"Hair" ...BY:Malcolm X

                      The short story "Hair" was writen by Malcolm X, that alone says that it will be very meaningful and mostlikley have something to do with racial acts of descrimination or degredation. The prereading gave me an even deeper look into the kind of person malcolm was and how he thought. He felt so strongly about standing up for his rights and people that he even changed his own last name.However the title did draw me to rethink my ideas about the text, i mean sure people of all races have different types of hair but how could it really turn into a debate over racism?
                    The story started off a bit confusing because alot of the words used were slang. After a few lines everything began falling into place, Malcolm explaines that hair "conking" is just a term used for chemicaly straightening african american hair. It surprised me that someone as devoted in being proud to be who he was would actually be excited to change his hair from its natural form. This is a man who changed his last name because he thought it was a slave name and here was trying to be something hes not, granted straightening your hair now a days is not such a heated debate. The authors initial perspective was that he would look great with this new style, and after all the pain he went through to get it, he still thought it was all worth it and would not go without another conking again.
                However, as Malcolm matured into a man his perspective drasticaly changed. Perhapse the experiences he had faced throughout the years had tainted him in some way, whatever it may have been, he was not the same person and he even haited himself for ever doing that to his head for so many years. He thought he was extremely wrong to go through such terrible pain just so he could look more like the people who haited him so strongly, the "white" man. Malcolm saw that there was a bigger picture than just the "conking", but that it was self degredation. This simple act would only lead to more sever things, like body modification. All people would begin to do these things so they can look more like what was said to be "right" or "beautiful".
             I enjoyed this story because it was about more then what was actually written on the pages, even more then blacks and whites. It was about any race, any person that feels there looks arent good enough and that they would be prettier or better looking if there skin was different, if there eyes or hair color was lighter or darker. Self  degredation happens all over and to all different types of people. It must be stoped.