Dick Gregory (1932-2017) Tribute List

Comedian and activist Dick Gregory died on August 19, 2017 at the age of 84. Gregory was an amazingly successful and extremely funny comic, his routine consisting of commentary on politics and race relations at a time when that was uncommon for black comedians. Gregory's style and artistic bravery influenced generations of comedians. As an activist, he protested and spoke out for causes like the Civil Rights Movement and animal rights. He even ran for president in 1968. Here are ten vocabulary words drawn from quotes from the unique mind of Dick Gregory.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. scorn
    look down on with disdain
    Hell hath no fury like a liberal scorned.-
    Quoted in Ten Tortured Words: How the Founding Fathers Tried to Protect Religion in America . . . and What's Happened Since by Stephen Mansfield
  2. cavalry
    troops trained to fight on horseback
    We used to root for the Indians against the cavalry, because we didn't think it was fair in the history books that when the cavalry won it was a great victory, and when the Indians won it was a massacre.- from Gregory's autobiography, co-written by Robert Lipsyte
  3. torment
    make suffer emotionally or mentally
    Riches do not delight us so much with their possession, as torment us with their loss.- Quoted in The Book of Financial Wisdom by C. Foster Stanback
  4. shame
    a painful feeling of embarrassment or inadequacy
    I never learned hate at home, or shame. I had to go to school for that.- From Gregory's Autobiography
  5. integrated
    designated as available to all races or groups
    I waited at the counter of a white restaurant for eleven years. When they finally integrated, they didn't have what I wanted.- from greatthoughtstreasury.com
    Here, "integrated" refers specifically to serving both white and black people, after the advances of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s eliminated services for whites and blacks separated, or segregated by race.
  6. secede
    withdraw from an organization or polity
    And we love to dance, especially that new one called the Civil War Twist. The Northern part of you stands still while the Southern part tries to secede.- From Gregory's stand-up comedy act.
  7. bigot
    a prejudiced person who is intolerant of differing opinions
    I am really enjoying the new Martin Luther King Jr stamp - just think about all those white bigots, licking
    the backside of a black man.- quoted in Funniest Thing You Never Said 2 by Rosemarie Jarski
  8. indoctrination
    teaching someone to accept beliefs uncritically
    Education means to bring out wisdom. Indoctrination means to push in knowledge.- quoted in Language is a Place of Struggle : Great Quotes by People of Color by Tram Nguyen
  9. bait
    harass with persistent criticism or carping
    Race baiters and discriminators may go underground, but they never move out of town.- quoted in Seeds of Revolution: A Collection of Axioms, Passages and Proverbs Volume 2 by " Iam A Freeman"
  10. compromise
    expose or make liable to danger, suspicion, or disrepute
    [A politician is] a person skilled in the art of compromise. Usually an elected official who has compromised to get nominated, compromised to get elected, and compromised repeatedly to stay in office.- from Gregory's stand-up act
    Here Gregory plays on two definitions of "compromise"- the ability to accommodate the other side and be willing to give something up to strike a deal, and the other definition, concerning being wide open to suspicion and weakened, having a bad reputation.
Created on Sun Aug 20 04:37:08 EDT 2017 (updated Fri Aug 25 11:40:09 EDT 2017)

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