Muhammed Ali has passed away

[BH]

They just announded that Muhammed Ali has passed away on the news. He was 74.

 

[Valjean]

Always sad when we loose a political activist and soldier of conscience.

 

[gmbteach]

Another great one - gone!

 

[AthenaAwakened]

Mohammad Ali Dead at 74

Mohammad Ali Dead at 74

Muhammad Ali, the silver-tongued boxer and civil rights champion who famously proclaimed himself "The Greatest" and then spent a lifetime living up to the billing, is dead.

Ali died Friday at a Phoenix-area hospital, where he had spent the past few days being treated for respiratory complications, a family spokesman confirmed to NBC News. He was 74.

 

[RavenSky]

 

[Derec]

They say to only speak good things about the dead.
Mohammed Ali is dead? Good!

 

[Juma]

They say to only speak good things about the dead.
Mohammed Ali is dead? Good!

What the fuck? You despiccable excuse for a person.

 

[rousseau]

I'm starting to get the feeling that Derec is covertly trolling the forum at this point. No way someone can be that obtuse in their mid-thirties.

 

[Derec]

What the fuck? You despiccable excuse for a person.

You are confusing me with Cassius Clay. Let's review, shall we:
- he was a racist who joined the Nation of Islam (which thinks white people are devils). He also compared white people with snakes.
- he was a draft dodger who refused to fight not because of any pacifism or genuine conscientious objection (he was a boxer after all and joined the least peaceful of all major religions!) but because he hated America and supported the Viet Cong. SCOTUS reversing his conviction was ridiculous.
- he had a messiah complex, calling himself "prophet" and "savior".

We will never get anywhere regarding race relations unless we start treating black racists the same we do white racists. I.e. we need to shun them, not celebrate them.

- - - Updated - - -

I'm starting to get the feeling that Derec is covertly trolling the forum at this point. No way someone can be that obtuse in their mid-thirties.

Just because I do not share your opinion on a racist boxer does not make me a "troll" or "obtuse".

 

[repoman]

Well, as far as the draft dodging is concerned he took his punishment with grace and didn't complain.

 

[Juma]

You are confusing me with Cassius Clay. Let's review, shall we:
- he was a racist who joined the Nation of Islam (which thinks white people are devils). He also compared white people with snakes.
- he was a draft dodger who refused to fight not because of any pacifism or genuine conscientious objection (he was a boxer after all and joined the least peaceful of all major religions!) but because he hated America and supported the Viet Cong. SCOTUS reversing his conviction was ridiculous.
- he had a messiah complex, calling himself "prophet" and "savior".

This does NOT make it ok to celebrate his death.

 

[laughing dog]

I believe a very good argument can be made that Muhammad Ali was the first US athlete who was recognized and admired around the world. He was a goodwill ambassador for the US. He stood up for his beliefs, refused to register for the draft and was willing to pay the legal and political price. An excellent boxer and showman, he ended up also paying the price of his profession. As a young man, growing up in Kentucky during the 1950s and 60s, he was somewhat radicalized by the racial discrimination blacks of that era experienced on a daily basis. Later in his life, he embraced Universal Sufism, which does not share some of the more stringent and radical teachings of the Nation of Islam.

Ali was a proud, successful and outspoken black man in an era, which frightened and enraged lots of racists, bigots, and other varieties of haters.

 

[Derec]

This does NOT make it ok to celebrate his death.

I am not celebrating his death. I am just annoyed at all the unqualified and undeserved praise he is receiving. Was he a great boxer? Sure. Was he some sort of "civil rights" hero? Certainly not!

 

[Toni]

You are confusing me with Cassius Clay. Let's review, shall we:
- he was a racist who joined the Nation of Islam (which thinks white people are devils). He also compared white people with snakes.
- he was a draft dodger who refused to fight not because of any pacifism or genuine conscientious objection (he was a boxer after all and joined the least peaceful of all major religions!) but because he hated America and supported the Viet Cong. SCOTUS reversing his conviction was ridiculous.
- he had a messiah complex, calling himself "prophet" and "savior".

We will never get anywhere regarding race relations unless we start treating black racists the same we do white racists. I.e. we need to shun them, not celebrate them.

".

And yet he managed to make much more of a positive contribution to his country and to the world by the age if 35 than you have or are likely to do.

 

[Derec]

I believe a very good argument can be made that Muhammad Ali was the first US athlete who was recognized and admired around the world.

