- Sep 22, 2013
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It's funny that racially-iconic leaders/characters in American history such as the self-determined Malcolm X (an African-American Muslim leader of racial civil-rights and 'political counterpart' to Martin Luther King) are never considered 'weighty' figures for idealized modernism-relevant folk-tales about the 'magic' of American ghost-stories.
Should we take race-politics so seriously? What happened to the spirit of free-speech oriented campfire-like discourse?
What if, for example, you came across a 4th of July limerick-tale about Malcolm X encountering the fictional horror-film gargoyle Leatherface (an American chainsaw-wielding cannibal from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise) who compelled the civil-rights leader to evaluate the weight of American imagination?
Let's say such an odd encounter compels Malcolm X to walk past the White House on Independence Day and think deeply about the special quality of American idealism and its focus on 'personality' as it relates to pedestrian traffic and imagination.
Would we consider such a 'patriotism-limerick' as sunny or silly?
This yarn was inspired by Tales from the Hood.
====
"Malcolm X woke up one morning (on the 1st of July) in D.C. and wondered what he was going to do to celebrate Independence Day. Malcolm X was sure he was the right modern era diplomat of pluralism and race-relations in democratic America. He decided to take a road-trip to the forests of Virginia and celebrate the splendor of Mother Nature for the next two days, so he'd feel spiritually charged for the 4th of July festivities. He was in for a real shock.
Malcolm X unpacked his camping-gear and set up his tent and pulled out his copy of the Koran and Thoreau's Walden and began reading passages from both spiritual texts and comparing them and meditating on man's bond with the Earth. Suddenly, Malcolm X heard a strange commotion coming from some distance away in the deep woods. His campsite was near a clearing in the forest by an idyllic lake. The strange noise he heard was a buzzing sound...
Malcolm X pulled out his hidden loaded pistol, which contained pre-made special 'silver bullets' he had his friend design for his new handgun. You see, Malcolm X was superstitious that all this racism-activism in modern-day (post-Industrialization) America would lure in the 'werewolves' of the dark. As we all know from werewolf-lore, werewolves can be efficiently killed with silver bullets. After Malcolm X loaded his pistol with his silver bullets, he proceeded towards the buzzing sound coming from deep in the woods.
Malcolm X approached the sound and to his amazement and human horror, a very ugly man wearing what seemed to be a gruesome mask made out of human skin and a business suit and tie and wielding a buzzing chainsaw was literally dancing in the forest. Malcolm made sure his pistol was in a good and ready position and gripped it firmly with his sturdy hands. He approached the very eerie man and yelled out to him, demanding to know who he was and why he was dressed so bizarrely and dancing in the woods with a chainsaw.
LEATHERFACE: Don't you know who I am, Malcolm?
MALCOLM: How'd you know my name? I don't know who you are.
LEATHERFACE: My name is Leatherface...
MALCOLM: What's with the chainsaw and the get-up?
LEATHERFACE: I'm gettin' ready for Independence Day!
MALCOLM: By dancing in the woods in a suit-and-tie holding a chainsaw?
LEATHERFACE: Yes...
MALCOLM: Why?
LEATHERFACE: I'm the angel of death, Malcolm.
MALCOLM: I don't understand.
LEATHERFACE: The 4th of July stands for democracy; America is flawed.
MALCOLM: So you're a harbinger of doom...
LEATHERFACE: Did you think I was an 'ordinary psycho,' Malcolm?
MALCOLM: Man, I don't know what to think --- you're wearing a skin-mask!
LEATHERFACE: I'm not the AntiChrist.
MALCOLM: Well then, what the hell are you?
LEATHERFACE: I'm the angel of death...
MALCOLM: America doesn't need a complete inquisition.
LEATHERFACE: Return to the city and never mention my existence.
Malcolm X realized this chainsaw-wielding odd-man was no joke. He decided to run back to his campsite and pack up and head back to D.C. When he got back to his place in Washington, he pulled out his journal and sketched a drawing (self-portrait) of himself next to a rendering of the chainsaw-wielding odd-man named 'Leatherface' he encountered in the forest in Virginia. Malcolm X then wrote in his journal that the encounter with an obvious hellraiser made it clear to him that America was a 'land of characters.' As the 4th of July approached, Malcolm X resolved to walk past the White House and say a little prayer about the right to be odd (and safe)."
