The 16th Round, From number 1 contender to number 45472
by Rubin Carter
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Rubin Carter has written an autobiography about himself that is a lot of tall tales, a little bit of truth and a lot of lies. Carter - totally self absorbed with himself - attempts to justify his predatory, violent nature and lies about killing 3 innocent people in cold blood.
Some excerpts from the book:
"My urge for revenge now almost choked me up with its bitterness. Somebody would have to pay for putting me back in jail. Even more than that, somebody would have to pay for destroying my self respect. For mutilating the "newly found" Rubin, the "at-peace-with-himself" Rubin. Somebody had to pay for that!
I wanted to see this insidious juvenile labor system demolished from stem to stern and I wanted to see it happen out of pure hatred and vengeance at atonement for the crimes committed against me, and others just like me who have never had the nerve to voice their legitimate grievances as members of the human race. I wanted to be the Administrator of Justice, the Reveler of Truth, the Inflicter of All Retribution. I gloried in these thoughts." pg.139.
"I noticed something else, too: All these honkies were wearing guns, every last one of them. I decided I would have to get me one too. This Army life was not really making me any nastier than what I was, but it wasn't making it any easier for me either. It just made me care a little less than usual, which wasn't really a helluva lot in the first place." pps.119-120.
"I was proud of my position. It made me feel like a god. In my mind, I vaguely recalled some misbegotten slogan that went "Equality for all under God." I couldn't accept that. What with the position I held, and the gang's dependence upon my fighting skills, I felt uniquely superior. In the Apaches I was, in fact, accepted as a god, and there could be no equality in the world that I lived in--a world of conflict and confusion, where only the strong survived."
"We were looked upon as a rough, menacing phalanx, an anti-social mob. To live up to this reputation, I must admit, we performed deeds that one might easily classify as being against the best interests of society. But we were Apaches-so we raided the enemies' neighborhoods, fought to a standstill the marauding gangs that violated our territorial boundaries, and pillaged the downtown marketplaces."
"One day, while returning home from the movies, we decided to perform a feat of daring. There were about fifteen or twenty Apaches along, since the movie house was situated in enemy territory and we needed a show of force to deter any possible attack. We were approaching a store that had racks and racks of clothing displayed outside on the sidewalk. The object of each Apache was to run past the display, grab as much of the merchandise as he could handle, and then escape without getting caught." pg. 16.
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