Was that because he was such a great boxer or because he publicly hated America?

He was a goodwill ambassador for the US.

Anti-americanism does got promote goodwill toward the US.

He stood up for his beliefs,

Beliefs like that white people are devils.

refused to register for the draft and was willing to pay the legal and political price.

It turned out not to be much of a price.

An excellent boxer and showman, he ended up also paying the price of his profession.

I agree with you there.

As a young man, growing up in Kentucky during the 1950s and 60s, he was somewhat radicalized by the racial discrimination blacks of that era experienced on a daily basis.

Does that excuse his racism?

Later in his life, he embraced Universal Sufism, which does not share some of the more stringent and radical teachings of the Nation of Islam.

So what are some of the tenets of this "universal sufism". I am guessing no more "spaceship of Yakub" stuff, right?

Ali was a proud, successful and outspoken black man in an era, which frightened and enraged lots of racists, bigots, and other varieties of haters.

He was a racist himself who had a lot of anger and hatred toward white people. Do you think some people being hostile to him was because of his racist attitudes and not because he was a successful black man? Or do you default to thinking white people are "racist" whenever they dislike somebody black, even if they have good reason?

- - - Updated - - -

And yet he managed to make much more of a positive contribution to his country and to the world by the age if 35 than you have or are likely to do.

He pummeled other people for sport. Let's not pretend the man cured cancer or something.

 

[laughing dog]

Was that because he was such a great boxer or because he publicly hated America?

A great boxer who was also black and a Muslim.

Anti-americanism does got promote goodwill toward the US.

I suggest you actually acquaint yourself with recent history. It might prevent you mistaking your burps for relevant responses.

Ali was also a UN Messenger of Peace (http://outreach.un.org/mop/former-messengers-of-peace/muhammad-ali/

Beliefs like that white people are devils.

Among others radical anti-American causes like fighting against the Vietnam War and racism. Ali was not a perfect human being.

It turned out not to be much of a price.

He was willing to pay it. And he stood up for what he believed. You can try to belittle it, but he stayed in the US and took his lumps from the racists, bigots, war-mongers, haters and small-minded.

An excellent boxer and showman, he ended up also paying the price of his profession.

I agree with you there.

Does that excuse his racism?

It helps explain it. And you have yet to show that his "racism" extended beyond his early life.

So what are some of the tenets of this "universal sufism". I am guessing no more "spaceship of Yakub" stuff, right?

Instead of proclaiming your ignorance, google it and educate yourself (if that is possible).

rd white people. Do you think some people being hostile to him was because of his racist attitudes and not because he was a successful black man? Or do you default to thinking white people are "racist" whenever they dislike somebody black, even if they have good reason?

The hostility I witnessed growing up throw that era was based on his anti-war stance, his refusal to register for the draft, and his outspokeness in general.

No one is claiming Ali was perfect. But here you are, focusing on things he said when he was a young man and ignoring everything else in his life. WTF makes you feel the need to do this to a dead black man's memory?

 

[aeebee50]

I liked him. Wish he hadn't been sick.

 

[repoman]

I gotta respect that. I also respect this:

 

[Ford]

We will never get anywhere regarding race relations unless we start treating black racists the same we do white racists. I.e. we need to shun them, not celebrate them.

Well I wouldn't celebrate you, but you're actually asking us to shun you?

 

[rousseau]

You are confusing me with Cassius Clay. Let's review, shall we:
- he was a racist who joined the Nation of Islam (which thinks white people are devils). He also compared white people with snakes.
- he was a draft dodger who refused to fight not because of any pacifism or genuine conscientious objection (he was a boxer after all and joined the least peaceful of all major religions!) but because he hated America and supported the Viet Cong. SCOTUS reversing his conviction was ridiculous.
- he had a messiah complex, calling himself "prophet" and "savior".

We will never get anywhere regarding race relations unless we start treating black racists the same we do white racists. I.e. we need to shun them, not celebrate them.

- - - Updated - - -

I'm starting to get the feeling that Derec is covertly trolling the forum at this point. No way someone can be that obtuse in their mid-thirties.

Just because I do not share your opinion on a racist boxer does not make me a "troll" or "obtuse".

So you are obtuse then. You take the wrong side of literally every issue. You might be able to rationalize your sense of moral superiority but you're going to offend literally every forward thinking person when you do this. And in my experience you're objectively wrong a lot of the time anyway.