We all learn our various unique definitions of masculinity
and femininity from a number of sources. For example, these meanings usually
come from the media, our families, examples we grew up with and a few other
areas of influence. Yet, in some social circles and cultures, perspectives of
what a man is/not and what a woman is/not can take on sort of a homogeneous
character that people in that particular group
eventually become trapped within. In other words, social norms and molds
surrounding masculinity and femininity are created and the pressure to adhere
and conform to these imprison people in fear. They are afraid of possibly
venturing into other examples around them that would not necessarily be accepted
where they come from. This is especially true with regards to masculinity and
manhood.
In particular, these definitions have been quite sharpened
and focused in the Black American community among its youth. Images and
concepts of manhood--both its inner mentality and outward manifestations, have
been constructed, repeatedly displayed, and even marketed to the point where
many young Black American men have adopted this idea and emulated this myopic picture
of manhood. This is accomplished when they internalize and mimic it in an
almost unquestionable fashion. Now, one can argue what manhood is and is not
and whether this particular perspective of manhood is indeed an accurate one.
The problem with this is that defining such culturally elastic terms can
quickly manifest bias, prejudice, ignorance, ethnocentrism, and other forms
personal superimposition upon the supposed objectivity of the definition.
Sometimes, it's not enough to examine something by simply
juxtaposing it against what has been accepted as the norm or benchmark to weigh
its legitimacy. There often arises a need for analysis that goes beyond the
superficial and seeks the dynamics of not only how by why. I ask that question
today. Why have we as Black American men associated manliness with large
amounts of inner anger and defensiveness in addition to consistent outward
symbols of intimidation and fierceness. Sure, these "attributes " can
be traced back to the dawn of time or in other more primitive societies and
environments where the "law of the jungle" prevailed. Also, one can
easily recognize situations where such measurements of manliness are useful for
survival such as in a prison or a war zone. Yet, one would surmise that manhood
has, or should have, evolved to a place where the need for such is not as great
and other useful qualities would have been added to this definition. However,
over and over again, these few rudimentary facets of masculinity have been
tacked onto being a Black American man time and again despite the value or lack
thereof from the continual subscription to this set of beliefs. People often
live their entire lives playing parts, fulfilling roles, and reinforcing norms
without taking the time to disengage themselves from these expectations and
asking themselves how they came to be and why they are still viewed as
relevant. It's high time that young Black American manhood be treated this way.
For too long, these images and paradigms have been embraced and cloned over and
over again without their side-effects and other associations being confronted.
Let's be honest, whether or not if it's right or even
sensible, Black and White men in America--especially young ones--both have a
set of expectations and norms that do not always mirror one another. One can
easily notice that Black American youth (often referred to ridiculously as
"urban") are looked at with more suspicion and less positive
expectations than the youth of White America. I don't have to list many
examples. There are countless documentaries, studies, tragic stories, and
articles that attest to this being a fact. One of the more distinct elements of
this is how manhood is defined and defended in the young Black American male
community. Part of this phenomenon are the messages disseminated by the media
through methodical usage of statistics. Negative statistics and Black American
males go hand-in-hand. For example, statistics describing incarceration rates,
violent crimes, high school dropout rates, poverty levels, and even academic
achievement usually place young Black American men near or at the bottom (or top, depending on how the issue is
worded). Therefore, when these negative statistics are placed together as
separate puzzle pieces, an image begins to take shape of a segment of America's
youth that is socially plagued in many ways. Arguments as to who or what is to
blame will go on forever. Yet, no matter the reason(s) these statistics
purported over and over by a plethora of media outlets have branded fear and
low expectations in the minds of many Americans--even fellow Black Americans.
Along with this, the image of the tough, violent, and impulsive young Black
male in America is marketed though hip-hop music videos, clothing companies
labeled as "urban", and cinema. These individuals are not always cast
in a negative light because otherwise, this character wouldn't be able to sell
baggy jeans, baseball caps, music, movies, jewelry, etc. He has been
conveniently labeled a "thug", "gangsta", (real)
"nigga", "soldier", "hustler", etc. The media powers that be even market him to
women as the new-age tough guy, the silent deadly type, or the proverbial
"bad boy" that women swoon over during that "stage" in
their lives.
