The Media In The Age Of Muhammad Ali
I watched a couple of documentaries on Muhammad Ali recently and was impressed by the interviews they contained. It’s only natural to be impressed by the likes of Malcom X and Martin Luther King Jr, both of whom had something to say on Muhammad Ali and the issues that swirled about him. I of course was impressed by Muhammad Ali, as well, who was never afraid to speak his mind. But my respect went far further than that to the opponents of and even the investors in Ali.
Prior to watching Ken Burns’ documentary on Ali, I was unaware of how much Ali sided with Elijah Muhammad over Malcom X. Nevertheless, Malcom X always spoke measuredly when talking about Ali, revealing a nuanced approach. Although he was personally involved, he didn’t appear to let his own concerns outweigh his overall assessment of the situation. He understood that Ali stood for a lot of issues, many of which were more important than Malcom’s disagreements with his former mentor.
Ali, of course, spoke with unreserved openness on most occasions. But he still realized the power of his words to harm, and so on important topics he measured his words and showed respect to even those who opposed him.
It was interesting too to hear from Ali’s opponents. Many of them had legitimate disagreements with his actions and his words, both on personal and philosophical matters. They did not hold back on what they felt Ali did wrong in showing disrespect to their own persons or to causes or positions they held dear. And yet there was invariably a respect for Ali, not only for his ability and determination, but also for the strength with which he held his convictions. An opponent, even an enemy, is capable of having respect for someone who demonstrates conviction, heart, and a capacity for self-sacrifice for his principles.
There was also an interview of one of Ali’s early investors which I found admirable. They were a group of Kentucky businessmen who thought Ali had talent enough to risk their money on. Yes, they sought to make a profit off him, but I can’t help feeling they were investing in Ali not merely because of what they might stand to gain but because they found him as a human being to be someone worthy of their investment. And when asked if it embarrassed Kentucky businessmen, who are after all Kentucky Christians, to have a Muslim mouthpiece, he replied: “I don’t think it’s been that embarrassing. Actually, it’s been startling. But, in the first place, most of us feel that a man has a right to choose his own religion, his own faith. In the second place, and I have repeated this many times, if the Black Muslims mean hatred, then Cassius (Ali) will never be a true Black Muslim, because he has no hatred for anybody in his soul or in his mind.”
What stood out to me was the fact that every one of them spoke from an honest, thoughtful position. It is not all that hard to recognize when someone is speaking from the heart, easier still to recognize when a position is an honestly held one and not mindlessly parroted. Compare that to anything you might come across in the media today. Not more than one in a thousand people you see on TV talks from the heart but instead sticks to the script given him. Whether it be coaches or players talking about a game, politicians talking about their politics, or artists talking about their art, it’s hard to find someone who is not simply saying what he has been told to say. The art of public relations has destroyed the ability of the individual to speak the truth within him. And if one should do so, the media itself would do what it could to crush him, as if it cannot permit an honest opinion to reach the masses. Authenticity would be too jarring a contrast to what is presented in the media.
It seems that people in a less media-savvy generation were more prone to speak their own truth. Not only that, being less dominated by media opinions, they worked harder to develop opinions of their own. People were more used to speaking AS individuals TO individuals. Words were more measured and yet also more sincere. Because they were spoken from the truth of a human being, not molded by a machine that tells us what to think and what to say.
I cannot help thinking the media that exists today exists to crush the individual. Perhaps it is only a necessary byproduct of the crushing of the individual, but it tends to crush the ability to think clearly, as well. Assuredly it crushes the tendency to talk respectfully towards others.
I will not go as far as saying the athletes and people in general today are less thoughtful and less genuine than those in the 60’s. But I will say the media does all it can to dampen communication between individuals, pushing instead establishment narratives that neither hold up to intelligent scrutiny nor help in any way to make the average person feel more connected to his community and the world. It is my hope that people will come to insist on speaking more from the core of who they are than allowing themselves to conform to the talking points thrust upon them by anonymous authority. And it is my hope also that people will seek alternatives to the media whose job it appears to be to squash legitimate communication in favor of preaching from the establishment pulpit.