the
structural nature of racism and sexism, folks like Kamala Harris, Hillary
Clinton and identity politics shysters across the political spectrum are
turning the victims of systematic oppression into human shields to
intimidate anyone who dares to question their record. Enough is enough!
The Talented Tenth
There is a broader problem beyond these two-faced grifters. The truth is
that the "black" community has become bifurcated; the bourgeoisie class
feeling the blessings of capitalism and enterprise while the vast majority
are burdened by consumerism and debt. DuBois once talked about the "talented
tenth", an educated sector of blacks leading the bottom 90% out of bondage.
Sadly, the talented tenth has been convinced to seek self-enrichment and
forget about collective wellness.
What is true of "African-Americans" is true of society as a whole. In this
richest nation, there exists a breathtaking chasm between the few who have
much and the many who have little. Keeping this dynamic in place is a
pyramid scheme that transfers wealth upward being kept by the greed of
politicians and the indifference of the proletariat. We are being swindled
by hustlers to keep this most depraved system intact.
I don't expect leaders to be perfect, very few of us are guilt free when it
comes to the iniquities of the status quo. We all have have our battles as
we vacillate between our better angels and the allure of our desires. All we
can do in life is seek to do better; after all, Malcolm X's very narrative
is one of mistakes followed by atonement. My aim is not to be pious nor
pretend purity from people, I have way too many planks in my eyes to demand
others act blameless. However, there is a vast difference between those who
perpetrate infringements by commission versus the rest of us who transgress
through omission.
As California attorney general Harris met with foreclosed home owners in San
Francisco, Nov. 2011. (Office of the Attorney General)
I would be the first person to applaud Harris, Obama, Trump or any
politician who sincerely admit their mistakes and try to make amends. Far
from doing so, these con artists pretend to do the right thing as they pour
fuel on the fire. There is a reason why hypocrisy is the most egregious sin;
it's hard to be forgiven when the offender is lying about his penance.
Malcolm X is painted by many in mainstream media and academia as a firebrand
who preached from the pulpit of exclusion. But those who know his history
understand very well that who he was when his journey concluded was vastly
different than the caricature of Malcolm X that is presented by the
institutions of power he spoke against. It never fails, first kill the
messengers then co-opt their message. The truth is that he changed his
approach, disavowed divisive rhetoric and embraced inclusive justice.
These were the words uttered by Malcolm X as he spoke against the system of
inequality that shackles billions around our planet into lives of servitude
and bondage. His decision to pivot from friction and instead seek the light
of universal justice is the reason why he was silenced, the status quo
rewards charlatans but has a way of killing off unifying voices.
On this front, the status quo has succeeded beyond its wildest imagination.
We are now being led by a procession of overseers who pretend to be Moses.
This hustle will not work too much longer however, more and more people are
waking up to their deception and refusing to be doormats of Democrats,
Republicans or anyone else. If we are to find redemption, it will not be
from the top nor will the revolution be televised.
As I noted earlier, I've come a long way from my days of would-be
revolutionary. Malcolm X had an eye-awakening moment in Mecca upon seeing a
broad sea of humanity praying in unison. I had my mecca moment by way of
shelters and homeless missions and observing a diverse dissection of
Americans made invisible by the malice of the gentry and the indifference of
society. It's for this reason that I disavow sectional movements and pray
for a day where all of us unite beyond our trivial differences. We have more
that unites us than the issues that divide us; when we realize this is the
day we will get the change we all have been waiting for. The revolution that
matters is not the one of the gun but the one our hearts.
Teodrose Fikre is the editor and founder of the Ghion Journal. A published
author and prolific writer, a once defense consultant was profoundly changed
by a two year journey of hardship and struggle. Going from a life of
upper-middle class privilege to a time spent with the huddled masses taught
Teodrose a valuable lesson in the essence of togetherness and the need to
speak against injustice. Originally from Ethiopia with roots to Atse
Tewodros II, Teodrose is a former community organizer whose writing was
incorporated into Barack Obama's South Carolina primary victory speech in
2008. He pivoted away from politics and decided to stand for collective
justice after experiencing the reality of the forgotten masses.
