‘‘To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.’ ’
In Laurie Cassidy’s article ‘The Myth of the Dangerous Black Man,’ she welcomes her reader into a mental exercise.
How do you approach these three young black men? What do you see when they pass by on the sidewalk? How do you feel as you walk down a dark city street at night? Imagine yourself feeling more alert to your surroundings and more vulnerable to physical harm after seeing these young men. Do you feel guilty even for feeling this way? And do you imagine that they might mug you? Do you keep your eyes focused on the ground or do you say hello and make eye contact? How do you feel when you see these three young men, considering that you are a white person reading these lines? What is their demeanor and appearance like?
Cassidy, a middle-aged white woman who identifies herself as apprehensive in the scenario above, admits that she would not have an actual experience with young black men but rather accepts fully the beliefs, opinions, and ideas of the same group without weighing other viewpoints, which is how implicit bias works. She further acknowledges that when someone is taught and fully accepts those ideas, it can be seen as indoctrination. While Cassidy uses the word “learned” to describe what she has learned about them, she also critiques their ideas and admits her reaction but does not step further to call those ideas indoctrination.
‘Indoctrination is what happens when someone is taught and fully accepts the ideas, opinions and beliefs about a particular group without weighing other viewpoints about that same group. That’s how implicit bias works. ’
The legend of the Furious African American Man is more widespread and detrimental than any of these preconceptions. They make it more challenging for every individual of African descent and other individuals from minority backgrounds to lead a life devoid of racial discrimination. Instead of being eradicated through education, these stereotypes are perpetuated, and prejudices become internalized.
How would you answer the same questions that she posed to herself? Can you recall or have you heard of a situation where Cassidy describes what she did?
Let’s rewind
In order to see things from a different perspective, it is important to acknowledge that the Fifteenth and Fourteenth Amendments of the US Constitution granted black men the right to vote and made black citizens. Thanks to the passing of the Thirteenth Amendment and the Civil War, black people had been legally freed from enslavement for fifty years by this time. Therefore, it is necessary to take a trip back in time to 1915 in order to understand why the stereotype of the Angry Black Man is both harmful and misleading.
In 1915, it is a fact that many gains made by black Americans during the Reconstruction period, which occurred after the Civil War, had been stripped away. During Reconstruction, several black men were elected to national and state local offices, which made white people afraid of losing their grip on power and control over black people. As a result, they launched a campaign to slander and spread lies about black people, using the newest inventions of the time, such as the film. One of the most dangerous and long-lasting myths created during this time was the myth of the Angry Black Man, which continues to be told to this day. This myth perpetuates dirty lies and violence against black people, with the intention of regaining control over them.
Roll the film begins and the lights go down as you start shoving handfuls of popcorn into your mouth and take your seat. Imagine being a kid in 1915, going to a movie theater to watch the most anticipated film of the summer. Enter The Birth of a Nation, the first blockbuster hit and world’s film by Griffith.
What do you think about this film that teaches you about the beliefs of black men and their reactions? People around you are clapping because you would rather marry a black man than die, as portrayed in the movie, instead of a white woman. That’s the right thing. The audience breaks into applause, and the music swells with a full orchestral score, making it the first movie ever to have such triumphant music. At one point in the movie, a distraught woman proposes marriage to a black man, jumping off a cliff and running towards him. They are threatening and overly aggressive, especially towards white women. Even more shocking is the fact that the primary villains in the movie are actually white men wearing blackface, portraying the main black male characters. As you notice, the film is a reimagining of the Reconstruction period after the Civil War.
The movie “The Birth of a Nation” was a huge success when it was screened at the White House by then-President Woodrow Wilson. The film rocked the film industry with its daring nature and cutting-edge techniques, such as epic battles and close-up shots. Not only did it entertain moviegoers and filmmakers in other parts of the world, but it also sparked conversations about racist ideas and strengthened those ideas among black men. This regrettable fact is true, and it is like writing history with lightning, as President Woodrow Wilson himself commented.
The myth that was used as a convenient excuse to harm any black man in a white neighborhood deemed “uppity” or successful is sadly a reality that many black men had to live with before Till’s life was paid for with his own. Till, a fourteen-year-old black teenager, was brutally murdered in 1955 after being accused of whistling at Carolyn Bryant, a white woman, by two white men. It is important to remember Emmett Till and the lie that was claimed by white men to protect the supposed chastity of white women, which often led to the murderous practice of lynching. Carolyn Bryant had lied to protect herself. The film “The Birth of a Nation” depicted members of the KKK as heroic figures, resembling cavalry riding to protect their white supremacist ideals, which inspired a rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan.
Imagine if you could feel the anger and hurt of your children or yourself if this happened to you. There was nothing you could do about it, and even white women and men had the authority to sell away your wife and children. Every day, you had to watch your loved ones be treated brutally by a white overseer. Imagine if you were a black man, a husband, and a father, and you were regularly abused by white people during the time of slavery. The anger, the systematic assault on white women is not a myth. The truth is that Black men have a kernel of anger with many of the myths surrounding them.
