Black Man in Contemporary Society
Ever since the black man landed on the shores of the American continent, there have been perpetual attempts of him to find his place in society. The transatlantic slave trade hoarded them into the continent in droves, and as the centuries have worn on, the black man is still mangled in the quest for his emancipation from social, economic, and psychological discrimination and prejudice form his white counterparts. The black in history can be termed as a person who has been caught up in a fight that nature did not prepare him for; the social construction philosophy has imbued in his mind that in the presence of Caucasians, Latinos, and the Mongols, he is the odd one out.
However, there are those who stood up and too the mantle to liberate their counterparts form this psychological enclave of inferiority. History is littered with notable figures of people were determined to rewrite history and change the recourse of their lives, up to today, where there are slogans which remind “that black lives matter.” Men and women of color have probably faced the worst of their lives, and in this paper, it will explore some of the contemporary issues which have been manifested in various domains in the aspect of emancipating the men and women of color and enabling them to find their place in the society. It will also take an approach of determining how men of color have been attempting to liberalize themselves from racial prejudices.
It is common knowledge that racism has been rife in the united states and the people of color have been termed and the rejects of Gods creation with noting in between their ears and only created to be led. This social prejudice has been amplified by the aspect in which stereotypes have been labeled against the black person. in this case, it is where Coates in his letter to his son advises him of the perils of inhabiting a black body and what it can mean if one was to accept that he was a lesser being. It is in this context that he advises his son about the issues which have engulfed him in childhood, reminding him that he is lucky to have had a different period to grow up. Social construction is what defined men and worn of color, and they were regarded as the body which they inhabited not what they can do. This is the reason he reminds his son that he should continue fighting for his liberalization not on the front of physical aspects but with the mind. In the modern society, accepting and taking the prejudices into the heart will only ruin one’s life, as Coates advises his son, he can attain anything if he maintains a positive attitude on his abilities and equality.
This notion is amplified in the film moonlight, where the social construction was what was to define the life of the protagonist: Chiron. Being a black person and an LBGT was not something which was embraced in the society which he lived. This is the same thing which can be likened to the struggles of black liberalism and now the recognition of LBGTs by the society. Life was unfair to him the society was against him. However, he took control of his life, and he maintained his attitude of success. Many would have termed him as a sissy due to his sexual orientation, but he proved that such kind of a notion could only take effect is one agrees so. That is why his friend was amazed on realizing that, the boy they bullied in school, was now a masculine and macho man capable of running drug trade successfully, yet possessing his sexual orientation. This is to confirm that the belief and the attitude of not being capable are something which the society imbues on someone and can only take effect if one agrees to be complacent to the prejudice.
There are several trends which are featured in the lives of the men of color by the society. The issues are all about sex, drugs, alcohol, spirituality and thug life. This is in the aspect that these are the prejudices and stereotypes which defined the man of color. Therefore, Alexander in her book the New Jim Crow finds it unbelievable that the social constructions of yore are still applicable today especially in the justice system. This is even though there was a man of color as the president of the United States. Every black person in the streets is a suspect for drugs and drug peddling, and this racial prejudice seems to inform every judicial and police investigation cases in the unites states of America. The same is witnessed in the aspect of the rumors of Jay z having an affair with another woman yet having a number one celebrity for a wife. This is a notion which would indicate that the life of men of color is punctuated and dominated by sex despite the social status. This shows that they are incapable of maintaining a family, just as Paula in Moonlight film was incapable of loving her son and financed her drug life with prostitution.