Nonetheless, this is a real character. And he did exist
before he was commoditized and used on magazine covers and exploited by
advertising agencies. However, in the past--before he became a role model--he
was a product of a violent and racist America that looked at him as subhuman
and ensured that he was robbed of opportunities and sought to further enslave
him through the criminal justice system. One can argue that some (if not all)
of these things still haven't changed. He became a criminal not just because of
his illegal activity but also because of a justice system that targeted him
whether he was guilty or not. He could have earned an education. However, the
schools where he grew up remained ill equipped and underfunded. Besides that,
he often had to drop out to help bring money to the severely impoverished
family he was a member of. In addition,
an education in his time meant very little when the odds of decent employment
were very slim for his kind on the first place.
His inability (or refusal) to express his frustrations was
not simply his own way of dealing with things "the old fashioned
way." He had no recourse to address his oppression and discrimination. The
very government that should have provided such avenues was the entity that
sanctioned the abuse he endured. Therefore, his kind internalized the anger and
hatred. Of course anger is never dormant. Anger may hide itself but it does not
hibernate. It slowly becomes bitterness, then transforms into hatred, next it
either lashes out through rage or turns upon itself and manifests as
depression. These are not qualities that make a man. These are the ingredients
for destruction--self-destruction or the destruction of a community. This
invariably affected how he dealt with his wife and children. Like it or not, we
all bring our frustrations and stress home with us.
So, this young man,
full of negativity was further rebranded by the marketers into the new
"Alpha Male" that takes what he wants--but takes no prisoners. He
views love and the expression of emotions and feelings as weakness. His cold
hardness was his strength. In other words, everything remained bottled up on
the inside despite the cost of what it took to keep those things stuffed
within. No one was to be trusted--especially women. They were to always be
viewed with suspicion because they kept ulterior motives. However, conquering
them sexually (especially when it came easy) and keeping a "stable"
of them was a sign of not only virility, but also a measure of his powers and
influence. Talking a lot and other forms of self-expression were feminine. The
less he said, the more tough he was. It didn't matter what pain and fear
swirled within him; he could never let it out. This inner turmoil fed and
empowered the rage that swelled inside of him. This disabled him from talking
about his conflicts, problems, and misunderstandings with others. Issues were
to be solved by violence and force alone. This is how the society dealt with
him and his kind from the time they were pulled in shackles from slaves ships
fresh from the Atlantic Ocean. So the legacy continued through his hands.
Reasoning, negotiation, compromise, forgiveness, and love were not shown to
him. Therefore, for him to display such would be the ultimate example of
cowardice. In his world, problems were solved through submission or the
shedding of blood by fist, blade, or even bullet.
Not only that, the marketers even set him against the man
that was less prone to violence. The one that sought peace, wasn't as muscle
bound, better educated, and less impulsive was portrayed as weak and
effeminate. He was a sucker and very conquerable. Sure, he might be articulate,
have a nice job, and be more concerned with his financial portfolio than what
he could bench press. But he would easily lose in a fight. Therefore, he was
the proverbial "square." Unfortunately---rather, sadly, many Black
American youth have bought into this way of thinking and defining the role of a
man. Let's dissect him. He is always enamored with his reputation or
"rep" for short. Thus, any slight against him or questioning of his
toughness is swiftly dealt with through merciless violence. How is this
conducive to manhood? It's a trap (like many other parts of this definition
that we will get into), or as Aaron MacGruder so eloquently put it in his
phenomenal cartoon series, "The Bookdocks"; a "nigga
moment." This constant state of virtual paranoia that many Black American
youth live under is the source of countless episodes of senseless violence that
tragically has taken the lives of many of our youth.
The problem is, like many issues that Black America lives
subject to, these incidents are looked at individually and not collectively
enough. If adopting this alleged "tough guy" persona results in the
death of many people that share the same racial identification, then one can
start to see it as genocidal. Usually genocidal acts are committed from
external sources. Nonetheless, Black American genocide has shifted from the
hands of brutal White supremacists to those of fellow Black men. The constant
guarding of one's rep against any slight, real or perceived, is just another
form of hypersensitivity. What is the fear? That someone won't revere you or
consider you hard or tough enough? When and how did that become so valuable?
