civil rights/60s

EIDE491@delphi.com
Fri, 3 May 1996 10:21:49 -0400

I think Candi Ellis had some very sincere and good things
to say. But she misses the point. The key to the decay of
the civil rights movement was when it lost its central tenet
as expressed by Rev. King: to wit, the establishment of the
'content of character' over the racialism that came to dominate
the movement under the direct influence of the marxist left.
All through the 60's I never felt much racial animus between
young people. I think of one small incident in the college I
went to. I became friendly w/black fellow in class-- says he one
day, 'you want to sell Black Panther papers in the quad?' 'Sure,'
I answer. 'Right on,' he says and during a break in classes
we're standing out in the quad selling the papers he was in
charge of. There was an overwhelming desire to accept the 'other'
based on 'content of character'. On that basis, then, human nature
could develop depending on the shared interests of the people
involved. And out of that would then come a desire to get people
the tools necessary to move forward in the society. And remember
that the progressive movement was under the influence of three very
charismatic leaders: Rev. King, Rt. Kennedy, and JFK. All three
were killed off in a 5 year period and, once they were killed,
ideology replaced charisma and the whole thing devolved to only
a few dedicated people who had this vast superstructure of thought
that portended to 'explain everything'- that reduced all people to
either victims or victimizers and, in some cases, forcing people
to choose what role they were going to play. There was more and
more isolation; the progressive movement would not work w/mainstream
politics, abandoned the working class and began to do nothing but
heap scorn and bash the middle-class property holders in a classic
marxist attempt to dissolve the central class so that the war
between haves and have nots would commence. That is what marxism
is about and is a fatal move in a society overwhelmingly middle-
class. Live and learn I suppose.
All good will fled the scene (and good will is an excellent
phrase to remember). Blacks were constantly instructed in victimhood
rather than given the tools that would get them over their profound
alienation and join w/society to build a future. Many blacks did
without question but look how much scorn is emptied on successful
blacks.
Persons were reduced to the class they happened to be part of
and an enormous noose put around the good will, put around the innate
desire on the part of people to not simply meet each other but to
help them achieve what it is they want to achieve in this particular
culture.
Politics, esp. of the extremes- esp. of those who will not
compromise and work w/others, kills and evicersates all the good
things people tried to do. So, at the end point you have a more
degraded racial problem than 30 years ago. That is the basic
history.
I think the story that Candi Ellis points to is a good story
to keep alive since, sometime in the 21st c. a new generation will
want to return to that brief flash of time when good will did
prevail and one could truly believe and dream of a 'more loving
world.'
Good luck,
Eide