Malcolm X Post 2

In Chapters 11 and 12, Malcolm has completely been opened up to understanding history and starting to think about what's going on in society. Influenced by his reading and Elijah Muhammad, the white man has begun to appear to him as the devil, because throughout history he has done nothing but oppress people of color and exploit them. Being white, it feels a little weird to hear that I'm the devil just because of what other people who look like me have done. It's almost like a reverse racism, and even though I disagree with grouping everyone together, I can see why Black people would feel that way. It reminds me of how some older Jewish people avoid buying German cars, because they connect them to the Holocaust. I don't agree with it, but it's easy for me to say because no German has ever done anything wrong to me personally. I've had friends from Germany at camp, who actually were personally hurt if anybody confronted them about the Holocaust. Seeing that made me realize that the hate in Germany is no longer prevalent, and the people are genuinely trying to get past it. Although I hadn't disliked Germans beforehand, my thoughts were similar to Malcolm's in Africa, realizing some white people are genuinely good, and trying to prove they are not like their ancestors. Americans at the time of Malcolm X were generally not genuine,  and deserved his criticism, or at least his mistrust. Although I hold no grudges with Germans, some people more closely connected with Holocaust victims may find it harder to forgive and forget. In this article (www.posner.com/articles/VWDay.htm) a Jewish guy explains why he once refused to buy German cars. It might seem crazy to some people, but if you knew someone who was forced to do slave labor for Volkswagen during the Nazi rule, it might make more sense. I think it's important to try not to judge somebody for what their ancestors did. It's an understandable feeling, but to get past racism both sides need to try.