My take on Nietzsche’s Parable of a Mad-Man 1882

stay mad tehee

Stella’s Analysis of Cultural References re: Friedrich Nietzsche’s The Gay Science, I-IV (1882)

“Let no religion, entity, or man dictate your mind's eye; it will glaze over into a fiction of reality built on pillars of half-truths and hypocrisy.”

- Stella Schena-Gordon 2025

The Madman's Role as a Truth Seeker, critic of established values, and the Madman's Isolation.

In one of his famous speeches, Malcolm X said:
"If you're not ready to die for it, take the word 'freedom' out of your vocabulary."

This stark proclamation parallels Nietzsche’s madman holding up a lantern in daylight (pg.224), demanding that people recognize the profound implications of their choices. Malcolm X’s "madness" lay in his ability to force people to confront their complicity in a broken system and demand a radical reimagining of society.

Confronting a "dead god": the myth of racial equality in America.

Malcolm X shattered the comforting illusions of racial harmony/ gradual progress often promoted by mainstream civil rights movements (and by white liberal society).

Like the madman declaring god's death, Malcolm X exposed the hypocrisy of America's claims to freedom, democracy, and Christian morality, arguing that these values were and are systematically denied to Black people.

Challenger of Hypocrisy and Assimilation.

Malcolm X critiqued both the dominant white culture and segments of the Black community for accepting subservience or assimilation into a system inherently oppressive.

His advocacy for self-determination, Black pride, and self-defense was revolutionary, but also deeply unsettling to those invested in the status quo. This aligns with Nietzsche’s critique of clinging to "slave morality," where the oppressed internalize their oppression as virtue.

Misunderstood and Marginalized.

Malcolm X was labeled dangerous, divisive, or extremist by mainstream media, politicians, and even some civil rights leaders.

His willingness to call out systemic injustice often left him standing alone, even when it meant opposing powerful figures or institutions.

Even though Nietzsche and Malcolm X have their inherent differences, the parable of the madman is a stark reminder of the hypocrisy that has always dictated Western society. Those who dedicate themselves to calling it out for what it is are seen as mad. To this, I say, stay mad, for madness has the potential for liberation and the will for morality.

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