Spike Lee's Malcolm X takes the viewer into the famous civil rights activist's life [I think it may be more precise to describe Malcolm as a civil rights activist and one time black separatist; however, we have not reached this stage of his transformation yet. It may be worth noting that his father was an adherent to beliefs of Marcus Garvey and the Back to Africa movement.]. As a child, his life took a turn for the worse when members of the Ku Klux Klan burned down his home [the shot of the Klansmen against the backdrop of the moon is a visual reference to DW Griffith's film Birth of a Nation; while Birth is often cited as a cinematic achievement, it is at the same time reviled for its racism]. Shortly after, his father was tied to the train tracks and killed, plummeting the family into ruins. Malcolm and his siblings were taken away from their mother, forced to live with a not-so-inviting white woman. One scene that struck me in particular was when young Malcolm expressed his desires of becoming a lawyer to his (white) teacher, who asserted that as a black man, he had no hopes of success in this profession.
When I was watching this movie, the same exact feelings resonated with me as when I learned about slavery and civil rights in middle school. I was outraged that white people could be so inhumane. How could someone consciously treat other human beings so horribly, from calling black people offensive names like "negro" to maiming and killing them out of pure hatred? It's absolutely disgusting, and I couldn't help but feel angry every time a white person showed any sign of disrespect towards minorities in this film. Now you may say that, "it's just a movie", but in case you didn't know, this is not "just a movie." The tortuous behavior pictured in this movie was exactly what happened in real life during the early to mid 1900s. The Ku Klux Klan, for example, still exists to this day [Good points Malik. I think this is the same point Lee makes by choosing to include footage of the Rodney King beating in his opening title sequence. Although the incident is now recent history, it was contemporary to film-goers upon X's initial release].
Back in the summer of 2014, the race relations in the United States were shaken when an 18-year-old black man named Michael Brown was shot by Darren Wilson, a white police officer. Just a few months later, the fire was reignited when the jury decided not to indict Wilson. Violent protesters flooded the streets of Ferguson, Missouri where the incident took place, as well as numerous cities all around the nation. That's where I draw the line.
There is absolutely no need for buildings to be set on fire, or for local businesses to be raided and destroyed. However, I'm sure Malcolm X would approve of this behavior [I will be interested to see if you change your mind about this as the film progresses], because just from this movie alone there is indication that he was a very violent man. The fact that these same destructive attitudes are instilled in many black people today proves that he definitely made a strong impact on society. While racial issues aren't as predominant in the United States today, controversies like the Michael Brown shooting, among many others, prove that they are far from being nonexistent [if you have not yet seen the film Fruitvale Station, I recommend it, and think it may be used as another example in support of your ideas. Excellent work as always Malik. I sincerely look forward to reading your posts].
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