Deviant Behavior

                                

                                                     Malcolm X

Nelson Mandela was called, in the early 1980s by the American State Department and PresidentRonald Reagan, a dangerous deviant and the most dangerous terrorist on the planet. Mandela referred to my subject, Malcolm X as the most courageous of equal rights champions. Mandela of course more than 30 years after this description is universally accepted and celebrated as a great human being and great champion of Democracy. Mandela slayed apartheid in South Africa, by challenging its values.

If we were to abide literally by Kohlberg’s theory of moral development, Mandela and Malcolm X, along with Ghandi and host of other great fighters of human rights, would remain judged in perpetuity as deviants. Kohlberg stated “Rules of law are important for maintaining a society, and members of the greater society should agree and abide by these standards at all times.”

In Kohlberg’s views moral reasoning leads to moral behaviour and in his opinion not unlike Erikson’s; justice and predetermined values are the pillars of both their respective theories.  I would suggest that non-western, non-white, and non-Christian cultures that maintain different attitudes, perspectives and beliefs within their own cultures are in human terms as meaningful  precious and generous as any other human value system.

I ask who sets,measures, defines and maintains these values that Kohlberg and Erickson insist we abide by?, and I ask who determines what and who deviant is. The Church? Plagued with sexual abuse of minors? The President of the United States? Let’s use Reagan as an example; a president who condemned Mandela as a deviant and terrorist and who as a governor of California earlier told America that the deviant Malcolm X, in regards to his assassination, got what he well deserved. This same Reagan gave us Iran/Contra (cocaine, oil, money, blood, and guns) for the sole purpose of destabilizing the Sandinistas in Nicaragua. Ask any Central American, prisoner of poverty and genocide, and they would describe the Sandinistas as Mandela like (a champion of the poor)Again the question begs to be asked and answered “Who determines what a deviant is?Psychoanalysts like Kohlberg and Erickson? Anthropologists like Leaky Presidents like Nixon? Generals like Pinochet? Or Bankers from Wall Street?

If it wasn’t for Malcolm X born Malcolm little, one could argue successfully there would not be an African American president named Obama today. I will now site three of Erikson’s stages of development.

1)      Infant

2)      Toddler

3)      Young adult    

Malcolm Xstill challenges even in death the values and predetermined moral rules, and throws Erikson’s theories like shredded pieces of stained white paper to the wind. Erikson states: In the case of the infant that (trust vs. mistrust) maximizes the comfort and minimizes the uncertainty for the infant in later years to trust himself and others within the environment.  While in the womb of his mother, Malcolm was exposed to the hypocrisy and mistrust of these heinous values. The Klu Klux Clan threatened and fire bombed the Little family. Now born, as an infant, the Clan (endorsed by many state governments, supreme courts and churches) burned down the Little house and farm. As a toddler Malcolm’s father was killed, though officially ruled as accident/suicide eyewitnesses reported Mr. Little Senior, was thrown under a streetcar by white hooded men. The Clan made no bones about wanting to be rid of Mr. Little Senior for he challenged them; he challenged their values, their laws and their existence. Malcolm as an infant defies Erikson’s First stage, if there ever was a child born into the violence of mistrust it would be Malcolm Little.

Erikson in his second stage of development “Toddler” states (autonomy vs. shame and doubt). With support the toddler argues Erickson`sviews will master the physical environment while maintaining and developing self-esteem. Malcolm had no support from any quarter. Very few men had the self-esteem of Malcolm X, and I include Dr. Martin Luther King in this comparison. The toddler / boy Malcolm was put into white Christian reform schools after the murder of his father while his mother was institutionalized “classified as mentally unstable” I would argue poverty, and racism are the real villains not the Little family certainly not Mrs. Little.If there ever was a child who had no positive connection what-so-ever,nor influence with his environment, or tools nor support network to nurture self-esteem, let alone love, it was Malcolm.

The third stage of Erickson’s development is“the young adult” (intimacy vs. isolation). Erikson tells us that the young man learns to make personal commitment, Malcolm wasn’t afforded this Christian and Western luxury as he was as a young man incarcerated, for the crime of being black and poor. His petty crimes were he white would’ve been dismissed.

After Malcolm was paroled in 1952, he became a member of the Nation of Islam; quickly he became the Nation’s super star. But as he had as a boy, he asked questions of the Nation and challenged their values. In March 1964, not satisfied with the lack of answers and the mussel the nation had put on him, he broke from the Nation of Islam and formed Muslim Mosque Inc. Malcolm converted and became a Sunni Muslim, and in the last year of his life championed all peoples, regardless of colour or faith, urging them to unite and defeat the bastard child of hypocritical values oppression and it`s evil twin poverty.  He expressed a complete willingness to work with civil rights leaders and described his previous perspective as that of a zombie. Here in lies his greatness, Malcolm even challenged Malcolm.

 Dr. Martin Luther King wrote to Malcolm’s widow after his assassination, Betty Shabazz, where he expressed his sadness and heartbreak over the tragic assassination of Malcolm X. “While we did not always see eye to eye on methods to solve the race and poverty problem, I always had a deep affection and love for Malcolm, and felt that his greatest ability was to put his finger on the existence, value and root of the problem.”. In 1968 Dr. Martin Luther King would be gunned down for challenging barbaric and harsh ruling values and laws.

In closing, I could summarize my feelings about my subject. However, in his honour I will let Malcolm speak not only for me but for all of us.

“If you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything.”

“I’m for truth, no matter who tells it. I’m for justice, no matter who it is for or against. I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.”

“Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.”

“Truth is on the side of the oppressed.”

“If someone puts their hands on you make sure they never put their hands on anybody else again.”

“Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery.”

“Sometimes you have to pick the Gun up to put the Gun down”

“We need more light about each other. Light creates understanding, understanding creates love, love creates patience, and patience creates unity.”

“If you’re not ready to die for it, take the word ‘freedom’ out of your vocabulary.”

“You show me a capitalist, and I’ll show you a bloodsucker”

“I don’t even call it violence when it’s in self defense; I call it intelligence.”

“We declare our right on this earth…to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary.”

“لقدغيرتالقراءةمجرىحياتيتغييراًجذرياًولمأكنأهدفمنورائهاالىكسبأيةشهاداتلتحسينمركزيوانماكنتاريداناحيافكريا.”

“By any means necessary.”

All quotes by Malcolm X.

If we were never to question, nor challenge the values or what Erikson called stages or what Kohlberg called moral development, there would never have been a Malcolm X. Malcolm’s gift to us all is to challenge. “By any means necessary.”

By, Ali Harcourt

My namesake Muhammad Ali, was given his name from Malcolm X, for this I am greatful.

 

 

http://www.malcolmx.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X

http://www.brothermalcolm.net/