Double consciousness forces blacks to not only view themselves from their own unique perspective, but to also view themselves as they might be perceived by the outside world. Du Bois spoke of this when he talked about “the sense of looking at one’s self through the eyes of others”. As a result, blacks can suffer from a damaged self-image shaped by the perceptions and treatment of white people. Black life in turn can easily become shaped by stereotypes perpetuated by mainstream culture. According to Du Bois the prejudices of white people elicit “self-questioning, self-criticism, and lowering of ideals” among black people.
Pre Encounter is associated with a worldview that contends that race is not salient to personality identity. Encounter is a status that is associated with confusion regarding the meaning of one’s race. Immersion-Emersion is associated with one identifying with Black culture and denigrating White culture. Internalization is associated with one internalizing Black culture, transcending racism and fighting general cultural oppression (Helms, J.E, & Parham, (1990). Anger is conceptualized as an instinctual drive (Hall, 1899) and Blacks are often stereotyped as angry and out of control with regard to their feelings and emotions (Franklin, 2004).
They take the reader through pivotal moments in the South and North to enumerate the chain of events that lead to the achievements and failures of the African-Americans in society. My review led me to understand the Black Power movement as an effort to overcome the colonizer. Black people need to define themselves without the influence of white society. The authors were vocal about the downfall of blacks trying to assimilate into white middle class. In a passionate effort to convey their message, they gave an overview of significant political and life altering moments in history.
Two kinds of racial discrimination is pointed out, one is white against blacks and the second one is blacks against blacks. The paper includes two sections. In the first section a short general background is given about the issue of racial discrimination in America. The second part is about the manifestation of racial discrimination in the novel. This section is also consists of two parts.
Black Men in Public Places Does the media portray African Americans in a negative light and do statistics support these beliefs? Many people view blacks as threatening, menacing or even as criminals. From the first puritans to settle in America, black people were viewed as inferior to whites. This image, through the media, has evolved into a fear of the black race, especially black men. The essay “Black Men in Public Spaces,” written by Brent Staples illustrates the view from the black man perspective, but may also add to the stereotype.
Craniologists, eugenicists, phrenologists, and Social Darwinists, at every educational level, buttressed the belief that blacks were innately intellectually and culturally inferior to whites. Pro-segregation politicians gave eloquent speeches on the great danger of integration: the mongrelization of the white race. Newspaper and magazine writers routinely referred to blacks as niggers, coons, and darkies; and worse, their articles reinforced anti-black stereotypes” (Pilgrim). The system of Jim Crow was reinforced with racial viewpoints and stereotypes: “whites were superior to blacks in all important ways, including but not limited to intelligence, morality, and civilized behavior; sexual relations between blacks and whites would produce a mongrel race which would destroy America; treating blacks as equals would encourage interracial sexual unions; any activity which suggested social equality encouraged interracial sexual relations; if necessary, violence must be used to keep blacks at the bottom of the racial hierarchy” (Pilgrim). “The Jim Crow laws and system of etiquette were
“Individual qualities and experiences that constitute the unique makeup of every human being are often overlooked as a result of social stereotyping.” Whether these stereotypes are about religion, race, or even gender, it doesn’t help society prosper. For homosexual black males, it is extremely common to hide their sexual orientation because of the fear they will be humiliated. One identity that derives from homosexuals having to hide who they really are can be seen in the study of “many contemporary African American gay men believe that they must be homophobic and divide their sexual identity from their black male identity in order to be accepted and to maintain a high ranking in the hierarchy of men. It is through this logic that
The Ideological State Apparatus at work in George Schuyler’s Black No More George Schuyler was a controversial figure of the Harlem Renaissance. At a time when “race men” were glorifying a uniquely African American culture, Schuyler steadily purported the view that African Americans were primarily American, and did not differ from other immigrants. In his essay entitled “Negro-Art Hokum,” Schuyler writes: If the European immigrant after two or three generations of exposure to our schools, politics, advertising, moral crusades, and restaurants becomes indistinguishable from the mass of Americans of older stock…how much truer must it be of the sons of Ham who have been subjected to what the uplifters call Americanism for the last three hundred years. Aside from his color, which ranges from very dark brown to pink, your American Negro is just plain American. (37) Schuyler felt that by viewing Negro art as unique and separate, it helped to perpetuate myths of racial inferiority.
Skin Identity We live in a world where ones’ skin color defines who a person is and what one does. One’s personality and non-physical appearance is something rarely looked upon when identifying a person. This is a major problem because people who are mainly affected by this are races other than the dominant white Americans. In “Story of My Body” by Judith Ortiz Cofer, “Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space” written by Brent Staples and the film Gran Torino, minorities are perceived as either dangerous or dirty because of the simple fact that they are not part of the dominant race. Staples emphasizes that “Black men have a firm place in New York mugging literature” which has been instilled by the dominant culture who act as victims by stating they recall “growing up in terror of black males” (465).
The malicious acts committed by Malcolm X reflect the idea that people ignore truth to conform to society. Known for having strong opinions, Malcolm X seems to be an unlikely victim of blind conformity. However, as shown in his essay, “My First Conk”, Malcolm X was victimized by this need to conform. Changing to look or behave like another because it is more desired by the public is due to a disregarding of self-claimed morals and values, an over emphasis of the media and outside opinions, and an insecurity. In “My First Conk”, Malcolm X assured that black people were being brainwashed to believe that they actually were inferior to white people, thus they conked their hair; which was a hair straightener gel made from lye popular among African-American men from the 1920s to the 1960s.