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Who was more important to society and why?

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Who was more important to society and why?

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I don't underestimate the social impact Lennon had. I don't claim to understand it in the slightest, but I certainly don't underestimate it.

I say Ali because of his impact on the civil rights movement, his inimitable style and enigmatic nature, and his journey from one of the most controversial icons in recent history to a source of sappy inspiration to millions. Frankly, to me, Lennon is Bono with a bullet in him. He had some great ideas and was a talented musician, and I'm sure he would have done wonderful things if that nutjob hadn't iced him. To me, (read: personal opinion) Ali is a more important figure in the context of American history, which is to say that if I were compiling a high school history book, and I had room for only one guy, it'd be Cassius.
 
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osugrad21 said:
Ali for his outright defiance in the face of a racist society. I don't agree with all that he did, but the man stood up in a time of great social unrest.
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Well, that's what I was thinking... The question was greatest impact... not the greatest "positive" impact, necessarily.

And he certainly had a large audience, as he was the most recognized figure in the world for a long time... more popular than the Pope...

I think Lennon's impact is harder to measure because the approach was different... and its ahrd to know how that music impacted people in the long term.
 
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As a 30-something white bread midwesterner, I gotta go with Lennon. He certainly has had more of an influence in my life than Cassius Clay. I suppose Ali is looked upon as a symbol of the civil rights movement, but to me, he was just a fighter. I think Lennon was a visionary.
 
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Easy, Ali. While Lennon was a great musician and had an beautiful vision of what the world could be, his actions didn't have the direct results that Ali's did. Both were/are great people who deserve the title of 'legend', but Ali's actions led to more social change.
 
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Muhammad Ali actually stood up for his beliefs, and paid the consequences for them, while remaining an inspiration. Lennon was a whiny limousine liberal-although I still like a lot of his solo stuff.
 
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