RETHINKING BLACK AMERICAN MANHOOD FOR OUR YOUTH

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. 

VANGUARDS and HOUSEKEEPERS--We Need Them Both

When it comes to the betterment of any people, over time there will be the formation of two camps; vanguards and housekeepers. I consider myself a housekeeper. Black people in America have more than enough vanguards. What do I mean by this? I'm glad you asked.  Vanguards in the context of Black American issues are the ones always pointing out the crimes of discrimination, prejudice, and racism. We need these people. They keep the White supremacist power structure on its toes and continue to shed light on the otherwise clandestine activities of those in power that wish to continue to disenfranchise and exclude Black people from equal access, true justice, and adequate opportunities.

We continue to see huge disparities in many areas like prison sentences, incomes, and educational achievement. However, as useful and necessary as the vanguards are, if we listen to them only, we will think that the only impediment holding Black America back is racism. That is very untrue. Black people are not held back only by racism. They play a large part in their own self destruction and continued lagging behind in many categories. That's where housekeepers like me come in. 

A housekeeper does not stop at making excuses and pointing out injustices. Our job is to make sure that we are doing everything we can to position ourselves for progress and clean up our own messes. Malcolm X was both a housekeeper and a vanguard. That's one of the many reasons why I admire him the most. He not only held fire to the brutal and racist systems in America, but he also exposed the foolishness and counterproductive habits and beliefs of Black people.

If we, as Black people, not only in America, but across the globe, desire to get out of the economic, political, and social ruts that we find ourselves in, we need to start making better decisions with our behavior, beliefs, money, children, families, educations, etc. We can no longer continue to lean upon the crutch of blaming racism for all of our problems. Racism and other forms of discrimination will always exist. That is beyond our control. Nonetheless, we can control our individual and community wide destinies by the choices we make.

I am a proud housekeeper that is hard on my people. I am Black. I have family members on drugs, behind bars, and even that have died of AIDS. These issues plague our community disproportionately. And, none of my family members that have suffered theses ills can blame racism for it. They acted stupid on their own--period. I hate when the Al Sharptons and Jesse Jacksons come along and scream racism and prejudice but fail to hold us accountable for our parts played in our demise. For example, so much was made of Trayvon Martin's murder (because the perpetrator was not Black) yet, when fellow young Black men are slaughtered by their own kind, we hear basically nothing about it. Trayvon Martin's life only absorbed value because of who the murderer was. Had he been killed by another Black man, which is unfortunately the norm, he would have just been "another dead nigga." What does that really say about how we as a nation, and in particular a people truly view the lives of young Black men?

So, I take up the mantle of a housekeeper. I am hard on my people. Black people do not need the sympathy of liberals or more excuses made for us. All we want is opportunity and equality. The vanguard says, "The criminal justice system gives Black men harsher sentences than White men." The housekeeper agrees but responds, "Since we understand this, why don't we stop doing stupid things to get arrested in the first place." The vanguard says, "The schools in Black neighborhoods are substandard. How can we expect Black students to know how to read or even graduate?" The housekeeper agrees but responds, "Even in inner-city and substandard schools, these Black kids can get a decent education and use that to get out of poverty and the inner city. Where are their parents when they drop out? Where are their parents when they have homework? If slaves risked their lives just to learn how to read, what excuse do these kids have to be illiterate as adults?" The vanguard says, "The poverty that surrounds Black men compels them to sell drugs. If they had better opportunities they would do better." The housekeeper says, "That's nonsense. Immigrants come to America from much lower levels of poverty without a command of English and through hard work and sacrifice eventually make a decent life for themselves and their families--without resorting to poisoning their community by selling drugs. Selling drugs is a lazy cop-out for people who want something easy." I will always be hard on my people because they are far more capable of the pathetic output they've been yielding since the Civil Rights Movement. Sympathy and excuses are poison.