On That Silly Race Thing
The premise.
A friend of mine and I were talking yesterday, when she brought something interesting to my attention. Bill Cosby, a man widely famous for his role as the lovable Cliff Huxtable in the Cosby Show, had made a “controversial” speech at the NAACP‘s 50th anniversary of the Brown v Board of Education decision. (If you don’t know what either of those are, look them up.)
In his speech, Cosby voiced what nobody was willing to touch for years — the state of the current black population in America. He pinpoints specific issues within the black lower-class; specifically Ebonics, criminal behavior, and gang activity. Citing these as prime examples, he asserts that the root of the problem is the parenting, or lack thereof. Cosby tells the black population rise up to the occasion; the top 10 percent has already paved the way, it is now time for the rest to follow.
Following his dissertation, Cosby came under fire from various groups for a few key reasons. One, many felt that Cosby was airing the black community’s “dirty laundry” for all to see. They felt that in identifying the problems, he had officially normalized those behaviors, making them even more acceptable than before. Others jumped on Cosby for “relieving” the White Man of responsibility towards impoverished blacks.
My take, and opinions.
I do admit that reading Bill Cosby’s speech yesterday certainly did put in me the motivation to write this, but the idea has been on my mind for quite some time. Bill Cosby may be a comedian, but he’s not joking this time around. I couldn’t do anything besides nod my head as I read through the transcript. The black community really needs to get their act together.
A little history, if we may. I, a Taiwanese-American, grew up in a very sheltered suburban area. If anywhere could have a negative crime rate, it would be the fair city I was raised in. (It’s so safe everyone calls it the “bubble.) Though I attended public schools, they were all located in upscale neighborhoods. I had never really met a black person of the so-styled “working-class” before. The black students in my honors classes were… well, they were amazing. People say that Asians have a high work ethic and concentration on education. Black honors students amazed even us. For the life of me, I could not see where the negative black stereotypes came from. I found whites to be much more crude and crass in comparison.
That is… until I began attending college downtown. It did not even take weeks to reconstruct my entire opinion. I was suddenly hit by all the stereotypes, all at once. Sagging clothes, lavish use of Ebonics, constant pounding of rap music, and the ever-present headline: Robbery/Murder/Gang Violence, Suspect Black Male. Statistics mention that 28% of black males will be sent to jail some time in their life. We all like to toss statistics because the average is not a good representation of the whole, one particularly bad part drags everything else down. I am sorry to say that I find it hard to toss statistics on this occasion.
The problem? From my point of view, it seems to be the evolution of Black American culture. From a similar standpoint that youth in Asia all want to look like the next pop star or fashion model, many black youth see themselves as the next rap artist or basketball star. In Taiwan, everyone wears these silly clothes with nonsensical Engrish on them; in America they wear oversized and sagging clothes. The difference between these two are the general impressions that they give off. (We’ll ignore the 1 in a million chance to become a famous celebrity thread for now. Wearing what a celebrity wears doesn’t make you look like a celebrity [in most cases] anyway.) Tight-fitting clothes with silly Engrish are as synonymous with femininity as baggy, sagging clothes complete with oversized jewelry and a bandanna are synonymous with gangster membership. And to be honest, I’m much more afraid of gangsters than homosexuals (Or people who look extremely girly despite not being actually female). I often can’t tell if some blacks walking around my university are students or gangsters.
Ebonics is yet another issue intricately tied with black culture. For those of you who do not live in America and wonder about the interesting way that lower-class blacks speak, it is not a joke. Linguists have gone far enough to identify it as African-American Vernacular English. I had been under the impression that it was just a horribly butchered form of English. The fact remains, though, that Ebonics can hardly be used in a professional setting. A person using ebonics will commonly be tied with the lower class, along with poverty and delinquency. Definitely not something you’d want to walk into job interview spouting.
Some people don’t think so
Critics of Cosby’s speech have expressed a few interesting things. Like Cosby said himself in an interview, I was inclined to write them off as, “Crazy.” In retrospect I can see the logic behind their dissent, and will try to address them from my perspective.
