Why Americans Hate These Guys?

[mt774]

why are most Americans in hating these guys like Fred Hampton, Kwame Ture and Minister Farrakhan and they will say that they are militants and racists and will not grant any respect to their persons. Some Americans will call Malcolm X racist also. Why??

[CraigD]

Welcome to hypography, mt774! :)

why are most Americans in hating these guys like Fred Hampton, Kwame Ture and Minister Farrakhan and they will say that they are militants and racists and will not grant any respect to their persons. Some Americans will call Malcolm X racist also. Why??

I question the premise of your question. What makes you assume most Americans hate and don't respect these people?

 

As with most political leader, they had and have (only one of the 4 you mention is still alive) their admirers and supporters and their revilers and opponents, many of whom I think it's accurate to say hated them, but I'm fairly sure only a minority of Americans could tell you, given the name and unassisted, who Fred Hampton or Kwame Ture even were, let alone have strong feelings about them.

 

Can you find any sort of data - a poll, for example - supporting your premise :QuestionM

 

I don't know of one, but suspect that more than half of the people who know who Malcolm X was and Louise Farrakhan is have at least grudging respect for them, and some degree of admiration and affection. Personally, I disagree strongly with their views on racial separatism – I’m firmly convinced by principle and experience that people of many different family heritages, appearances and religious beliefs can and have long live together happily – but find a lot of insight in their observations about society.

[mt774]

Welcome to hypography, mt774! :)

 

I question the premise of your question. What makes you assume most Americans hate and don't respect these people?

 

As with most political leader, they had and have (only one of the 4 you mention is still alive) their admirers and supporters and their revilers and opponents, many of whom I think it's accurate to say hated them, but I'm fairly sure only a minority of Americans could tell you, given the name and unassisted, who Fred Hampton or Kwame Ture even were, let alone have strong feelings about them.

 

Can you find any sort of data - a poll, for example - supporting your premise :QuestionM

 

I don't know of one, but suspect that more than half of the people who know who Malcolm X was and Louise Farrakhan is have at least grudging respect for them, and some degree of admiration and affection. Personally, I disagree strongly with their views on racial separatism – I’m firmly convinced by principle and experience that people of many different family heritages, appearances and religious beliefs can and have long live together happily – but find a lot of insight in their observations about society.

Well i know for example if i am in disagreement with somebody over topic and i cite something that Farrakhan has said or quotation of Fred Hampton most of those right-wing will say "Farrakhan is a racist nut, we can't take him seriously" and such things, and even liberal atheist don't give Farrakhan's views any credibility. Malcolm X is always then seen as second rate to MLK and not talked about much by the average non-black Americans....and that is also disrespectful that as you say most won't even know who those are surely, when most Americans know who someone like Sean Hannity is and they don't consider him racist...

[Moontanman]

Well i know for example if i am in disagreement with somebody over topic and i cite something that Farrakhan has said or quotation of Fred Hampton most of those right-wing will say "Farrakhan is a racist nut, we can't take him seriously" and such things, and even liberal atheist don't give Farrakhan's views any credibility. Malcolm X is always then seen as second rate to MLK and not talked about much by the average non-black Americans....and that is also disrespectful that as you say most won't even know who those are surely, when most Americans know who someone like Sean Hannity is and they don't consider him racist...

 

 

Umm, Sean Hannity? You're shitting me right? He's about as despicable as it's possible to be and still be human.... If you are looking to sow dissent you either have the wrong topic or you have come to the incorrect place. :rolleyes:

[mt774]

Umm, Sean Hannity? You're shitting me right? He's about as despicable as it's possible to be and still be human.... If you are looking to sow dissent you either have the wrong topic or you have come to the incorrect place. :rolleyes:

Well you do know that many consider Hannity to be respectable and he is working for fox news which most americans who are not low income like, whenever a rapper appears on fox news, middle-class of American public will always take the side of fox news host instead of that rapper, what does that tell you?

[Fluxus]

why are most Americans in hating these guys like Fred Hampton, Kwame Ture and Minister Farrakhan and they will say that they are militants and racists and will not grant any respect to their persons. Some Americans will call Malcolm X racist also. Why??

There is a wide diversity of opinions of these individuals, and one who disagrees (or hates) with one individual may not know or care about the others. E.g. one person may be fine with Carmichael/Ture and intolerant of Farrakhan.

 

That said....

 

• Racism was much stronger in the 60s and 70s, and is still present in much of the US today.

• Much animosity is likely based in issues of group identity, of which race is only one component in these issues. (E.g. Farrakhan is divided from most Americans by both race and religion.)

• Many who fought for civil rights were targeted by the State for many reasons, including the alleged (and in a few cases, real) infiltration of various civil rights movements by Communism.

• Regardless of who started what, the various social struggles of the 60s became violent, which did not help matters in the already inflamed atmosphere of that time.

• Many of these individuals weren't treated much differently than other left-wing radicals, such as the Weathermen. For example, a great deal of animosity was directed at Bill Ayers during the 2008 Presidential election, due to his involvement in the Weather Underground and tenuous associations with Obama.

 

Malcolm X, by the way, was not as influential as Dr King, and also advocated for hostile tactics as a viable response to racial oppression -- which, regardless of the justice of his position and later changes in his political philosophy, is hardly a technique advocated in Dale Carnegie's How To Win Friends and Influence People. HIs comments on the Kennedy assassination, for example, undoubtedly hardened many opinions of him permanently, and cast doubt by some on the sincerity of his later opinions. X was also was assassinated fairly shortly after he moderated his beliefs, and I think we can say he did not have as savvy and astute of an organization to manage his legacy as did King.

 

A fuller explication is far beyond what can be put into a single web forum post, since it would involve an in-depth understanding of radicalism, racism, the Civil Rights movement, domestic spying, biographies of these individuals and more. However, keep in mind that since all of this is wrapped up in political issues, you're unlikely to find an unbiased account from any angle, so you may want to expose yourself to a variety of views and attempt to synthesize a more rational evaluation of those events.