The bigotry of Louis Farrakhan & the double standard of race

The Nation of Islam recently made news after Kori Ali Muhammad shot three white men in Fresno, California, and made references on social media to language also used by the Nation. Also the Nation made news last month when Louis Farrakhan met with hip hop sensation Kendrick Lamar with photos of their meeting being shared and praise widely on social media. Yet no one saw this as at least a little fucked up??? The Southern Poverty Law Center has labelled the organization a hate group. I mean this guy has said some seriously disturbing, racists, homophobic, anti-semitic shit. Here are the top 10 craziest things Farikhan has said.

10. “You are not now, nor have you ever been a citizen of America. You are a slave to white America.”

9. “America is in trouble, and I say God is about to wipe this nation from the face of the Earth. I’m not crazy, I’m not drunk, how long do you think a nation can do evil and not face the wrath of god?”

8. “Qadaffi’s a revolutionary, he’s my friend, he’s my brother. And I would never deny him because you don’t like him… I love him.”

7. “My god will wipe this country (America) from the face of the earth.”

6. “You see everybody always talk about Hitler exterminating six million Jews. That’s right. But don’t nobody ever ask what did they do to Hitler.”

5. White people are potential humans – they haven’t evolved yet.

4. On the Jewish people: “You are wicked deceivers of the American people. You have sucked their blood.”

3. On Hezbollah: “They call them terrorists, I call them freedom fighters.”

2. “The Jews don’t like Farrakhan, so they call me Hitler. Well, that’s a good name. Hitler was a very great man.”

1. “The Mother Wheel is a heavily armed spaceship the size of a city, which will rain destruction upon white America but save those who embrace the Nation of Islam.”

Here is a video where the Minister speaks of former president Obama and says he chose Jews and Gays over his own people. The Nation Of Islam and it’s leader strongly oppose the LGBT community.

Yet is this a compete double standard in race here in the US? Would a white celebrity meeting a leader of a deemed hate group be touted on social media as a good thing? Does such double standards only give rise to real hate and violence? Race is quite simply the most sensitive subject in the United Staes and the media has undoubtedly focused only on whites as being the true and only racists because of their superior numbers in population, political control and vast control of the countries wealth. Racism against whites is considered not racists as many feel that only whites can be truly racist and that it is acceptable because of slavery and Jim Crow laws to speak poorly of whites in an open forum. Yet this psychology only further divides the two sides and leaves no room for common sense discussion about the multifaceted complications of race and social economics that cause great woe in the nation and many other nations across our planet. Hip Hop has been a very positive thing for race relations but has also highlited the bigotry within it’s community. Many lyrics such as “Eyes Chinese cause we smoking sour diesel”  by the Flat Bush Zombies or countless other racist lyrics against Asians are widely used in Hip Hop. Rapper YG came under heavy fire for his racist song “Meet The Flockers” where even the music video took a racist adventure. Literally all of Ice Cube’s early work is so racist it’s almost ridiculous to take him serious. Ice Cube can be heard speaking of burning a white cop alive as he’s now a “Kentucky Fried Cracker” Or his intro to “Lethal Injection” where he shoots a white man. Granted much of the racist hip hop came from the 1990’s but no one even flinches when a black rapper today makes fun of whites or calls whites “cracker” or “honkey” or  “devil”. Why this behavior is tolerated also is multifaceted and can be argued from a plethora of different stances. Most notable historical implications and the disparage in economic conditions between blacks and other racial groups.

NPR’s Here & Now‘s Robin Young speaks with Zain Abdullah, associate professor of religion and society and Islamic studies at Temple University, about the Nation of Islam and here is what he said about being labeled a hate group.

“When I talk to members of the Nation, they don’t think much of it. They believe that it is a mischaracterization of the group. Farrakhan continually denounces that moniker that they are a hate group. It’s very reminiscent of the program called ‘The Hate That Hate Produced,’ in covering the Nation of Islam. And so, I think, because they’re a black nationalist organization, they are seen as also perpetuating the same kinds of prejudice. And I just think there needs to be more information on that.”

Race has been in the media since the Riots in Ferguson at a rate this country hasn’t seen since the 1992 “LA Riots” that though were launched by the acquittal of white police officers who beat a unarmed black motorist quickly turned into black rage against Korean owned business and white people in general. Things are not fair and that’s obvious to see yet is it as simple as one group holding down another? White supremacy is a real thing and it shaped the world as we know it today. All of the America’s speak European dialects and practice European culture to varying degrees. The vast majority of Africa also is in the same boat as European colonization and its impacts can be felt in every corner of the world. You’d be hard pressed to find a world leader who dosen’t wear a suite and tie or a nation who doesn’t practice democracy or communism all ideas of European people. The truth is that we the people of the United States have far more in common with each other then we think. We are all victims of our ancestors and what they accomplished or didn’t, what they did or what they didn’t do. We now can control our future collectively and improve the lives of all American’s if we really wanted to. The election of Barrack Obama was suppose to usher in a post racial USA but it seems we are now more divide then ever and this can be shown with the election of Donald Trump, the persistence of historical racism and the new emergence of casual anti white racism propagated & tolerated online.

Hip Hop is just one of many ways we can all come together yet I must question, do we really want to come together? Racism in any form can not be tolerated. One race must not be allowed to say, act or behave in a way that another race can not. As a country everyone and every race must be held accountable other wise this discussion will continue indefinitely. None of us are responsible for our ancestors and their actions but we are responsible for ourselves and the choices and actions we make today.