The same notion is amplified in the documentary the Ethnic Notions where American society since the times of the civil war, in the Ante-bellum eras up to the upsurge of civil rights movements of the 1960s. This is the notion of the popular culture which permeated society, laced with racial prejudices and stereotypes targeting the people of color. This is in the essence of the description and the names which were given to define the man of color. This is unfortunate because these concepts had been perpetuated in the mass media and embraced by the white population. The same is witnessed today in the era of globalization where utterances based on racial prejudices can be seen in the social media and discrimination in the games. Many are times when African footballers have threatened to pull out of a game after racial slurs were hurled at them. Also, social media was awash with racially laced sentiments after the end of the term of then-president Obama. Unfortunately, it was witnessed that Pamela Taylor put sentiments in social media with the racial undertone that she is tired of watching “an ape in heels” in the Whitehouse referring to former first lady Michele Obama. These are the description which was common in those times and is still perpetuated in society today.
understanding from these readings and films is that people of color are not less than their white counterparts. Both racial groups have their flaws and weaknesses and that black people have a conscience of better living and good life. This is witnessed in Coates plea to his son to desist from falling into the same trap which the street offers regarding street seduction and spiritual seduction. The black people in society have a moral issue which informs their lives and the choices which they make. It is in this context that Jay z seeks to apologize about his alleged affair and cheating on his wife, Juan in the Moonlight film is remorseful of selling drugs to Paula and tries to educate Chiron on being himself. This is an indicator that black people strive to be better that whet the society think they are. They have not accepted what the society has defined them to be and deep inside them, despite being in a messy life, desire to have a better life that the one they had.
It seems that it is society which limits the chances of the people of color to make it in life, and this is what makes them use short cuts to make it in life. The social construction of their aspect of laziness, thuggery, insolences, and sexuality is based on the superficial aspects the society has imbued on them. The documentary Ethnic Notions still has the aspects in which the issues still define and undermine the racial relations in society today. This is the aspect that one should not be defined by what society defines them to be, or how their seniors have handled life. Everyone could chart his or her own life despite the challenges the society will put in their way. This is in the aspect that life should move on and African Americans should emulate the lives of the notable black figures of the American society as depicted in the I am not you Negro film. This is a show of defiance to the racial prejudices and stereotypes as witnessed in the system in Alexander’s the New Jim Crow. The is an indicator that one can make it only if they try and the understanding that there are innate capabilities that everyone in the society must and should strive to achieve.
What however was one would not agree with is the notion that all white people have been bad to black folk. This is in the essence that in the I am not your Negro, several people of white descent have helped to elevate the social standing of the black person in the society.
This is witnessed for the age of anti-slavery movements and during civil rights movements where there where whites who were sympathetic to people of color. These same stereotypes which have been labeled by the whites to the people pf color do not entirely reflect the black folk. This is in the sense that some people have been convicted wrongly for crimes not committed. Just as Baldwin the Fire next door essays, American society cannot achieve its nationhood by having factions of camps of white superiority and black inferiority. In his statement, Baldwin lamented that despite the fates of white and black American being intertwined, it would probably never have happed since all that white America does is to claim innocence. How would one whish that one of the most unanimously voted for presidents in American history was a black person, whose father was not even a citizen of the united states.
In conclusion, the people of color in the United States have faced a lot of turbulence over the centuries. White superiority had on them for centuries and dictated their lives in a bad way. However, every person is born with equal opportunities, only what determines is if he or she is ready to learn from the plight of his or her seniors to make it in life or to perish in oblivion. It is evident that the black folks have made a lot of sacrifices and relentless liberalization which they enjoy today and therefore, they should exploit the new opportunities to better their lives.
References
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/03/jay-z-beyonce-new-album-444-not-feminist-plea-forgiveness-marital-saga
Grizzle, G. (2016). Book Review: Ta-Nehisi Coates, Between the World and Me. Theory In Action, 9(2), 109-116. http://dx.doi.org/10.3798/tia.1937-0237.16013
Jenkins, J. (2016). Moonlight. United States: A24 Plan B Entertainment Pastel Productions.
Pakrasi, B., & Baldwin, J. (1965). The Fire Next Time. The Journal Of Negro History, 50(1), 60. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2716413
Raoul, p. (2016). I Am Not Your Negro. France, United States, Belgium, Switzerland: Velvet Film Artemis Productions Close Up Films.
Riggs, M. (1987). Ethnic Notions. The United States.
Tucker, T. (2012). The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander. African American Review, 45(3), 466-468. http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/afa.2012.0038
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