Minister Farrakhan Reminds Black Detroit to Stick Together

[ecstatic]

87. Here's the problem. The OP has a provocative headline that contains 2 topics

Some people will only see the Farrakhan part of the headline, and others will focus mainly on the "Reminds Black Detroit to Stick Together" part. And then when you read the OP, you discover there's actually 3 topics! This is causing some posters to accuse good DUers of defending a whole list of things that they don't defend. Too many things were jammed into one thread. Better to address one topic at a time.

How do I feel about Farrakhan? Ambivalent, leaning more towards negative. He's very well known, but besides being able to recognize the celebrity aspect, I don't really know anything about him other than he's muslim and is involved in various community organizing efforts. One time I saw him on TV and I was turned off by offensive comments he made about women. I've heard that he's anti-Semitic.

How do I feel about his Detroit comment? Sounds good in theory, but unrealistic based on history. At some point, Detroit will be rebuilt. The question is--how long from now and can regular people afford to buy now and wait for it to come back. Based on what I've seen, the investor class always wins in a situation like this because they have immediate access to tips about government contracts and funding. When that time comes, they'll offer the people who have been struggling to manage their empty investment properties a small check and send them on their way in time for the gentrification process.

What's my response to his gay marriage rant? I think Farrakhan's comments about gay marriage were rude and insensitive. I'm sure there were gay people in attendance who were surprised to hear that he felt that way. He may have even pushed someone further into the closet or closer to suicide, which is reprehensible. The key to change on this issue will be for more people to be brave enough to come out, and Farrakhan's speech obviously didn't help with that.

Series11! How can I convince "the blacks" not to listen to Farrakhan?!!11 Did you mean not listen about Detroit, gay marriage, or both? Don't worry, Farrakhan does not have the influence that you think he does with respect to shaping opinion. He, like most celebs, will be quoted and talked about when he makes a provocative or controversial comment that creates or continues a debate. NBC's Grio did a survey: "25 Most Influential Black American Leaders of All Time" and Farrakhan is not on the list (despite his name being among the choices for people to vote on). Again, Farrakhan is well known, so quotes on certain topics probably will receive air time and debate, but that doesn't mean that people are blindly following him like sheep.