Malcolm X Page #32

ANGLE - PANEL

Opposing Malcolm is DR. PAYSON, a NAACP-type NEGRO.

CLOSE - MALCOLM

MALCOLM:

Yes sir. As you know, during slavery

time, the slavemasters named most of

the so-called Negroes in America

after themselves. Mr. Elijah Muhammad

teaches us once you come into the

knowledge of Islam, you replace your

slave name with an X. Since we've

been disconnected, cut off from our

Eastern culture for so long that we

don't know the names we originally

had, we will use X until we get back

to the East.

ANGLE - MODERATOR

MODERATOR:

Thank you. Now Dr. Payson.

CLOSE - DR. PAYSON

DR. PAYSON

Mr. X is a demagogue. He has no place

to go, so he exaggerates. He's a

disservice to every good law-abiding

Negro in the country. Can I ask you

a question?

CLOSE:
- DR. PAYSON

MALCOLM:

Please, go ahead.

DR. PAYSON

Mr. Malcolm X, why do you teach black

supremacy? Why do you teach hate?

CLOSE - MALCOLM

MALCOLM:

For the white man to ask the black

man if he hates him is just like the

rapist asking the raped, or the wolf

asking the sheep, "Do you hate me!"

The white man is in no moral position

to accuse anyone of hate.

ANGLE - PANEL

MODERATOR:

Certainly, Mr. X, you must admit

there has been progress.

MALCOLM:

I'll talk about "progress" in a

minute, but let me finish with my

brother.

Malcolm gestures to the Negro panelist. The BLACK MEMBERS of

the TV audience are lapping it up. Betty and Earl also sit

in the TV studio audience.

MALCOLM:

Stop me if I'm wrong. I "polarize

the community." I "erroneously

appraise the racial picture."

DR. PAYSON

You put it very well.

MALCOLM:

You left one phrase out. Another

educated Kneegrew said to me and I

quote:
"Brother Malcolm oversimplifies

the dynamic interstices of the Negro

subculture." Would you agree?

DR. PAYSON

Entirely.

ANGLE - MALCOLM

MALCOLM:

Well, I have this to say. Do you

know what a Negro with a B.A., an

M.A. and a Ph.D. is called -- by the

white man? I'll tell you. He's called

a n*gger.

There is some blanching and guffawing from the audience. The

moderator is totally embarrassed, Betty roars.

MALCOLM:

And I'm not finished. To understand

this man --

He points a sharp finger at the Negro Panelist.

MALCOLM:

-- you must know that historically

there are two kinds of slaves. House

Negroes and Field Negroes. The house

Negro lived in the big house; he

dressed pretty good; he ate pretty

good and he loved the master. Yeah,

he loved him more than the master

loved himself. If the master's house

caught fire, he'd be the first to

put the blaze out. If the master got

sick, he'd say:
"What's a matter,

boss; we sick?" WE sick! If someone

said to him, "Let's run away and

escape. Let's separate." He'd say,

"Man, are you crazy? What's better

than what I got here?" That was the

House Negro. In those days he was

called the House N*gger. Well, that's

what we call them today because we

still got a lot of House N*ggers

running around.

There is applause from the blacks in the audience. Moderator

tries to regain control.

INT. ELIJAH'S OFFICE - DAY

CLOSE - THE HONORABLE ELIJAH MUHAMMAD

He is enjoying this display by his prize student, the CAMERA

PANS to a CLOSE SHOT of BEMBRY and the same cannot be said.

BACK TO STUDIO:

MODERATOR:

I think, perhaps, Dr. Payson has

something to --

MALCOLM:

Don't you want to hear about the

Field N*gger?

DR. PAYSON

Let him finish.

MALCOLM:

Thank you. Now the Negro in the field

caught hell all day long. He was

beaten by the master; he lived in a

shack, wore castoff clothes and hated

his master. If the house caught fire,

he'd pray for a wind. If the master

got sick, he'd pray that he'd die.

And if you said to him, "Let's go,

let's separate", he'd yell, "Yeah,

man, any place is better than this."

You've got a lot of Field Negroes in

America today. I'm one.

Rate this script:4.0 / 7 votes