Just something interesting that i thought about...

I was having this conversation with my mom today about race, and i remembered something really funny that Dave Chapelle said on one of his shows. One of his jokes was about how black people are afraid of some of, if not all of the same things that white people are afraid of. For instance, black people are afraid of terrorism just like white people are. Black people are afraid of getting hijacked and robbed on the street just like white people are. And some people even think that just because someone is black, that they wouldn't be afraid of say, walking into crenshaw or cabrini green by themselves at 2 o'clock in the morning...lol

But the funny part about all of this is that the average black person probably would be afraid of those things, and they should, but there is this perception i think that people have, that makes it seem like black people, especially black men, aren't afraid of anything. Maybe this adds to the attraction that some women have for black men.... the fact that they'll feel more protected knowing that their guy isn't afraid of anything whatsoever?? Could that factor into attraction for black guys i wonder? Do white women feel safer with a black man than with a white man? And if so, why?

I do think that perception actually helps add to the hip hop hysteria going around though...you know, the fact that those guys get on their records and talk about how they're not afraid of anything, even being killed, and they'll take down anybody who stands in their way and stuff like that. I don't know if this topic has been brought up that many times before, but i just find it to be really interesting, and a little funny too..lol

 

I've never thought of it like that. *sigh* I think I'm out of the loop and ahead of my time, because I just don't think of stuff like that when I meet a black guy...probably because my hormones are taking my brain on sucha wild ride that I don't want to think about anything. Or maybe it's all in my subconscious mind and I don't realize it. :lol:

Seriously, I don't think so. I don't believe what I hear in hiphop music, and I don't listent o my friends, either. Some of my white girlfriends who have dated BM honestly buy into all the myths. I'm not sure whether to feel sorry for them or disgusted by their behaviour. :evil:

 

Good post. But I disagree in some aspects. I can't speak for all black men, but the things you listed, I'm not afraid off. I'm not trying to be all tough either. Terrorism? I'm afraid to die yes. Bin Ladin ain't targetting blacks. Getting jacked? Naw. All I carry is a credit car and $20 the most. You can keep the $20 and the credit card I'll get the money back if I file a Police report. As for walking downtown at 2am? You must eb up to something being in a bad area at 2am to begin with.


I think the mentallity is different. I think blacks try not to put themselves in a bad situation. But I cans ee why a WW would be more attracted to a BM because of what they see on TV. The whole tough mentallity by black musicians. Which woman wouldn't want a man that can protect them?

 

I can see what you are getting at, Bryant. First, i must say that fear is something that is designed by the people and things we surround. To some extent, they are socially constructed ( in my opinion). But the thing is based on the portrayal of black males as some gun-obsessed, dope slanging, thugged out roughnecks (thanks in part to gangsta rap and the blaxploitation themes from the 70s), the media has successfully constructed a paradoxical image of the black male; the hero and the villian. Constantly, black males fill up the crime reports in every news outlet but there's a double effect here. Whilst the black male is seen as potentially criminal and dangerous, he's often seen as the "tough guy" so to speak. If not so, what else could explain the reason behind the constant requirement of black males in Hollywood to portray tough guys?

The thing is, black folks might have the same fears as white folks but what's different with black folks is dealing with the fear. Since many of us have had to run through tough times in our lives and many black males living with the "life's a hustle" mentality, it kind of makes us more prepared and accustomed to difficulty. I do not want to make sweeping generalizations here but to be honest, it's impossible with such a subjective issue like this. For example, in one of Chris Rock's "Never Scared" comedy skits, he was talking about how the government is always telling us to be on the lookout for Al-Qaeda. His response was "I'm from Brooklyn, i don't give a fuck about Al-Qaeda". Many black folks (myself included) have that mentality. Since blacks are generally expected to have it rough, we're therefore expected to be "up to the challenge" so to speak.

