Monday, June 14, 2010
Being Mohammed Ali
In a conversation with my brother Haywood earlier today I asked him a simple question, "Is there anyone anywhere in any field that can't be bought today? Mohammed Ali is one of my heroes not only because of his extraordinary skill in the ring but because of his complete refusal to be bought and his fundamental sense of fairness. Where are those leaders today who would go to jail for their beliefs or even take a pay cut?
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19 comments:
As they sadly put it, nowadays, everyone has a price and they can be bought. I was watching this interview with Usain Bolt, and he revealed the instant he won the Olympic Gold, he was showered with plastic love and affection. Sponsors hovered all around him and asked him what did he want to own? Anything he asked for was given to him.
Sadly, I cannot think of anyone who cannot be bought.
I am not as 'opaque' as the other commentor on this post. I clearly see the 'unbought', but they are not the darlings of the media. Their lack of noterity is says more about us and less about the people who take their stands...
... two people that come to mind are Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Their more sensationlistic exploits have made a lot of press, but their work with humanitarian services hardly warrants a whisper in the press...
... there are many, many others who quietly go about their work giving to the society at large, but their story isn't as sensationalist as the ones that titilate...
... and while Ali was a touchstone figure, as a person he was flawed... and this doesn't have anything to do with his philandering... for me, it is a personal difference in how his legend has been burnished... still, I do think there is another character to occupy his spot in society... maybe he hasn't hit his stride or even been born yet... but I don't have any doubt that there will be another...
... could be that we are expecting such transcendence from the wrong sex..?
Judith,
Great question...and the fact that no one immediately comes to mind, at least in the US, makes me wonder when exactly did words like character, integrity, and principle cease to drive our actions and decisions? Perhaps there is a Mandela or Walesa somewhere out there. I first thought of the Generals Revolt against Donald Rumsfeld but those folks were all retired. I had thought about making the case for General Colin Powell but he resigned perhaps "in protest" after he made the speech rather than before. Maybe no one has those traits now days because they are impediments to getting those powerful leadership positions?
You're making me think again Auntie "J"...and I won't stop till I come up with a name. Wait a minute...I bet you would be that kind of a leader. I bet there are many folks who like you who don't get the attention or notoriety. The folks who can't get elected or promoted just on the basis of their actions alone...
There are lots of people who can't be bought. That may be the very reason you have never heard of them.
They decided to live ordinary lives.
@Big Mark243 - Mate, I see the "unbought" too. I reckon I should have specified that most of the big names that we hear/read/talk about are the ones who have been bought. The ones who are not bought are the ones who have their head on their shoulders and live a noble life.
Just in case you did not get my point, re-read my comment. Thanks to sensationalist journalism, anything and everything is glorified... mostly in the wrong manner. So, essentially, I am making the same point as you are.
Opaue - After my conversation with my brother I could not think of one either. In fact, many hours later a single name eludes me. Some 30 years ago names would have readily come to mind.
Mark - I appreciate the work that Brad and Angelina does. But I would mostly certain not put them in the category of Mohammed Ali, Martin Luther King, Albert Schweitzer, Mother Theresa, Rosa Parks, Eleanor Roosevelt. The gender thing basically falls flat. I can't think of any men or women.
Yeah, Dave, it's really sad--a real bummer. BUT A name just came to mind. What about Jack Bogle? I think he's super! He's a man of integrity and purpose. I'm with you on those who are doing the right thing and fighting for just causes but do not have the flair of the spotlight. Thanks for your encouragement I feel the same about you.
Zorro - I'm with you. Essentially, that is the point Dave just made. There is still a chasm of missing leadership that is necessary. Vision is important.
"Thanks to sensationalist journalism, anything and everything is glorified... mostly in the wrong manner."
True that, Opaque.
In one sense, Ali had an opportunity that is rare. He was high profile, and he was in many ways only responsible to himself. He was not in charge of anything. Do all political leaders or CEO's have such a simple choice? For example, if liberal Senators vote exactly the way they believe, they might wind up getting voted out of office to be replaced by someone with extreme conservative views. I'm not saying Ali wasn't brave. Its just that he could take his stand and the only one who would pay for his decision would be himself. He didn't really have to balance a lot of different possible outcomes. I believe that one reason we have lousy leaders today has more to do with us - we refuse to be led. Its us, not them. I find it ironic that we won't follow leaders while a whole industry has been built up that basically provides lists of characteristics leaders should have. This industry seems to have grown as we have become less and less willing to be lead. This industry did not exist 30 years ago when it would be easier to identify people we could name as good leaders.