The reality is that this agony can be added to your life at any moment, especially if you are accused of disrespecting, touching, or harassing a white woman. Your loved ones can be taken away by white mobs for any trumped-up reason.
On May 25, 2020, in Central Park, a bird watcher called the police because he wanted a dog, illegally unleashed, to be on its leash. You may have heard of Amy Cooper instead of Karen. We have already seen an example of this with the murder of fourteen-year-old Emmett Till. Those intent on doing harm to black people weaponize these stereotypes by turning whiteness into a weapon. Even today, perceptions and destructive stereotypes about black people are still alive and well in America, threatening the lives of black individuals. Let’s bring it back to the present.
“She said that men of African descent intend to cause harm under the guise of ‘for code,’ and she urgently requested for someone to come, expressing genuine fear. In Oakland’s park, two black men who were legally barbecuing became the reason for Becky, also known as Jennifer Schulte, to call the police. The bird watcher, who had video evidence, thankfully exposed the lie and revealed that Cooper Amy’s words were almost tantamount to a death sentence when she dialed 911.”
If black people hoped to overcome and survive oppression, even back then, folks were paying attention. There is a long history of using whiteness as a tool of control, where white women exerted power over enslaved black people and gave them the name Miss Ann. Karen, who is also the much older granddaughter of Miss Ann, sometimes calls for the cavalry against a supposed angry black man and asks to speak to the manager, throwing entitled tantrums. Aside from the meme, they’re all called Karens.
James Baldwin, a brilliant thinker, writer, and social activist, witnessed the violent swirl of hope, grief, and rage that eventually morphed into the civil rights movement. He realized that every black person knew, at least to some extent, the attention-paying bit of the white supremacist system that crippled black people in every possible way. Black men, angry at the white supremacist system, protected themselves by not allowing it to punish them and by protecting other black people.
‘Baldwin realized that any black person who was paying even the least bit of attention knew that white supremacy crippled black people in every way possible. So yes, black men were angry. Angry at the system of white supremacy that didn’t protect black people and then punished them for protecting themselves. ’
As Jerry jumps into the car, the officers in the drive and car act quickly. Although he is out of breath, Jerry doesn’t hear them saying, “Jerry, don’t do it. You’re going to get hurt.” Meanwhile, someone outside the frame can be heard saying that they heard Jerry being hurt. Jerry manages to grab one of the officers’ batons and wrestles with the two officers who are trying to arrest him. There is a video circulating on social media that shows a white guy named Jerry resisting arrest. This video has been shown a few times on my social media feeds. The reason this video is receiving attention is because it is seen as a possible threat, similar to what happened with Trayvon Martin and George Floyd. It is important to bring attention to this current issue.
Rolfe Garrett, an officer from the Atlanta PD, shot him twice in the back while he was running away with a taser. He was trying to de-escalate the conflict with the arresting officer, being respectful, calm, and drunk. I invite you to read up on Rayshard Brooks’ death. I also invite you to pause and think about all the times you’ve read or seen a black man being shot by the police, which have been far too frequent.
Rayshard and Jerry both resisted arrest. The police used their own weapon, a baton, to subdue only one of them. They stole their car and drove away, but only the other one died. Let’s make a comparison.
Let’s get uncomfortable
It’s not justified to immediately condemn the black man’s anger in many cases of long-standing historical offenses on trains. Please acknowledge the full range of emotions regarding their wounds and grant black people the right to express their feelings as fellow human beings. However, it’s important to recognize that white police officers may not fully understand the experiences and emotions of black individuals in their line of work.
The falsehood surrounding the enraged African American male and the consequences that have ensued as a result of this falsehood, ponder whether or not you are equally unsettled by it. Reflect on whether or not you are considering her within the comprehensive historical and cultural framework if you have found yourself disturbed by Karen becoming a viral sensation. If so, have you contributed to perpetuating these falsehoods? Who benefits from these stereotypes? Where do these stereotypes originate from? They all possess a political connotation, be it the internet memes, the visual depictions, or the artistic portrayals. And there’s a high probability that you have encountered a variant of an irate African American male in the media. It is likely that you are familiar with the term “Karen” and recognize its derogatory nature.
In the opening of this piece, I talked about Cassidy’s article ‘The Myth of The Dangerous Black Man’ and how she recognized her feeling of being threatened by unjustified black men as a good starting point to discuss the topic.
Talk it, walk it
You might be questioning at this point: Am I furious?
Occasionally. Similar to how you are.
My sibling, refrain from embodying a Caucasian male brandishing a firearm. Karen, I implore you to avoid becoming a Caucasian female. The act of violence perpetrated by individuals like them generates anger and perpetuates the fallacious notion that black men are inherently aggressive. It is important to acknowledge the frequency with which people of color experience discrimination and to refrain from weaponizing whiteness. Let us begin by directing our attention towards rectifying this issue.
As an individual, he perceives others. People express their emotions. In that particular moment, he may become angry about anything related to racism. However, it is not appropriate to assume that he is angry solely because he is black. Obviously, he may not be angry at all. If you see a black man and assume that he is angry, I would like to leave this conversation before getting too close. We began our journey as young individuals.
Photo credit: Frank Micelotta for FOX Sports.