THE END
====
Should we take race-politics so seriously? What happened to the spirit of free-speech oriented campfire-like discourse?
What if, for example, you came across a 4th of July limerick-tale about Malcolm X encountering the fictional horror-film gargoyle Leatherface (an American chainsaw-wielding cannibal from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise) who compelled the civil-rights leader to evaluate the weight of American imagination?
Let's say such an odd encounter compels Malcolm X to walk past the White House on Independence Day and think deeply about the special quality of American idealism and its focus on 'personality' as it relates to pedestrian traffic and imagination.
Would we consider such a 'patriotism-limerick' as sunny or silly?
This yarn was inspired by Tales from the Hood.
====
"Malcolm X woke up one morning (on the 1st of July) in D.C. and wondered what he was going to do to celebrate Independence Day. Malcolm X was sure he was the right modern era diplomat of pluralism and race-relations in democratic America. He decided to take a road-trip to the forests of Virginia and celebrate the splendor of Mother Nature for the next two days, so he'd feel spiritually charged for the 4th of July festivities. He was in for a real shock.
Malcolm X unpacked his camping-gear and set up his tent and pulled out his copy of the Koran and Thoreau's Walden and began reading passages from both spiritual texts and comparing them and meditating on man's bond with the Earth. Suddenly, Malcolm X heard a strange commotion coming from some distance away in the deep woods. His campsite was near a clearing in the forest by an idyllic lake. The strange noise he heard was a buzzing sound...
Malcolm X pulled out his hidden loaded pistol, which contained pre-made special 'silver bullets' he had his friend design for his new handgun. You see, Malcolm X was superstitious that all this racism-activism in modern-day (post-Industrialization) America would lure in the 'werewolves' of the dark. As we all know from werewolf-lore, werewolves can be efficiently killed with silver bullets. After Malcolm X loaded his pistol with his silver bullets, he proceeded towards the buzzing sound coming from deep in the woods.
Malcolm X approached the sound and to his amazement and human horror, a very ugly man wearing what seemed to be a gruesome mask made out of human skin and a business suit and tie and wielding a buzzing chainsaw was literally dancing in the forest. Malcolm made sure his pistol was in a good and ready position and gripped it firmly with his sturdy hands. He approached the very eerie man and yelled out to him, demanding to know who he was and why he was dressed so bizarrely and dancing in the woods with a chainsaw.
LEATHERFACE: Don't you know who I am, Malcolm?
MALCOLM: How'd you know my name? I don't know who you are.
LEATHERFACE: My name is Leatherface...
MALCOLM: What's with the chainsaw and the get-up?
LEATHERFACE: I'm gettin' ready for Independence Day!
MALCOLM: By dancing in the woods in a suit-and-tie holding a chainsaw?
LEATHERFACE: Yes...
MALCOLM: Why?
LEATHERFACE: I'm the angel of death, Malcolm.
MALCOLM: I don't understand.
LEATHERFACE: The 4th of July stands for democracy; America is flawed.
MALCOLM: So you're a harbinger of doom...
LEATHERFACE: Did you think I was an 'ordinary psycho,' Malcolm?
MALCOLM: Man, I don't know what to think --- you're wearing a skin-mask!
LEATHERFACE: I'm not the AntiChrist.
MALCOLM: Well then, what the hell are you?
LEATHERFACE: I'm the angel of death...
MALCOLM: America doesn't need a complete inquisition.
LEATHERFACE: Return to the city and never mention my existence.
Malcolm X realized this chainsaw-wielding odd-man was no joke. He decided to run back to his campsite and pack up and head back to D.C. When he got back to his place in Washington, he pulled out his journal and sketched a drawing (self-portrait) of himself next to a rendering of the chainsaw-wielding odd-man named 'Leatherface' he encountered in the forest in Virginia. Malcolm X then wrote in his journal that the encounter with an obvious hellraiser made it clear to him that America was a 'land of characters.' As the 4th of July approached, Malcolm X resolved to walk past the White House and say a little prayer about the right to be odd (and safe)."
THE END
====
