16 Sep 2008

African-American men and white men are born and raised within the continental U.S.; each of their own faculty empowered to change the social injustice of a society. The innate qualities of the African American do not compare to those of the white man, yet - “empowered” they are with character. The foundation for the concept –“character” is best defined as “holistic,” meaning of physical, mental and social qualities – A. Adler’s school of thought, as well as A. Maslow and C. Rogers’ thoughts –“[a]n equal human being… cognitive, emotional, and volitional” (Ambrus, 33 -34)

Jennifer Ritterhouse, author of Growing Up Jim Crow: How Black and White Southern Children Learned Race, explains that childrearing practices by caregivers resulted in the facilitation of race discrimination and it included “[r]acial self-consciousness and the ‘etiquette’ of racial interactions.” These two facets, Ritterhouse says, gave “[u]nderstand[ing to] their own position and identity within a white supremacist society”; through exchanges among peers, they were reinforced. (para 7) Furthermore, they are not “[i]nstinctive”; she ascertains socialization as “[u]nwritten rules governing all instances of interracial interaction.” This setting dates from the 1980’s. Having clarity on a realm of discrimination, we can then imagine the migration of racism stretching from the South to vast regions of the U.S. In the United States, opportunities for the cultural growth of African American men have been absent, because social discrimination continues to exist. In 2005, the phrase “[N]o Child Left Behind” (NCLB), coined by Kathy Emery, reverberated throughout the United States. It was a vision for the education system to be designed so that young adults who entered both society and the work force would be better equipped “[t]o be active agents of social change.” (para 10) Sixteen states had adopted specific “[s]tandards, state tests… and teacher educational programs”; then each state assessed progress with the education.

I disagree with having sixteen states involved in the NCLB, because it is marginal compared to 50 states. Furthermore, the programs are not designed sufficiently. Changes need to be made across the board by means of classroom structured “interracial” role playing within every state and at every level of the education system; otherwise, the objective for change will remain weak: two thirds of our children throughout the U.S. continue to emulate former constructs of “[i]nterracial interaction.” (Ritterhouse) When African American males as well as other ethnic groups are quantified as having “character”-- volition, quality mind, and feelings -- then we have progress and “active agents.”

Desegregation -- notably in September 1945 (“Desegregation of the Armed Forces”), initiated by Robert P. Patterson, Secretary of War -- included African-American men in war. Even so, whites exercised supremacy over them. An example of this occurred in July 1946, when the spouses and their military-veteran husbands were removed from their vehicle, then shot and killed by an angry “white mob” (“Desegregation of the Armed Forces”); the threat perceived by whites was perhaps the acquisition of position.

More recently, in 2004, Brent Staples, author of Black Men and Public Space, stated this: “[I] learned to smother the rage I felt at so often being taken for a criminal…I now take precautions to make myself less threatening.” This may be learned --“etiquette” from caregivers. Of one situation, Staples describes his appearance and demeanor as “[t]wenty-two years old, a graduate student newly arrived at the University of Chicago…suffering a bout of insomnia… stalking sleep” (230). He encounters not once, but on several occasions whilst dressed in different attire (such as a “suit” or a pair of “jeans”) when a pedestrian fears danger, so he overtly stays clear of the passer-by. Staples is modifying his appearance to fit his identity. The editors of The Norton Reader describe Staples as “a universal—that is, as a well-educated and nonviolent black man who, by virtue of his gender and race, is perceived as belonging to a class: violent black men.”

That being said, Staples, prior to the 20th century, made an active decision to acquire identity and position in society. This upward mobility is described by Marlon B. Ross in the article, Manning the Race: Reforming Black Men in the Jim Crow Era; persona “[a]s a reactive identity overdetermined by the hegemony of white masculinity or as a parallel, if marginalized, cultural formation mimetically patterned on white masculinity.” (Clarke, 456) Staples’ behavior resembles a person who is projecting himself in the direction of upward mobility. The difference is that, unlike the white man, Staples says that he “[t]akes precautions to make [himself] less threatening.” (231)

A parallel to Staples’ upward mobility is a typical young white man at high school projecting masculinity. Related to it is upward mobility mastery in a study by Nicolas W. Proctor. In June 2007, at South West High School in Minneapolis, MN, the counselor for students H-Z had stepped out of his office. Since he was out and the door was open, I waited in his office for him to return. The second person to enter the room was a young ethnic student; she sat down beside me. Shortly afterward, the counselor entered and at that time the counselor saw that there were two women in his office. When yet when a third person entered, the white male, he proceeded to direct an inquiry to the counselor for immediate response. I looked at the counselor with disbelief, because he proceeded to accommodate the student. With the completion of the accommodation, he said, “[t]he counseling support staff was absent, otherwise this wouldn’t have happened.” This puzzled me; the young white male obviously had no prior knowledge of “etiquette,” nor had the counselor, for if he had, surely he would have said “please wait outside and I’ll be with you shortly.”

