Our "Representatives"/*Fri 6/26/09 6:30 PM

this was a message I sent in response to a blog I read by Dee Dee Williams. You can check her original blog at: http://abklynbeauty.blogspot.com/2008/08/representative_30.html

My email to Dee Dee:

I often think about our representatives. I think about how when I see a black person on tv, doing anything remotely embarrassing, I get a lil angry at them. But why? When I see a group of black people in real life, doing something ignorant (for lack of a better term), and there are "others" afoot, I want to scream. But why? I'll tell you why. I've pondered over this for quite sometime, and you're probably the first person I've articulated these thoughts to, so bear with me; this happens because we (as black people) want so much to be taken seriously in this society, that any foolery in front of the people who run this society, is not tolerated. In private, amongst ourselves, we let it happen. Even those of us who don't act "foolish" or "ignorant" in public can be a little of both around our own people ("our own people" extending to friends outside the race who we are just plain comfortable with).

The bigger (and more important) question than why we are so up in arms about our people "representing us" is why don't white folks let labels bother them? Follow me...

The thing is, we only make up about 13% of this country (last time I checked). White people make up about 80% or so. They don;t see themselves all in the same category; they recognize that there are many different types of white people: the red neck, the businessman, the stoner, the frat guy, the dumb blond, the poet, etc, etc, etc. They have these many different titles to bestow upon their people, that if I were to call "the businessman" a "redneck", not only would he not be offended, he'd probably laugh at me. They (whites) are displayed in tv, movies, book, etc as so many different types of characters, that we've (others) have come to understand them as totally 3 dimensional characters. The sheer amount of white people being displayed gives us (everyone) the impression that there are all these types of whites, including the proverbial "everyman" (regular white guy).

Now, as for us, there's so little of us in this country, that it's easier for them to lump us all together. Until as recently as the 90's, we were still displayed in MAJOR media outlets( the outlets that reach a huge portion of that 80% of white folks, and then the rest of us) in a limited amount of categories (the dope dealer, the hoe, the slow witted nigger, etc, etc, some of which are stereotypical renderings that have been used as far back as the Minstrel Shows of the 19th and early 20th centuries). Add to that the Media's coverage of black folks in the news outlets (the medias already long standing use of mostly negative images, whether black white or candy stripped, is a huge factor),and you've got a recipe for ignorance on both sides. Not only does the mainstream (white folks) begin to actually believe we're a bunch of ignorant, savage hooligans who don't know their worth, they begin to take that image and run with it, just like the Minstrels. Also, in some cases, black folks begin to believe this is what we are, and perpetuate the image. The image of our people is pretty much in the hands of the people who run the media...but it goes back further...

Our image of ourselves is DEEPLY rooted in our history in this country (a very very complex history which has, as far as the mainstream goes, been vastly generalized and not completely explored). The initial split between the first generations of american born African slaves into one of two factions (either you tryna be more like massa or you arent; either way you lose), was made more complex by the 20th century, when a black middle class emerged. (that's another story for another time tho...I'm starting to get off track, but imma bring it back.)

I'll finish this rant up by actually answering the questions you posted in the blog directly:

Why did I feel that he represents me and the entire African American race?
Because to most white people, he does represent the entire race. They tend to lump us all together, because a lot of them have never experienced black culture as something outside of TV and other media.

Do other black people feel represented when that 1 black person does something stupid?
For the most part, yes. But's that's just a guess.

Should we feel represented by that one person?
No. We (you, I, and other "regular" black folks) all know that there are many different types of black people, so we should ignore the notions that 1 isolated black person is our spokesperson when they're in the company of "others".

Does that person actually represent us?
Here's the kicker; the fact that there are numerous (media & multi media) examples of the many types of black people (I'm speaking of the last part of the 20th Century til now), doesnt matter. Those numerous types are still relatively "new" to the mainstream audience. You cant undo centuries of harmful imagrey, stereotypes, and plain ol' ignornace in just a few decades. So, sadly, in the eyes of the vast amount of white folks who have lived the majority of their lives w/o seeing, experienceing black people on a large scale, that one black person does represent the whole race. And the killer is that it only takes one bad apple to ruin the bunch: If a white guy from Iowa meets his first black person, and they act in any negative way, that's not only a first impression of said black person, but of the whole race. On the flip side, if that white guys cousin met 3 "regular" black people, and 6 "eccentric" (for lack of a better term) black people, the impression of the 6 usually outwieghs the 3. He rationalizes it with "well, Jim, Bob, and Kevin act more like white people than Hakeem, Malik, Willie and their friends. That (the latter group) must be how "real" black people act."

Do you feel like a representative when you are one of the few black people in a crowd?
It depends on the situation, but for the most part, yes. You have to be aware that whether you feel like you represent the whole race or not, there are going to be a lot of folks who think you do. The way to combat this is, well, to be yourself.

Are you instantly on your best behavior?
Lol. that's a funny question. For the most part, yes.

Do other races feel the same when they are alone in a group?
That's a great question that I wish I had done enough research to answer emphatically. Alas, my expertise lies in our race, history and culture. But the answer(s) to that question would give a better understanding of how the relationship between whites and blacks in the history of this country has shaped their descendants views. All those outside of white and black (as far as this country's history and culture) are pretty much, well, outsiders. That's not to say that white and black cultures are the only cultures that make up or have affected america, but that those two opposing cultures have had the greatest and lasting affect on this country. To hear how an Asian, Brazilian, or even a Polish person percieves themselves in this country (in contrast to black folks) would be a terrific study to do. Stay tuned...

With all of that said, perhaps the most important question is: WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE "BLACK"? We, as a people, cant agree on an answer, so by default, we've left it up to white people to define what being "Black" means. That's the problem. We have to sit down as a unit and discuss what being black in america means to us, and ignore what teh mainstream says that means. On top of that, we must ALL realize that there are many different types of people in this world, and that doesnt change because you narrow that down to a certain group of people. We are mostly, and truly, products of our environments, and that is the way this whole thing needs to be looked at.... I'm rambling now...

Forgive my longwindedness. I've been typing this between work assignements for a while, and everytime I came back to it I thought of another point. The subject could have a series of books written on it, because of it's complexity, and trying to sum it up at any level feels like I'm doing the subject a grave injustice. Anyhow, I have not had a chance to go back and reread. Oh well, I'm just gonna have to give ti to ya raw and uncut, lol.