With the nomination of President Elect Barak Obama change is at hand and will be coming to America, and let’s face it, blacks voted for Obama, whites voted for Obama, Hispanics, as well as many other cultures. So what does this mean for the African American ethnicity, and more importantly how is this going to effect the perception of the African American male in American civilization, not only in society’s mind, but also in the realm of one’s personal lives? The cosmetic make up of stereotypes, and preconceived ideas have clouded the brains of society, and in my opinion I believe the African American male needs a makeover. Honestly, what is the first thought that comes to mind when you think of a black male? Street mentality, long chains, tattoos, baggy attire, enhanced private parts….. the list goes on and on. These are not just ideas that others portray us as, but also these are ideas that we as a culture portray ourselves as. Why, I do not know, it could be that the media focuses primarily on these aspects of our society to exploit us as a people, leading blacks to become victims to the self fulfilling prophecy. It could also be the lack of sufficient research and in depth knowledge about African Americans that leads to this disconnect as well, which is caused by the refusal, slash fear of other cultures to want to obtain a factual understanding about the African American society.
No one truly knows what it feels like to walk in the shoes of another person, let alone one of another race, so hopefully this will help you gain a better understanding. The African American male is torn between societies; on the left you have a society which encourages the fast lifestyle, one of a musician or a movie star, one with numerous amounts of women, and money to spend, nice cars, taking trips, and popularity with the locals, not necessarily a bad person, but their visions are short term, they are missing an exit strategy. On the right hand of society you have the school boy, grew up middle class, hardworking, hung around friends from the left hand side of society, started in his professional career because he had a vision, one of long term growth and success, but still wanting to stay in touch with his roots, and then after all that felt like he owed something back to his community. Never trying to be too far to the right or too far to the left we as African American males find ourselves right in the middle of all this, trying to satisfy the likes of both societies, a role that is virtually impossible because of the forces at hand. Lose your identity in your society as an African American, or face the ridicule in your career as an African American.
What this society fails to realize is that we are more than street dealers, we are more than actors and musicians, we are more than superb sports athletes, we are more than criminals, and delinquents, we are more than uneducated, we are more than violent, or lazy. Society needs to realize is that we are doctors, lawyers, we are police, and soldiers; we are highly educated, we are entrepreneurs, we are professionals. Here is the connect to the disconnect, what is worst, a black person calling another black person the N word, or a different culture calling a black male bro? We all understand the N word, there is not too much room for confusion there, but I never really understood the terminology of the word bro, therefore, I do not know whether to embrace the word, or reject it, and I think it is the same way with other cultures, relating to the African American culture, they do not know enough about it, referring to the culture, so they are stuck between embracing it, or rejecting it.
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