Please join us tonight for an insightful panel discussion with a cross-section of Black America discussing “What does it mean to be a Black man in America Today?”
Tonight’s program promises to be a particularly riveting discussion as it is our initial panel discussion. Please feel free to join us.
Please click on any of the links to join us tonight. The discussion will begin at 7:30 (EST) / 6:30 (CST)
Paul Mooney’s keen observation regarding Bill Clinton’s propensity to saddle himself with stereotypical “problems of a Black Man” was so striking that he was in actuality “America’s first Black President” that the joke has outlived its utility. As you well know, such poignant social commentary was common for the famed comedian. Mooney’s ability to address Race in an inventive way while providing piercing commentary regarding the gulf between Black life and Whites’ who possessed “the complexion for the protection” are indispensable within a nation that remains torn by racial dynamics that few dare to look at.
The matters of Race and political representation have arisen yet again as a result of failed Presidential hopeful Cory Booker shared that Congressman Jim Clyburn referred to Presidential hopeful Joe Biden as an “honorary Black man” during a Congressional Black Caucus meeting. Clyburn’s flawed perspective makes it painfully clear, yet again, that even those Black America has elected to represent them have an extremely limited understanding of Race. To the chagrin of politically astute Blacks, Black politicians such as Jim Clyburn are the primary reason that issues such as racial justice are never included in national debates. I realize that I am not the only person who after witnessing the alluded to figures ineptitude and cowardice accepts that nothing is to be expected from Black political leaders.
At a moment when equally astute and brave political leadership capable of speaking “truth to power” is needed, Jim Clyburn has “blackened-up” and performed as a modern-day Jim Crow; in fact, it is ironic that his first name is Jim. Make no mistake about it, Jim Clyburn’s present posture is one that has disregarded Black America in favor of being a tool for powerful White Democratic Party leaders such as Joe Biden.
Unfortunately for Black America, Jim Clyburn’s Black-faced vaudeville show avoids any acknowledgment of Joe Biden’s construction of the 1994 crime bill that paved the path for the incarceration of legions of African-Americans for minor drug offenses, not to mention his inexcusable behavior toward Anita Hill; of course, Biden has recently attempted to apologize for his antics — Hill refused to participate in the political charade by refusing to accept Biden’s words as being sincere. Yet, such a past has not prevented a growing band of Negroes ranging from public intellectuals to elected officials from “endorsing” lock them up, Joe Biden.
On second thought, maybe a decent argument could be made that Joe Biden is an “honorary Black man.” Consider for a moment that his Crime Bill and treatment of Anita Hill mirrors the hurt and harm that misguided Black men who have routinely worked against the liberation and salvation of the Black nation in favor of personal gain. It is sad that the damage that those endorsing Biden have done to working-class and poor Blacks in their daily dealings from legislative halls through social media appearances rests comfortably on the same shelf as the Biden constructed Crime Bill.
So, let me reverse course and take a moment to acknowledge the arrival of Joe “Crime Bill” Biden as a new “brother” who holds as little promise for uplifting Black America as other Black men such as Jim Clyburn. At least he fits with that crowd.
Dr. James Thomas Jones III
© Manhood, Race, and Culture 2020.
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There is no room to doubt that despite their obvious diversity, African-American men have historically considered themselves to be the personification of “cool.” This ownership of “the cool” may be the only thing that Black men agree on. Let’s be honest about this, Black men have historically possessed a monopoly on “the cool”.
Unfortunately, when it comes to Black men, “the cool” has proven to be a double-edged sword that boosts self-esteem, yet widens the path toward evil. In hindsight, it is obvious that “the cool” is of little utility beyond the veneer of self-confidence it provides.
It is this “cool” quotient that African-American men emit via dress, walk, and talk that young Black boys learn to model during their adolescence. According to Richard Majors, the “Cool Pose” is a set of language, mannerisms, gestures and movements that
exaggerate or ritualize masculinity. The Essence of cool is to appear in control, whether through a fearless style of walking, an aloof facial expression, the clothes you wear, a haircut, your gestures or the way you talk. The cool pose shows the dominant culture that you are strong and proud, despite your status in American society…Much of cool pose is ritualistic imitation of peers. If you’re not seen as cool, you’re an outsider. It’s a way to be included.
Considering the present state of African-American males, one is faced with an over-arching question of “Is the “cool pose” working against the formation of healthy male/female relations within Black America?”
A subtle glance at the Black Family would convince any objective person that “the cool” is a negative for African-American males, the women that they create children with, and the alluded to offspring.
Although “the cool” benefits a few African-American males by bolstering their status among peers, it simultaneously ensures their rejection by a larger White society who despise its manifestation in Black bodies. Make no mistake about it, a segment of African-American males’ well-documented inability to secure meaningful gainful employment, a pre-requisite to marriage and the starting of a family, hinders every aspect of potential relationships within Black America. History has proven that African-American males who have spent their cultural capital investing in the “cool pose” will eventually find themselves permanently ostracized from mainstream society.
Unfortunately for younger African-American males, their ritualistic imitation of peers frequently leads them to prison, probation, parole, unemployment and/or early death. The “cool pose” is integral to understanding why
This begs the question of what is Black America to do?
It may be time to forge a socialization process that redefines and promotes a new form of “the cool.” This alteration to a basic element of so many African-American males’ identity would allow Black males to retain their “cool quotient” while directing them toward success. There is no need to argue against the reality that our failure to redirect Black males down a more productive path will lead to the continuation of today’s unfortunate realities. The onus for such an alteration belongs to Black parents and families interested in the success of such individuals; not a “Black leadership cadre” whose in-action all but signals their abdication of such responsibilities.
It is imperative that future generations of Black males abandon what Richard Majors appropriately terms the “cool pose” and replace it with a new view of themselves and what a Black man ought to be and ought to do. Noted poet Gwendolyn Brooks predicted in her poem We Real Cool that the failure to do such all but guarantees that if they fail to do so, “We Die Soon.”
Dr. James Thomas Jones III
© Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2020.