Was this a white male supremacy issue? Either way, the validation by the counselor gave cause to the direction in the dilemma of characters. Was it that they were flawed? Or, was it an educational system that lacks clear objectives? Proctor says the following about honing skills:

[H]unting offered a social stage on which whites (and, to a lesser extent, blacks) defined masculinity. For whites, the hunt demonstrated prowess, self-control, and mastery. Examining each quality in turn, his analysis privileges mastery as the most significant. Setting out to describe ‘the social drama of the hunt’ (633). Proctor briefly traces the development and regulation of hunting, which was more egalitarian in America than in Europe, and then focuses on the South from 1800 to 1860. In this period, the hunt became a popular expression of white manhood and was elevated to sport among the elite and through the sporting press. Southern men created informal hunting fraternities based on locale, class, kin; the members of those groups acted as the audience for public approbation of each other’ masculinity. (Wallace, 633)

Such honing skills by African-American and white men, when used inappropriately, can be disappointing or frightening, depending on the intent. A perceived threat and a threat are two different things and the interpretations of them are never easy.

In my opinion, Staples manages someone else’s perceived threat - “I give a wide berth to nervous people.” (321) This accommodation (1), meaning “adjust actions in response to somebody’s needs” may indicate the facilitation (1), meaning “easy or “easier” (“Encarta”) method for a passer-by; yet Staples is at fault by means of the use of this prevention for negating perception. Instead, he could have chosen the facilitation (2), meaning, “A decrease in the resistance to a nerve impulse in a neural pathway, brought about by prior or repeated stimulation.” (“Encarta”) Rather, he opted for an-old construct, the “unwritten rule” (Ritterhouse): maybe you are right… your perception of me is accurate, so I will accommodate (2), meaning, “be adaptable enough to allow something without major change.” (“Encarta”)

Instinctive “empowerment” is rare, meaning that the African-American and white men are able to discern when or how to be active agents of change. Therefore, role-playing facilitation (2) and accommodation (5) “adapt to a new situation” (“Encarta”); this allows the passer-by to alter their perception by repeated process, which then enables the passer-by to accept their error of perception. Related to that, Jeffrey Simons states the following:

[M]uch weight [is] place[d] on superficial appearances. While our society tends to make assumptions about the way dangerous and violent people look—race, dress, hair—the fact is that some of the most evil people--murderers, child molesters, terrorists—look and act as if they were upright members of the community.

African-American men have endured discrimination because the educational system has failed to “empower” them with adequate “social skills” that focus on constructs of equality. Old constructs continued to be played out, and in today’s society, “easier” facilitation (1) is “dumb” for both the African-American male and the white man, because neither race “instinctively” makes use of “etiquette,” meaning change-–“repeated stimulation results in decreased resistance” in racial interactions. Schools and colleges should include, as an objective for curriculum, interactive exchange between ethnic groups, particularly white and black males; this core curriculum should make use of role reversal and perceived vs. actual threats. The skills honed will better prepare African-American men to be “active agents” of change.

Works Cited

Ambrus, Zoltan “Applying Alfred Adler’s Principles And Ideas To Religious Studies.” 12 Jul 2008.

Arthur M. Eastman, Caesar R. Blake, Hubert M. English, Jr., Joan E. Hartman, Alan B. Howes, Robert T. Lenaghan, Leo F. McNamara, James Rosier. “The Norton Reader.” Review of Black Men and Public Space (2004): 229-232. Ed. Linda H. Peterson and John C. Brereton. Shorter 11th ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. Rpt. in Summaries and Analysis of Assigned Persuasive Essays. Simons, Jeffrey. Dept. of English. University of Maryland University College. 2008. 229.

Clarke, Michael Tavel. “Men in Black: Recent Studies of African American Masculinity in the Early Twentieth Century.” Academic Journal. 2007: 37. America: History & Life. University of Maryland University College Library. 4 Jul 2008.

Emery, Kathy “Origins and Purpose of NCLB.” 26 Jan 2005. 4 Jul 2008.

“Harry S. Truman Library and Museum.” 10 Jul. 2008.

MSN. “Facilitation.” Encarta World English Dictionary. (N.D.).

MSN. “Accommodate.” Encarta World English Dictionary. (N.D).

Nelson, Claire Nee. “Growing Up Jim Grow: How Black and White Southern Children Learned Race.” Georgia Historical Quarterly. 2007. University of Maryland University College. America: History & Life. 4 Jul 2008.

Simons, Jeffrey. Expository Writing. Course home page. Jun. 2008-August 2008. Dept. of English, University of Maryland University College 15 Jul 2008. http://tychousa7.umuc.edu/WRTG291/0806/8906/class.nsf/Menu?OpenFrameSet&Login.

Staples, Brent. “Black Men and Public Space.” The Norton Reader. Ed. Linda H. Peterson and John C. Brereton. Shorter 11th ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2004. 231-32.

Wallace, Maurice O. “Constructing the Black Masculine: Identity and Ideality in African American Men’s Literature and Culture, 1775-1995.” Academic Journal. 2003:90.America: History & Life. University of Maryland University College Library. 4 Jul 2008.