And as you know, people readily buy into what the media puts out. As Antonio Gramsci put it, the media is a hegemonic cause adopted to justify ruling class ideas. As you might have thought by now, those that control the media control the mind. Since whites (the very ones afraid of blacks) are the controllers of the media, it is shaped according to their ideas. They portray black rappers, athletes and actors as tough and masculine (most of the time rightfully so) and we know how much pop culture reveres the above mentioned so that perhaps lead to the assumption of black men as "tough". For example, when i was in college, many of my female friends (who were mostly white) loved to stay out late amongst other habits. Most of the time, whenever they wanted to go somewhere really late, they often asked me to accompany them and upon my asking why, they'd say things like, "You're black and people would not attack you". Now i would have thought it would have been because of my size (6'8 250 lbs) but it was said bluntly and so i understood.

Now i cannot speak for all white females but i have spoken about interracial dating with many of my white female friends and they often point to the fact that black men are supposedly huge (in physical composition :lol: ) and they feel somewhat protected by that image. I'd love to think that adds up to something. Besides, many white female celebrities (and male ones for that matter) have black males as bodyguards so there you go.

 

Chris, you and Soul brotha both made interesting comments about how black people "react" to perceived threats. Do you think it has everything to do with environment? For instance, if a black guy is born and raised in the suburbs, in an all white neighborhood, and away from gang violence and things like that, do you think that he'll carry the same fearful mentality that some whites have? I like to look at myself as an example. I was born in the inner city of Chicago. It was pretty bad. There were killings and muggings and drug dealers and gang members and everything else.

When you're living in that environment for a long time, i guess you become immune to the dangers, and you're not as afraid or fearful of your surroundings. However, when my mom moved us all the way out to the suburbs, away from the violence in the inner city, whenever she made mention of moving back there, i was terrified. I could never go back because i now realized just how dangerous of a place it was. I don't think i could have ever realized that if we never moved out of there.

So yeah, i think the environments that some black people are raised in has allowed them to totally put any fears aside because they deal with their lives being on the line every single day. Instead of worrying about Osama Bin Laden boarding a plane and flying it into their homes, a lot of black people are more concerned about protecting their families from drive by shootings and random acts of violence in their own neighborhoods. Since white people don't necessarily have to deal with the same level of violence on a daily basis, their fears are more focused on the terrorism and things like that i guess.

 

I also find it funny how black guys may not be afraid of terrorism and getting jacked on the street and stuff like that, but they are afraid of the police of all things...lol.

 

What are some of the myths that they've been buying into AquaPeach?

 

Okay, i'll give you an example:

I'm at the bar a few weeks ago with some friends. Two of us have dated/slept with black men, the others haven't. One of my friends always says things like, "White guys are not good in bed", and this one night she starts at it again and says, "Well the darker they are, the bigger it is". Well, I just lost it because i know that isn't true; I've been with dark and light-skinned BM's, and let's just say that my experiences have shown me that that myth, among many others, is completely untrue. So I got mad and said, "You know that isn't true, and you're just saying it because everyone else besides me will probably believe you, and you want to make yourself look good in front of your white girlfriends."

Statements like "black guys are better than white guys in bed" may seem harmless, but they aren't. Many, if not most, white girls believe some if not all of the myths when they have their first IR encounter. They either decide to learn they are wrong, or continue to spread these false beliefs to other WW who may decide to use a BM just to see if it is true. in my opinion, it is wrong; people should not be used like pieces of meat just to satisfy another's curiosity. .

The reason I think my friend truly believes these things is that she'll say them to me when we're alone, and it doesn't matter how often I correct her, it's like talking to a brick wall. As a fairly successful, middle-class WW, I doubt she has had to deal with much prejudice or stereotyping, beyond what comes out of her mouth, and it's unfortunate because she probably doesn't realize the damage she is doing to herself and her relationships.

 

Hmm...that's really interesting that they think that way AquaPeach. I'm really glad that you're not like that. You don't buy into the hype and believe all of the stereotypes, and that to me is awesome because it's so easy for you or for anybody else to do that. You're so right, people shouldn't be used like pieces of meat to satisfy someone else's curiosity. But i'm not letting some of the black men off of the hook so easily because they allow some of these very women to treat them like the pieces of meat. :roll:

 

Well my man, unlike Bin Laden and the terrorists, the police DO target blacks...LOL Just kidding (halfway!) I could not resist but I feel where you're coming from Bryant.