Muhammad Ali may be considered one of the greatest fighters of all time. His use of his hands was quite lethal. More lethal than that was his impressive application of the human language through sonnet and rhyme. Even moreso, Ali was a man that fought tooth and nail for the equal treatment of himself and others. In short, Ali is actually considered to be great for all the things he did outside the ring as opposed to inside.
With all the due respect that should be a requirement for a man of such magnitude, there has to be some hatred that comes along the way. However, I wasn’t expecting the ridiculousness I have seen due to this man’s death:
Once the world’s greatest and best known athlete, Ali was never one to hold back when he had an opinion, speaking his mind during the Civil Rights movement and in opposition to the war in Vietnam when he refused induction into the service.
Ali famously stated his case when he told the press, “My conscience won’t let me go shoot my brother, or some darker people, or some poor hungry people in the mud for big powerful America. And shoot them for what? They never called me nigger, they never lynched me, they didn’t put no dogs on me, they didn’t rob me of my nationality, rape and kill my mother and father. … Shoot them for what? How can I shoot them poor people? Just take me to jail.”
The former Cassius Clay also baffled the American public when he converted to Islam at a time when it was more of a curiosity than a racist dog whistle for political demagogues looking for votes by inciting bigotry.
Naturally all of these came into play for people who used used his death to to attack him hours after he died. [1]
This, by far, has to be one of the most disrespectful things I have ever seen in my life. We aren’t talking about some regular Joe Shmo here. We are talking about a man that actually didn’t go fight in a war because he didn’t believe in killing those that did nothing to him. And people have the gall to actually talk bad about this man due to his choices in religion and military decisions?
https://twitter.com/ReyBot666/status/739076926590058496
https://twitter.com/USAsHero/status/738953274267668480
https://twitter.com/ChmofSelectors/status/729772334421295105
https://twitter.com/MrPolyatheist/status/739052892880015360
This, right here, is what is wrong with America.
Muhammad Ali Does Not Deserve This Sacrilege
Muhammad Ali deserves way better than this. I don’t care about people bringing up things he said in the past about interracial relationships because he was a part of the Nation of Islam. Meaning: their belief systems can be quite radical at times. However, beyond any of that, look at the embodiment of what Ali represented: he represented dedication, love, respect, and justice for all of mankind. He didn’t denounce the Vietnam War because he was a scared draft dodger that did a bowel movement in his pants. He denounced the war because he was fighting against people he knew nothing about and did nothing directly to him. Right or wrong, Ali stood up for his beliefs and actually did what was right by people.
Also, don’t forget that Muhammad Ali was a charitable individual. He has supported numerous charities that would include Athletes For Hope, BeatBullying, and the Michael J. Fox Foundation. He also had his own charitable organizations such as Ali Care Program,Muhammad Ali Center, and the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center. Oh, and let us not forget that the man was a global humanitarian. People can say all the negative things they want. They still won’t be half the human being that Ali was.
Muhammad Ali Taught Us How to Live
Before people get to talk negatively about Muhammad Ali, I want them to do at least a tenth of what he has done for people. I want them to have at least a twentieth of his influence. Even after all of that, they still would not be able to hold a candle to them. It is one thing to disagree with things a person do. It is another thing to disparage someone that done more for others than people do for themselves.
So, watch your mouth when it comes to Muhammad Ali. Fair warning.