Todd Hubler
Dear Tell All: Muhammad Ali was always a hero of mine, both as a boxer and as a political figure. I especially admire him for sticking up for his beliefs in the 1960s when he refused induction into the military at the height of the Vietnam War. He requested conscientious objector status as a member of the Nation of Islam, registering a powerful dissent against an unjust war. With African Americans oppressed in the United States, he asked why he should answer Uncle Sam’s call to go kill Vietnamese people halfway across the world.
My grandparents live on Madison’s west side, and my grandfather is a Vietnam War veteran who survived combat duty. My family gets together with Grandma and Grandpa for dinner about once a month, and unfortunately the most recent dinner was right after Ali died. Grandpa started railing about Ali’s “draft dodging” and “cowardice,” saying he didn’t deserve the tributes he was getting in newspapers and on TV. “Muhammad Ali was a traitor,” he pronounced, as the rest of my family tried to change the subject.
I kept quiet, but his rant made my blood boil. We have another dinner scheduled with my grandparents on Fourth of July weekend, and I’m trying to figure out what to do if the subject of Ali comes up again.
Part of me understands where my grandfather is coming from. He did what he was supposed to do and submitted to the draft, risking his life. Ali, as he sees it, considered himself above the law, took the easy way out and got off scot-free. I suppose I could respect my grandfather’s service by keeping quiet at our next dinner.
Another part of me wants to go off on a rant myself. I want to tell my grandfather how much I respect Ali’s brave gesture and how much I despise the Vietnam War, even if it causes a scene and ruins the holiday. Which route should I choose?
Ali Bomaye
Dear Ali Bomaye: I suggest a combination of the two routes.
I sense that you’ll hate yourself for keeping quiet and not sticking up for your principles. So by all means stick up for them.
I also sense that you understand what your grandfather went through during the Vietnam War. So by all means be respectful of his service.
The secret is not to go off on a rant, as your grandfather did. Present a reasonable argument in a calm voice. Explain that Ali did not consider himself above the law, but instead followed a higher law, as he saw it. He did not take the easy way out, but instead risked fines and prison by making his stand. He did not get off scot-free, but instead lost his heavyweight title and his right to keep boxing in the prime of his career.
Finish by telling your grandfather that you admire his patriotism and the sacrifices he made, but that dissent was also necessary to force a conversation about the Vietnam War’s purpose.
Your speech may well cause a scene and ruin the holiday, but you’ll feel proud that you said what needed to be said, just as your hero Muhammad Ali once did.
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