Yes, valuable-because it cost another young Black man his life, his family a
loved one and the grief therein, and finally--your individual freedom. So, the
marketers get you to not only buy this idea of manhood and reinforce it by listening
to music and watching movies that preach it over and over, but to both take
another Black life from the job market and voting booth (eliminating economic
and political competition) and you take yourself out of the race as well
because you will languish in prison. Furthermore, in prison you will be a low
wage slave for a corporation that will buy your discounted labor and your
presence in that prison enriches the private company that runs it for the state
it's located in.
It's a trap. This particular idea of manhood assists the
hands of a racist system in that it pits young Black men against one another.
Instead of viewing one another as brothers or comrades in a social and
community wide struggle, they view one another with either envious hatred or
indifference and coldness. My "nigga" has replaced "my
brother." My "dogs" has replaced "my friends." My
"bitches" has replaced "my sisters." The greatest threat to
a people and a cause is not the enemy without, but division within. And this
self-destructive definition of manhood plays right into that plan.
Let's look at it from an additional perspective. The
stereotyped image of this tough guy is a young, quiet Black man walking the dangerous
city streets in a tank top with a large intimidating physique, a menacing scowl
draped across his face, and a leashed pit-bull (or other breed of ferocious canine) beside him. How
many photos in advertisements or news stories have we witnessed this scene in? The large and muscular frame is easy to figure
out. Well built men have always symbolized strength, courage, and stood as a
warming to others not to step lightly. But are there any negatives of
emphasizing physical power as a metric of manhood--especially in a historical
context of Black American masculinity? I would think so.
Initially, upon the shores of colonial America, a
significant amount of a Black man's worth was identified by his physical
abilities. He was to be used as a laborer in a system of chattel slavery. When
he arrived here, he was not seen as a human, or better yet, "as
human" as his White masters and fellow inhabitants in this fledgling
nation. The stronger he was, the better. His intellect was of no value beyond
him mastering his particular skill he was purchased to employ; be it mining,
picking cotton, or building ships. In fact, if he displayed what was considered
to be too much intelligence, he was viewed as a threat and greatly distrusted
or despised. So, any Black man that was very smart and/or educated would
actually not be viewed as worth much because he would be branded as a potential
troublemaker and would inevitably disrupt the system that relied on tamed and
obedient slaves. This is why a number of states adopted laws that forbade the
teaching of slaves how to read and restricted the number of how many slaves
could gather together alone.
This perception of a Black man as less than human, or if you
will, an animal of sorts, is even backed up the language of the U.S.
Constitution. In it, slaves were only to be counted as 60% human, or 3/5 of a
man when the census was taken. You can learn more about this by studying what
is known in American History as "The Three-Fifths Compromise." Thus,
Black male slaves stood in the same category as farm animals or beasts of labor
like mules and oxen. They were only as valuable as their physical strength,
loyalty to their masters, and ability to produce and reproduce could be
measured. This differs very little from a hunting dog or horse. So, ask
yourself, should we continue to gauge the manliness of a young Black American
male overwhelmingly by his physical stature or strength? Are not these truly
base and archaic ways or assessing his masculinity? It adds another dimension
to certain vernacular of the day. When a young Black man displays feats of
physical power or endurance, he is said to be "a beast" or he has
just entered into "beast-mode." Such phrases are embraced and copied
without truly gaining the significance and possible double-meaning of their
use. Sure, we as humans admire animals for their physical abilities that far
surpass ours like the speed of a cheetah, the strength of a bull, or the
boldness of a lion. Yet, when we consider that in the past, we were viewed as
beasts in terms of being subhuman, we should be careful about using language
that places us on that level once again.
