If you had a time machine???

For one, they got Johnson.
They illegally improsnoned him.

Two, Johnson was symbolic for exposing the idiocy in recital superiority. Ali was shaping political policy by being a huge figure in the Vietnam war and civil rights.

Not Johnsons fault. I'm sure if he had lived in the 60's he would be pushing the envelope in some shape or form.

 

The boxing fan in me agrees. But realistically he made the right choice.

I wasn't confusing you. You quoted a sentence that mentioned a comparison with Johnson. Check again.

I'm certain Ali wouldn't have taken the liberties he took without that comfort of knowing he had a militia behind his back.

 

By 1910 standards? What does that say?

It was racial persecution. Admitted by the prosecutors and the judge.

It was also legal for Nazis to round up Jews into death camps. So which and whose version of legal are you talking about?

 

Exactly, I think we would have heard more lines like "Boy I'm pretty!" and less of "The white man is the Devil!"

 

He didn't need the NOI to be a great boxer. But they gave him the comfort and security to express his political and social ideologies with his "in your face" style, which proved to be very effective.

Then you shouldn't have quoted it. That's what my post was all about.
I responded to Wass. You quoted my response with a post that didn't follow the conversation.

 

I would have told Duran not to quit against Leonard, especially due to the fact that he wasn't getting beaten up.

 

But would he have developed these political and social ideologies without the NOI???

 

What Johnson was imprisoned for, he was accused of BEFORE they even passed the law.
So yes, arresting someone for not stopping at an intersection before you install a stop sign there is illegal.
Also, the case was racially motivated.

I'm sure that at the very crux of this is a philosophical debate about what constitutes "legal". If you really want to get technical and cute, that's where this is headed.

The judge passed the sentence because Johnson was black.
He was singled out for arrest because he was black.
Call it legal all you want.

 

Practically everyone shared the same underlying ideologies, so yes.
Would the language be the same? The message and the delivery? No.
Would he have taken on some of the more silly and extreme sides of the NOI sub-ideology? No.

 

I don't think his hand was being forced, as much as it was in 'good faith' on his part to show loyalty and faith to his group.

The point I was making was to try to be more careful in understanding my point, instead of blindly debating everything so that we can have a more progressive discussion. It's not personal, and I'm trying to get better at this too. You're smart, and I don't want to waste conversation with smart people on meaningless misunderstandings.