You knew it would happen. Minister Louis Farrakhan says 1.2 million black males marched on Washington in mid-October. The Park Service says 400,000.
Farrakhan says he’ll sue. It’s still another prima facie case of white supremacy and racism, right? Pleasssssse.
There has not been one march on Washington since 1968, when I was a wet-behind-the-ears flaming white, liberal teenager at the University of Maryland, where organizers’ counts didn’t significantly exceed those of the official people-counters paid by the good ol’ U.S. of A.
Could Farrakhan be reverting reflexively to form? When in doubt, lash out. When stature is not affirmed, strike out. When one doesn‘t get his way, assert racism.
How tiring. At first. I was incensed listening to parts of his incendiary two-hour and 18 minute “speech.” But the more I reflected upon the man and the message, all I could see was a small child. Pout, pout, and I’ll blow your house down.
Just a little rough math confirms the significant of this march.
Approximately 15.6 percent of the U.S. population is black. Assuming we have 250 million people and half are male, then our country hosts 19.5 million black males. Assume that half of these could even hope to attend due to age, health, financial or family circumstances, then we’re looking at a maximum base of 9.75 million.
If Farrakhan’ is correct and 1.2 million attended, that’s 12 percent of all likely participants residing anywhere in this expansive country. Could one in every eight men have gotten here from Podunk, USA?
Draw your own conclusion.
The Park Service’s 400,000 estimate represents 4 percent or one in every 25 men. Even that figure is astounding.
Imagine one in 25 health, ambulatory white males, or white females, or whomever, leaving their jobs and families for a day (or several, depending on where they live) and paying the necessary expenses in time and money to come to Washington. That’s quite an accomplishment. But Farrakhan wants to sue because one in 25 isn’t enough or correct or something.
In the now-famous words of Mayor Marion Barry, “Get over it,” Louis. Move on. Build from this. Choose another hill to die on. The precise number isn’t important. It’s bean counting.
I don’t know if Minister Farrakhan’s a prophet (messenger) or not. I thought the Koran taught that Muhammad was the last “true” one. If there were to be another prophet, I would think she or he would embrace and not annihilate; heal and not hate; love and not label; show the way and not shun.
But what do I know? I’m a mere mortal eagerly awaiting the day my Maker allows me to romp in the flagrant, flowered fields of heaven. Assuming that is, that he deems me worthy. Ant that’s the biggest assumption of all.
But what I do know is that in the Bible, Jesus speaks in about 2,000 verses. If the average verse can be spoken in eight seconds – at least it could in my test – then Jesus spoke all those words in just under 4 and ½ hours.
For all you Biblical scholars (I’m certainly not one), you know that most of what Jesus said is repeated throughout the four gospels. And these gospels comprise all but 107 verses (94 percent) of the 2,047 where Jesus is quoted.
Let’s say that half of all Jesus’ words are duplicated. If so, all his teachings were uttered in two hours and 13 minutes – five minutes less than Minister’s Farrakhan’s speech.
Judge for yourself.
What touches you more?
What’s more prophetic, loving, and cleansing? All of Jesus’ teachings or the soliloquy of a self-proclaimed prophet?
It’s amazing the difference a mere five minutes makes.
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Fred W. Apelquist, III, M.Ed.
Approximately 610 words.
© 1995