The Problems With Being Black Today
Being Black today is a lot complex than it was 100 years ago. No longer is being Black the quality of having dark skin. No. It surpasses that; today being Black means listening to hip hop and rap, speaking in slang, not pronouncing your words correctly, and being irrational, lazy, unfriendly, or dramatic. The film, Dear White People, demonstrates the politics of being Black on a predominantly White campus, but it does more than just show the dichotomy between Whites and Blacks, it emphasizes the extreme pressure Black students face to exert their “blackness.” A character in the film asks a question which summarizes this conundrum, “Who are you not Black enough for? The colored students or the white folk?” Today, straying away from the stereotypical norms which mark Black people brings hostility from both sides and colored students are pushed and pulled in two different directions, unable to come to terms with their identity.
I think that while your statements are pretty bold, they are also very truthful. As a substitute teacher in the Allentown School District (a very Black atmosphere), my dad always has stories of how the students act and fit in with each other. He finds there to be a stigma that being smart is “uncool” and more of a “white thing” among the Black population. Not saying that the Black students are not as intelligent as the White students, but rather that the Black students are pressured to hide their academic talents or abilities because it doesn’t fit in with how they are “supposed to be” per say. Instead such Black students are supposed to mouth off to the teachers, ignore homework assignments, and get into fist fights. While a lot of such stereotypes are furthered by the white population I do think that the Black population too is responsible for such by playing to those stereotypes, perhaps out of fear?
I think one of the good things about the film is that it took four different perspectives on this issue. All four of the characters struggled with this issue, Sam trying to conceal her whiteness, Coco attempting to erase her perceived “ghetto” background, Troy selling out his own race to attempt to become a part of a major white group on campus. While I agree that there a tremendous struggle and push for black people to “act” black or white, I do not really fully agree with the extreme description given. This slang speaking, dramatic, irrational caricature described is the stereotype promoted by the media and reality tv to entertain white people. This is the push for if you want that kind of attention. If you want serious attention a conformity to white standards is needed.
I thought this issue of “blackness” set Justin Simien’s movie Dear White People apart from other productions that deal with race relations and cultural integration. Though this issue wasn’t novel to me, it was definitely a stress I hadn’t readily realized black people experienced throughout their lives. This is one feature that I don’t think is as apparent in white culture as it is in black. The necessity to define yourself on a scale of “blackness” while others judge what is acceptable or not seems ridiculous, but it’s probably something black students at Lafayette face everyday. What feature proves to be defining? The tone of one’s skin or his personality and beliefs? Though the answer should be obvious, the movie clearly shows the difficulty and frustration of this struggle.