“Airing the black communities’ dirty laundry for all to see is detrimental to the state of the community, though we concur it is already in a dismal state. By shedding light on these issues publicly, you are essentially legitimizing them and have sealed their continuance.”
Actually, I feel Bill Cosby decided to make the speech because it was obvious that keeping silent and/or working inside the community just wasn’t cutting it. Behaviors can legitimize themselves perfectly fine without a catalyst like the focused attention of the public. Also, if these critics themselves acknowledge that the problem exists, why can’t they acknowledge that whatever they’re doing right now obviously isn’t working?
“Freeing the White Man of his responsibilities towards the lower-class black citizens will result in an even worse situation.”
I don’t know if I can see the logic behind this one. The reasons are definitely there, but whether or not they should be called logic, is debatable. Those of you with knowledge of US History, know that this great nation has a dark history regarding the treatment of blacks in the past. Amidst the Civil Rights movements of the last century, it was proposed that whites should make “reparations” to blacks for the infringements their ancestors made on the blacks’ ancestors. Erm, proposed and materialized, actually. A system is now in place known commonly as “affirmative action“. But should whites really have to take responsibility for blacks’ unwillingness to move forward on their own? Does that even make sense? (I’m going to avoid getting into the whole issue of the affirmative action, which, while touting equality, actually performs the opposite. Affirmative action supposedly works for minorities, but for non-blacks, this is debatable. For example, the bulk of affirmative action articles neglects to even mention Asians.)
Wrapping up
With all that I’ve written, I would be unsurprised if I received negative feedback. I realize I am probably not very qualified to discuss this issue, being unphilosophical at best, not to mention the fact that I am not of the demographic which is the target of this entry. Additionally, it is pretty clear that my opinion of lower-class blacks is not too high. I recognize these biases, and tried to be as objective as possible. As for how blacks could hope to solve these issues, I would not be able to provide a satisfactory answer. I am not part of that community, and can only hear about what may be the causes of the effects which I observe. (I think I have much more to say, but my writing spirit is all burned out for now.)
For the transcript of Bill Cosby’s (now fondly referred to as the ‘Pound Cake’) Speech, go ahead and click here. Just in case you missed it in the first paragraph.
(All this material deals with issues WITHIN the United States. From my knowledge, such problems are practically non-existent in other parts of the world.)
I don’t feel I did this topic justice after all. So have this nice image of more cherry blossoms. Next time I’ll do something less controversial, promise. ^^
Filed under: Pseudo-Editorial | 5 Comments
Tags: bill cosby, black culture in america, ebonics, ohgod controversial, tl;dr wall of text
First things first. :] I LOVE that picture of the girl with the cherry blossoms. Beautiful. Incidentally, did you draw that? It’s SO pretty.
Secondly, it’s nice that you can be so honest and open about your feelings. Even though it’s a controversial topic, I like how you can just express your opinions.
Thirdly, in a way, I was raised in a “bubble”. I’m Taiwanese American too. My public school was mostly white, and partly, my ignorance was due to my parents (I don’t really know how to say it, but.. Asian parents, or my parents, were REALLY anal about which friends I had, and black people don’t really appeal to them.) However, like you, college changed everything. I go to college in Atlanta, Georgia (shocking at first to me, cause I’m from the West Coast, culture is … let’s say, different, REALLY different). Georgia has way more black residents than California does, I think. I understand how you could feel about lower-class black people. I was riding the bus to the Marta (public transportation) in Georgia, and my friends and I were the only non-black people. It was a little scary, and also confusing for us, cause we had a hard understanding the slang black people use.