Speaking of animals, aside from physical stature being used
to project fear, the fascination with breeds of dogs such as pit-bulls and Rottweilers
stands to be examined as well. The image of a strong and stern young Black man
walking a dog known for its ferocity and viciousness also symbolizes and
reinforces this idea that manhood is best displayed by the constant presence of
something threatening. In essence, the dangerous dog is an extension of sorts
of this man's capability as well as his propensity for violence. The muscular and
menacing animal is one with its owner and to disturb one is to arouse the anger
in the other. Black men often complain of being feared and suspected for no
reason by White citizens, law enforcement, and even members of their own
community. But such grievances fall upon deaf ears when they gravitate and
imitate these mass marketed images of thugs and riffraffs.
A dog, a tank top, and a mean look upon someone's face does
not make them tough or guilty of any crime. Neither does wearing a ski mask in
a grocery store or standing in the dark corner of a parking lot with a long trench
coat, dark sunglasses, and large hat pulled low. Yet, images are powerful and
they induce perceptions which of course shape reality. If the objective is to
induce fear and intimidation based on imagery that we've been taught that
correlates with violence, crime, etc. then why do young Black men feel inclined
to gravitate towards such examples and associate manliness with them just to turn around and feel slighted when
people react that way to them? It's a set up--again. The downside of walking
around this way is that on one hand, fear will be projected; but that
projection of such marks one and makes that one unapproachable and subject to prejudgment
and suspicion. This prejudgment and suspicion then fuels long standing
prejudices and justifies discrimination in the hearts and minds of the ignorant
and fearful.
Yes, fear may be what these young men desire to emanate. But unfortunately, the advantages are short-lived. In other words, this fear that is inspired in others may temporarily gain the subject respect. Nonetheless, in the long run this works against them. Why? People always seek to kill what they fear. If they cannot kill it, they either wish to sedate it or lock it away. Has that not happened to young Black American men? Are they not locked away in cages (like "beasts") that make up a multifaceted network of prisons and jails across America? Are they not sedated beginning at a young age through over-diagnosis of school age ailments as ADHD and Hyperactivity with prescription drugs such as Ritalin and Atomoxetine? The sedation continues with easy access to alcohol and narcotics in the neighborhoods in which they reside. Many studies have yielded statistics that prove not only overrepresentation in the penal system but patterns of frequent diagnosis of ADHD and Hyperactivity among Black males.
Furthermore, it gets to the point where other men that share the
same skin color or ethnicity, that may
not necessarily dress or carry themselves in that manner, become categorized
the same way. People often judge entire groups of people by who they feel are representatives of
the worst of their kind. This is an unfortunate, but all too real fact of human
nature. I have heard people of a certain racial group say, "He's my color
but he's not my kind." However, most people don't take the time nor care
enough to try and differentiate. It takes one bad story or painful experience
for a whole category of people to be labeled negatively.
Thus, when Black characters are portrayed in different forms
of entertainment, the males are often angry and violently impulsive. The
stereotypes feed reality which strengthens the stereotype. Soon young Black men
are approached with caution and suspicion and even dismissed under the guise of
low expectations because enough young Black men have embraced the idea that
this is how they are supposed to conduct themselves. In return, the many forms prejudice,
which are further empowered by the fear they seek to project, is encountered by
them and they act out these frustrations upon one another. These
interconnections of it all end up as being counterproductive and even self-destructive
in the long run.
It's time that young Black men let go of this Neanderthalistic
definition of manhood and either rethink it or add to it. Problems and
conflicts can be solved in more productive and less destructive ways than raw
violence. Reputations and respect can me maintained without merciless forms of
retribution. Reasoning, compromise, forgiveness, and peace can be utilized to
deal with strife and disagreements. A person is much more than the fear and
intimidation they instill. These are devices that have been implanted into the community
to ensure division and infighting. Such things just enable oppression and
exploitation to continue. The divide and conquer tactic will always work. We
are not beasts. We are men. The most effective strength we have is that of our
minds--not our muscles. Manhood is more about building than it is about
destroying. Masculinity should engender more confidence than it does fear.
These definitions of manhood have only entrapped us within their narrow limitations.
It's time we free ourselves from the psychological restraints put upon us in
terms of cultural norms and expectations. Otherwise, a shackled mind does more
to make a slave than chained hands and feet.
