They'll Have You Sitting in Everywhere: No More Days Like Those!

[DISCLAIMER]

On April 3rd and 12th, 1964, el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz (better known as Malcolm X) gave his famous speech entitled “The Ballot or the Bullet”. This was shortly after he parted ways with the Nation of Islam. Regarding Malcolm X’s well-articulated discourse, one source states:

In the speech, Malcolm X advised African Americans to judiciously exercise their right to vote, but he cautioned that if the government continued to prevent African Americans from attaining full equality, it might be necessary for them to take up arms. It was ranked 7th in the top 100 American speeches of the 20th century by 137 leading scholars of American public address. […]

Malcolm X addressed the issue of “rifles and shotguns”, a controversy that had dogged him since his March 8 announcement that he had left the Nation of Islam. He reiterated his position that if the government is “unwilling or unable to defend the lives and the property of Negroes”, African Americans should defend themselves.

He advised his listeners to be mindful of the law — “This doesn’t mean you’re going to get a rifle and form battalions and go out looking for white folks … that would be illegal and we don’t do anything illegal” — but he said that if white people didn’t want African Americans to arm themselves, the government should do its job.

Given the conditions blacks endured in the United States during the civil rights movement, I unequivocally support Malcolm X’s past advocacy for lawful self-defense. This may seem peculiar coming from a practitioner of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT).

For context, REBT uses unconditional acceptance (UA) to relieve self-induced suffering. This is accomplished through use of unconditional self-acceptance (USA), unconditional other-acceptance (UOA), and unconditional life-acceptance (ULA).

With my approach to REBT, I incorporate author Stephen Covey’s concepts regarding the circles of control, influence, and concern, as well as an area of no concern. UA maps onto the circle of control (USA), circle of influence (UOA), and circle of concern and area of no concern (ULA).

The circle of control encompasses only oneself, the circle of influence encapsulates elements which may be subject to one’s sway, the circle of concern engrosses most matters one can imagine, and the area of no concern relates to all content which isn’t yet imagined.

From a UA view, one recognizes how little control and influence one has regarding injustice (USA). In arguably most cases, one can’t even influence others people (UOA), let alone change many disagreeable matters that occur in an impermanent and uncertain world as a whole (ULA).

Nevertheless, I argue that while maintaining a healthy REBT perspective one can control how one reacts to undesirable events. Ergo, one can simultaneously practice REBT and lawful self-defense (the act of defending oneself or one’s property from imminent threat of harm).

Not all practitioners of REBT will agree with me. As well, I imagine that many of my colleagues in the field of care for mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively “mental health”) would encourage an infantilizing form of pacifism, about which Malcolm X stated in his speech:

Once you change your philosophy, you change your thought pattern. Once you change your thought pattern, you change your attitude. Once you change your attitude, it changes your behavior pattern. And then you go on into some action.

As long as you got a sit-down philosophy, you’ll have a sit-down thought pattern. And as long as you think that old sit-down thought, you’ll be in some kind of sit-down action. They’ll have you sitting in everywhere.

For those who choose to conduct their justice-debilitating pacifistic behavior by remaining docile in the face of tyranny, I don’t share their worldview. Alternatively, I advocate the non-aggression principle. Regarding this principle, one source states:

The non-aggression principle (NAP) is a concept in which “aggression” – defined as initiating or threatening any forceful interference with an individual, their property or their agreements (contracts) – is illegitimate and should be prohibited. […]

Like the Golden Rule, the non-aggression principle follows an ethics of reciprocity, in the sense that whether a person’s action is permissible, depends upon the preceding actions of others.

Years ago, when visiting the National Civil Rights Museum, I observed an exhibit depicting Greensboro sit-ins during which protesters sat stoically, ostensibly practicing UA, while being harassed, assaulted, and battered by people who were self-disturbed regarding their presence.

While perhaps admirable to some individuals, I don’t identify with the behavior of the pacifist protestors. I’m decidedly not about that form of sit-down inaction. Rather, I favor Malcolm X’s perspective which he expressed in his speech:

It’s not so good to refer to what you’re going to do as a “sit-in.” That right there castrates you. Right there, it brings you down. What goes with it? What – think of the image of someone sitting.

An old woman can sit. An old man can sit. A chump can sit, a coward can sit, anything can sit. Well, you and I been sitting long enough, and it’s time for us today to start doing some standing and some fighting to back that up.

Again, I advocate lawful self-defense. This doesn’t mean unlawful offense which is rationalized to justify a person’s illegal activities. Perhaps you disagree. That’s fine. You can sit all you please. I’m not stopping you. Sit, if you’d like. Personally, I’m not the sitting type (not for long).

Yet, I’ll sit until I don’t. Of course, rhetoric such as this – advocating lawful self-defense regarding tyrannically oppressive behavior – is likely what led to Malcolm X’s assassination. Of that, I’m well aware. Nevertheless, I appreciate that he stated in his 1964 speech:

So, our next move is to take the entire civil rights struggle – problem – into the United Nations and let the world see that Uncle Sam is guilty of violating the human rights of 22 million Afro-Americans right down to the year of 1964, and still has the audacity or the nerve to stand up and represent himself as the leader of the free world?

Not only is he a crook, he’s a hypocrite. Here he is, standing up in front of other people, Uncle Sam, with the blood of your and mine – mothers and fathers on his hands. With the blood dripping down his jaws, like a bloody-jawed wolf.

And still got the nerve to point his finger at other countries. In 1964, you can’t even get civil rights legislation, and this man has got the nerve to stand up and talk about South Africa or talk about Nazi Germany or talk about Portugal. No, no more days like those!

Per my interpretation of that cited portion of Malcolm X’s speech, he advocated lawful self-defense against a tyrannical government that behaved worse than any bystander did during the sit-in movement. As the saying goes, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.”

Without prescribing a course of action herein, I’m merely addressing a subjective point of view concerning how REBT and lawful self-defense may be practiced concurrently. Some people will have you sitting everywhere. Yet, I say no more days like those! Make of that what you will. 

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

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