However, that being said, some of the black people I’ve met and talked to are lower-class, and yet the NICEST and HAPPIEST people I have probably ever met. They are able to always keep a smile, and welcome me and greet me. I may be exaggerating, but I think they have moved forward a little. And even though I’ve had the stereotype of black peoples as gangsters (I think we all have), I believe that this stereotype can’t define all of the Black-American race. And then again, stereotypes of rap music and saggy pants? What if these things are part of the culture that defines them? It doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re involved in bad things, it’s just the way they like to define themselves. (It could also be the media that influences them…)
Wow. I wrote a lot. But I’d also have to agree with you in saying that I can’t really speak on this issue with confidence, cause I’m not part of the black community. However, I see how you’re trying to be objective, and that’s good. Thanks for your opinion, Shizukie!! :] I look forward to more of your posts
@ Hoshi: Oh, they both have girls and cherry blossoms. But no, I don’t draw. ):
Thanks, I’ve actually been turning over the idea of writing an entry on this for a year or so now. My plans had been much, much grander. Oh well.
My parents don’t like black people either. Maybe that helped influence me. I know quite a few nice and happy black people as well, but that’s not the issue. The issue is that there are some serious problems with the impoverished black community, ranging from crime rates to drug abuses.
I don’t stereotype black people as gangsters, actually. I stereotype them as gangsters when they walk, talk, and dress like gangsters. Sometimes you really can’t tell the difference. As for the culture, I mentioned that’s actually what I feel they need to change. Having a culture that others generally associate with criminal activity and poverty is NOT a good thing. And like you I definitely think the media influences them.
Hehe, I wrote a lot back. I forgot to bring up how I felt rap music was also an issue, but I can save that for another time. Thanks for your response Hoshi! (:
“But should whites really have to take responsibility for blacks’ unwillingness to move forward on their own? Does that even make sense?”
My ancestors didn’t even get to America until the 1910′s, and they were isolated from other cultures and races in their respective Italian and Lithuanian communities. My parents didn’t even encounter black people until the 80s and have never been anything but upstanding and fair, so I’m not seeing how it’s our responsibility to correct the problems that the black community itself has proliferated. It’s their problem, not ours.
I’ve met several wonderful, honorable black people, and they’re all with me on the fact that if poor black people want to get out of this gangster culture, they’ve got to actually make an effort to do something with their lives instead of blaming everything on something and doing nothing about it. Everyone in this country has endless opportunities to make something of themselves, and I have no sympathy for anyone of any race who makes excuses instead of trying to get ahead. It takes hard work and determination, but that’s the same for everyone. Even the ancestors of the wealthy had to work to earn their money. And uh.. yeah :U I DON’T FEEL LIKE BEING INTELLIGENT ANYMORE RAH
Shizukie on May 29th said: “I don’t stereotype black people as gangsters, actually. I stereotype them as gangsters when they walk, talk, and dress like gangsters. Sometimes you really can’t tell the difference. As for the culture, I mentioned that’s actually what I feel they need to change. Having a culture that others generally associate with criminal activity and poverty is NOT a good thing. And like you I definitely think the media influences them.”
This is of course a complex issue so I’ll play the devils advocate for a minute to encourage deeper thought. A few questions: what do gangsters walk, talk, and dress like? Is there such a thing? Don’t some where suits and ties (mobbsters)? Could George W. Bush be considered a gangster? (oh, but he doesn’t where baggy clothes???) I think the media is influencing more than them, it’s also obviously influencing you. Are you advocating that they change their culture because “others” see it as this or that? Who gave these “others” the right and power to make these assumptions? There must be a stronger reason why a group would have a desire to change than because others don’t like it. Who decides what’s good or bad? Is the “others” group deciding for everyone or does all groups have an equal right and vote to that decision?
I like the conversation everyone is having here, it’s engaging. I’d like to invite all of you to join me on my blog as well: matthewross35.wordpress.com
Click on the tag colorblind; I’d like to get more thoughts on how circumstances influence behavior. Thanks in advance!
It’s still interesting to see the hubbub generated from Jesse Jackson’s “cut his nuts off” statement in regards to Obama talking about responsibility, which helps to show that not all black people share the same viewpoints, as much as everyone likes us to think (and I mean “everyone” in a generic, non-specific fill in the blank viewpoint). But I think one thing that everyone (and I mean everyone) should agree on is that we all need to be more accountable about our actions.
And hopefully Marmot included me when she spoke of “wonderful, honorable black people”.