Also, in the example of Rosa Parks, all she had to do was refuse to get out of her seat on a bus. Brave, but is there any issue today that would pivot on such a simple protest? As for Albert Schweitzer, Mother Theresa, I'm sure there are people like that today - they just won't get any press. Also, our problems are simply more complex - Al Gore attempted to move us to do something about global warming, but the science behind it is complex enough that it is relatively easy for opponents to obfuscate. Although Martin Luther King was a great leader, his argument was easy to make. People should be treated equally under the law and that was starkly and simply not happening in the US at the time.
Zorro - With regards to your initial question, yes, all leaders have that opportunity if they will but only take it. While I agree with the premise of your comment concerning regular people's ability to bring change via simple truths and actions or even those in the spotlight such as Ali that do such with a spotlight, there is still something to be said about being fearless. This is a quality that whether in the spotlight or not seems to be less apparent these days. For political reasons or for personal ones, people seem less inclined to simply step out and be counted or go against the rising tide.
Yeah, Ali was the greatest. I remember when he FIRST came on the national scene as an unknown boxer (Cassius Clay), talking trash about Sonny Liston. WHAT an original! He was the first great entertainer-athlete. But once he backed up his boasts (by thrashing Liston) and gained the world stage he transformed into Mohammed Ali - a political voice, and eventually an international statesman, perhaps more recognized and adored than any other man on the planet. (Jordan may be as well known, but probably not as well loved.) There's never been anyone like him.
The only person I can think of who is in a position to do something brave that would require simple action would be for John McCain to quit the Senate and then go on a tour with his daughter to speak out against the extremes of the republican party.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE your comment, J!
Zorro - Now, that is really really really funny. It is also really really really true. :-)
Wow... is it always like this Dame Judy..? You certain know how to get the party started..!
@ Opaque... yeah, I get you bro... more that I couldn't resist the wordplay than really disagree with you..!
@ Zorro... I don't think Rosa Parks stand (or seat) should be diminished or taken lightly. She knew she was putting her head in the mouth of the lion and what it meant to a nascent movement. She was associated with the folks who were organizing the movement, so I don't believe it was a case of a woman being 'too tired' as much as it was designed at provocation.
Same with Ali. He believed in something greater than himself. There was a story about how in high school there was a controversy over his doing an essay on the Muslim Movement in America. Like Rosa Parks, he knew what he was getting into when he did and said what he did in front of the media. It was no simple thing for him to make those choices, single man or not.
He was aware of those who would follow him. He knew that beyond his ability to earn riches as an athelete that something else was also at stake.
Who is willing to step out and speak on a social wrong of ANY kind..? It doesn't have to involve prejudice. My example of Brad & Angelina was to show people who put their money where their mouth was.
Pat Tillman was the same way, despite his death being so unfortunate. People who get up and act on their conscious aren't the luscious stories that we crave, aren't easily consumed and gotten past.
Do you think that Michael Jordan has the character to have been an Ali, willing to risk it all for sticking to something he believed in more than earning money? The sublime grace of a Bill Russell??
I don't think that there is a shortage of people who are willing to act on their belief. It is more that who is going to give them a platform and who is going to be in their audience?
Voices of dissent are being squeezed out by the mergers of media outlets that shrink the field. Pretty soon the only voices we will have is the ones that have the money and influence to speak. With the courts recognizing corporations as 'individuals' and allowing them to back their candidates without disclosure and fund campaigns via the media, we could be witnesses to the end of one era and the birth of another.
"Do you think that Michael Jordan has the character to have been an Ali, willing to risk it all for sticking to something he believed in more than earning money? The sublime grace of a Bill Russell??"
Uh, I may be wrong, Mark, but no!
Thank you for your comment. It's beautiful.
As a kid growing up in Boston, I always loved Bill Russell the athlete. I came to appreciate Bill Russell the man much later.
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