What I'm Reading 5/14

Malcolm X, Issac Asimov and Dostoevsky

While re-reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told by Alex Haley I realized I’m living on Malcolm’s old street: 110th St. in Harlem.

Today there’s a Whole Foods 10 blocks up from 110th St. and an increasing amount of luxury apartments going up over demolished project buildings.

How times have changed.

One of my favorite takeaways from Malcolm was his outlook on how Democrats pander to Black people:

“White Liberals are the velvet prison.
Instead of being independent and free and dignified the white Democrat Liberal has co-opted the American negro as a full one-half of an election machine, with the Democrat telling the negro they must vote for him if they want to be independent and free whilst implementing policies which make him subservient to the democrat such that the 'crat’ has an easily exploitable voter base and black Americans end up going nowhere.”

I’m sure Malcolm was rolling in his grave when President Joe Biden said “If you don’t vote for me, you ain’t Black.” Personally, I do have a mix of left and right-winged views—and somedays I’m feeling more progressive than Republican—but I really hate when Democrats pander and manipulate Black people. It’s evil.

Malcolm X’s Autobiography will change the way you look at this country. In my opinion, he was more profound and tendentious than Martin Luther King Jr. I believe that’s also why the American public school system never teaches about him.

Anyway, besides that here’s what else I’m reading:

• The Tyranny of the Federal Reserve by Brian O'Brien: I’ve never wanted to re-read a book as fast as this one. There are so many concepts about economics and banking I never knew about. One is full-reserve banking as opposed to “fractional reserve” where instead of banks lending out 90% of your money for 0.1 interest you can opt out or opt into that system. If you opt-in it’s like staking for crypto—you make more money on your savings, but the bank is allowed to take riskier investments with your money. This book is a freaking mic-dropper.

• The Brother’s Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky: My favorite book of all time. It tells the story of three brothers: One who is deeply atheistic, one who’s mildly spiritual, and one who is very spiritual. They have to deal with their father, a hedonist, and come to grips with a world where “God is dead.” I cannot believe this book was written in the late 1800s because it feels as though it’s telling the story of modernity. Dostoevsky is a goddamn genius.

• Foundation by Issac Asimov: This was given to me by fellow Yard Couch co-founder Cody Collins. We both have an immense appreciation for sci-fi with 1984, A Brave New World, iRobot, and Martian Chronicles being some of our favorites. I don’t know much about Foundation, so I’d appreciate it if anyone has any insight on it.

Anyway, that’s all I got for now.

Because I spent so much time talking about Malcolm, here’s a quote from The Brother’s Karamazov:

“The world says: "You have needs -- satisfy them. You have as much right as the rich and the mighty. Don't hesitate to satisfy your needs; indeed, expand your needs and demand more." This is the worldly doctrine of today. And they believe that this is freedom. The result for the rich is isolation and suicide, for the poor, envy and murder.”