Here's an article I wrote and I would like you all to tell me what you think. It's about how we need to redefine who we consider Black and why. The bolded parts are the TLDR.
Is “Black” a race, a skin tone, a nationality, or a way of thinking? Like all arbitrary terms, each answer could be true or false depending on who you ask. More insidious, is what this word can mean to one on a subconscious level. To some, the word Black is synonymous with deficiency, debauchery, salaciousness, and impulsiveness which become the bookends that confine their personal growth and development.
I would like for you to re-examine your Black identity and decouple it from a particular activity or state of being and instead view it as an ideology. An ideology where you cooperate with, advocate for, and prioritize like-minded Black people (from here forth referred to as “the code”). What is the benefit of this you may ask? Well to get to that answer, let’s examine the pitfalls of our old way of defining Blackness.
Defining Blackness by Activities
“Brothas, don’t jet ski”, “Sistas don’t be doing yoga”, “Black people don’t eat organic” and etc are all self-limiting phrases that are spoken by those who define blackness by activities. The danger in this, is that Blackness becomes dogmatic and confined to a socially acceptable group of activities. Now what happens if the group of activities the community has aligned around are self-destructive, unproductive, and/or salacious?”. It creates a cycle where the community participates in and perpetuates self-destructive behaviors and shuns everything that can break the cycle saying, “that’s what those other folk do”. To make this tangible, we have:
Marcus: Smokes, drinks, listens to rap, gang bangs, and curses.
Jason: Well-dressed, doesn’t drink or smoke, listens to rock, and dirt bikes every weekend.
When blackness is defined by activities, Marcus can present as more authentically black due to increased participation in activities deemed socially acceptable. The limitations of this frame of thought are that it does not consider if any of these individuals abide by “The Code”. Marcus may have a higher social participation than Jason, but Marcus is staunchly against cooperating with, advocating for, and prioritizing like-minded Black people thus making him an enemy to progress. Individuals like Marcus make the best government informants/agents as they have street credibility but no allegiance to the greater group.
Defining Blackness by State of Being
“Man you ain’t from the hood”, “you ain’t ever struggled”, “you don’t be in the hood” these are phrases we hear uttered by those who define blackness by a State of Being. These individuals view their blackness based on where they live, who they associate with, and their economic status which at face value does not appear to be problematic; but what if the socially accepted state of being is one of disrepair, disorder, and deprivation? Well, it results in individuals who perpetuate a cycle of poverty because the very thought of success, comfort, and abundance is an affront to their identity. This thought process knows no economic bounds and manifests itself in different ways. Let’s identify 3 different personas in the Black community and see how this mind state could potentially impact them:
...read the rest here:
Is “Black” a race, a skin tone, a nationality, or a way of thinking? Like all arbitrary terms, each answer could be true or false depending on who you ask. More insidious, is what this word can mean to one on a subconscious level. To some, the word Black is synonymous with deficiency, debauchery, salaciousness, and impulsiveness which become the bookends that confine their personal growth and development.
I would like for you to re-examine your Black identity and decouple it from a particular activity or state of being and instead view it as an ideology. An ideology where you cooperate with, advocate for, and prioritize like-minded Black people (from here forth referred to as “the code”). What is the benefit of this you may ask? Well to get to that answer, let’s examine the pitfalls of our old way of defining Blackness.
Defining Blackness by Activities
“Brothas, don’t jet ski”, “Sistas don’t be doing yoga”, “Black people don’t eat organic” and etc are all self-limiting phrases that are spoken by those who define blackness by activities. The danger in this, is that Blackness becomes dogmatic and confined to a socially acceptable group of activities. Now what happens if the group of activities the community has aligned around are self-destructive, unproductive, and/or salacious?”. It creates a cycle where the community participates in and perpetuates self-destructive behaviors and shuns everything that can break the cycle saying, “that’s what those other folk do”. To make this tangible, we have:
Marcus: Smokes, drinks, listens to rap, gang bangs, and curses.
Jason: Well-dressed, doesn’t drink or smoke, listens to rock, and dirt bikes every weekend.
When blackness is defined by activities, Marcus can present as more authentically black due to increased participation in activities deemed socially acceptable. The limitations of this frame of thought are that it does not consider if any of these individuals abide by “The Code”. Marcus may have a higher social participation than Jason, but Marcus is staunchly against cooperating with, advocating for, and prioritizing like-minded Black people thus making him an enemy to progress. Individuals like Marcus make the best government informants/agents as they have street credibility but no allegiance to the greater group.
Defining Blackness by State of Being
“Man you ain’t from the hood”, “you ain’t ever struggled”, “you don’t be in the hood” these are phrases we hear uttered by those who define blackness by a State of Being. These individuals view their blackness based on where they live, who they associate with, and their economic status which at face value does not appear to be problematic; but what if the socially accepted state of being is one of disrepair, disorder, and deprivation? Well, it results in individuals who perpetuate a cycle of poverty because the very thought of success, comfort, and abundance is an affront to their identity. This thought process knows no economic bounds and manifests itself in different ways. Let’s identify 3 different personas in the Black community and see how this mind state could potentially impact them:
...read the rest here:
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