In lieu of this month's Presidential debates, while it is taboo to mix racial judgments with politics, considering President Obama is the first African-American President of the United States, the issue is continually brought to light in the media. After the first round of debates where Governor Mitt Romney appeared to have conquered Obama, in response to Obama's reserve during the debate, Michael Eric Dyson , a professor of sociology at Georgetown, made a controversial observation on MSNBC, “Lest we forget this, lest we pretend this doesn’t make a difference, the specter hanging over him is: ‘I can’t come off as too vigorous because then it looks like I’m being an angry black man.’ ” Mr. Dyson postulated that because of the "Angry Black Man Phenomena" Romney was able to play to that strength. Regardless of whether this was, in fact, the intent of Romney's strategy that night, Obama showed no reserve in the final two debates, where Obama showed outright disapproval of Romney's flip-flop policy proposals, without coming off as a brute.
Samsung Galaxy Note II New York Launch Event, October 2012
I recently read an essay by Professor of Sociology at Ferris State University, Dr. David Pilgrim on “The Brute Caricature” which summarizes a brief history of the “Angry Black Man” stereotype, its origins coming from the Reconstruction Era of the United States (1867-1877). "The brute caricature portrays black men as innately savage, animalistic, destructive, and criminal -- deserving punishment, maybe death. This brute is a fiend, a sociopath, an anti-social menace. Black brutes are depicted as hideous, terrifying predators who target helpless victims, especially white women. Charles H. Smith (1893), writing in the 1890s, claimed, "A bad negro is the most horrible creature upon the earth, the most brutal and merciless"(p. 181). Clifton R. Breckinridge (1900), a contemporary of Smith's, said of the black race, "when it produces a brute, he is the worst and most insatiate brute that exists in human form" (p. 174)." This stereotype since then has traveled through time, mainly promulgated by the media. From of white supremacist novels of the early 1900s that incited fear and loathing of the African-American male, to the false criminal accusations of black men in the 1980’s and 90’s that fed off the black brute caricature, it has been determined by historians that, in fact, “The brute caricature was a red herring, a myth used to justify lynching, which in turn was used as a social control mechanism to instill fear in black communities.”
Halloween is tomorrow, and I thought it funny that Kanye West new collaborative studio album, “Cruel Summer” has come out around this time for he is portrayed in the media himself as somewhat of an “Angry Black Man” of our current generation (especially considering his father, Ray West, was a former member of the Black Panthers). Dr. Pilgrim explained above that the “Angry Black Man” is the most feared person on Earth. Based on his laudable political statements and public rants, not to mention the stunt he pulled against Taylor Swift at the 2009 Video Music Awards, West is perceived as irrational, politically incorrect, and unpredictable in the public eye. While wildly controversial, the quality of his work in entertainment continue's to quench audience's thirst for innovative, original, and progressive art, music, and fashion, especially in the urban market. It leaves us to beg the question, "Is there method to his madness?" Last month, Kanye West released the collaborative studio album, "Cruel Summer" which featured tracks from current and new members of his G.O.O.D (Getting Out Our Dreams) Music label. Below are the lyrics to one of his emotionally charged tracks, "Cold", a track which, in my fashion, addresses those who don't nay say against him and his mission in entertainment:
Samsung Galaxy Note II New York Launch Event, October 2012
One of the major issues facing our nation as we move forward electing a president for the next four years is the issue facing homosexuals and our human rights. Today is the last round of Presidential debates and although the topic focus will be foreign policy, each candidate's views on social issues such as the aforementioned weigh heavy on the hearts of many. I saw this video last Friday on 106 & Park, and I am not ashamed to say I was brought to tears. I was moved by how the video's message was so beautifully presented. In my fashion, this video says don't be afraid to go down the path of life you feel is most true to yourself. It's the only way you will find your destination to happiness. Through all the adversity one will face trying to find one's true happiness, nothing miraculous happens to those who stand safely on the riverbank and don't stand for what it is we want out of life. I relate to this video in that, I being homosexual myself, feel that there are certain unalienable rights that should not be governed by national policy. In my fashion, the candidate who shows a genuine interest to adhere to this notion would do well at the polls. I, myself, envision growing old with the love of my life, whether I was gay or straight, and to deny a right such as who it is that one loves is wildly preposterous to me considering not only our nation's history in civil rights, but the simple morale of the situation. Support marriage equality!
