ipl-logo

Black Men Masculinity Essay

1706 Words7 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay on black oppression

The culture of aggression and violence surrounding black men is a consequence of a psychological and sociological term known as hypermasculinity; associated with extremely negative connotations and contributions to harmful and damaging stereotypes about black men. “The hypermasculine image of the black male as a violent and aggressive being has been perpetuated throughout history and continues to be reinforced in contemporary society”(Wadley 60). Black men have adapted behaviors and attitudes, like the need to be aggressive, tough, and unemotional which are reinforced by societal pressures and expectations. These expectations stem from the legacy of slavery because of black men's need to assert masculinity in the face of oppression. The black …show more content…

During slavery, black men were literally and figuratively stripped of their masculinity and completely emasculated in front of their families. They were subject to innumerable amounts of torture, consisting of emotional, sexual, and physical abuse. While black men were enduring the abuse, they weren’t able to protect their families. To combat the issues they were facing, black men had to assert their masculinity in the face of oppression; ultimately resulting in the hypermasculinity we see today. The torture black men went through during slavery resulted in traits like aggression, dominance, and rejection of femininity in order to give their families some sort of impression of protection and safety. The necessary survival strategies lead to serious consequences in the modern day; like violence and discrimination towards women and members of the LQBTQ+ group. A renowned professor at Vanderbilt reinforces this stating, “the legacy of hypermasculinity in the black community has contributed to a culture of violence, misogyny, and homophobia that continues to plague men and women today” (Ikard …show more content…

Black men need to feel dominant and in control leads to unhealthy and toxic relationships. This leads to not only manipulation but gaslighting and abuse in said relationships, whether they are hetero or homosexual relationships. The long-term problems that come with this are not being able to communicate with your partners and being unable to emotionally connect with children involved in the relationship. Hypermasculinity affects relationships and also leads to the pressure of being a breadwinner and not allowing your spouse to share responsibilities. From this, we see things like single mothers because partners are unable to connect with their spouses. This leads to numerous problems for children involved in these relationships because they don’t know how to foster healthy

Show More
Related
1418 Words | 6 Pages

Will society ever view African-Americans as people and not as less than? In “Chokehold” Paul Butler will discuss this very idea depth. Butler provides history on why and how society sees African-American men as violent thugs. Butler goes on to explain in detail how the chokehold plays a part in oppressing African-American men and how to avoid the ramifications of the Chokehold, if possible.

Read More
538 Words | 3 Pages

As a result it could lead to a black male to consciously have a victim mentality in that is to say, that our problems become their problems and they will feel that there is not rights for black man. Another key point will be the lack of confidence in black males for being judge especially when they approach to an individual. This is always a common situation in our society, between a black man and a white man there are more chances of a black man to get pulled over than a white man in the

Read More
1446 Words | 6 Pages

There are plenty of black men that have problems with the way society view and treat them. In the essay Black Men and Public Space, the author Brent Staples expressed how black men were perceived in the public’s eyes. He expressed this problem by giving examples of how a young man was perceived. Some of the solutions did not really solve the problem in general, but helped to change the mindset of those surrounding him.

Read More
1129 Words | 5 Pages

Stereotypes have the power to label someone and rob them of all their hard work or strike fear into others. One such stereotype is that of black men being more dangerous;yet, one black writer voices his opinion on such a stereotype. In the essay “Just Walk On By” by Brent Staples, Staples describes his experience of being a large black man and how it affects the people around him. From people locking their doors to pedestrians crossing the street to avoid a confrontation, people seem to be afraid of Staples just from a glance. Yet Staples does nothing to cause this fear, rather his stereotype is to blame.

Read More
628 Words | 3 Pages

Brent Staples discusses how young black men are made into young thugs based on “the male romance with the power to intimidate” (Staples 240). He also mentioned that young black men use this power to intimidate in order to commit crimes and that “poor and powerless young men seem to take all of this nonsense literally” (Staples 240). Staples is simply stating that young, black men, that are raised on the streets, look for power through intimidation and that every male fights for dominance. They then grow up to use this intimidation and showing of dominance in order to commit crimes and rob other people. Staples explains that intimidation and dominance become daily life and

Read More
530 Words | 3 Pages

These examples all play a part in why someone may fear a black male. Exposure to negative media about black males can spark fear in people. Coming in contact with a black man right after hearing the news about a black man doing something horrific can make you afraid of them. Like what Staples says in his article “At dark shadowy intersections, I could cross in front of a car stopped at a traffic light and elicit the thunk, thunk, thunk of the driver – black, white, male, or female- hammering down the door locks”.(p.2) Perhaps those people have heard of black men

Read More
828 Words | 4 Pages

Collins discusses the association of Black women with an animalistic, uncivilized sexuality. Collins states that the depiction of Black individuals as hypersexual compared to White persons “served as a sign of racial differences used to justify the […] belief in the superiority of White civilization” (Collins, 2005). Black women are perceived as sexual objects to be enjoyed, primarily by White men, while the sexuality of Black men is seen as dangerous. Collins argues that “this discourse of Black sexuality to create tightly bundled ideas of Black femininity and Black masculinity […] influenced racial ideologies and racial practices,” upon which the discrimination and mistreatment of Black individuals relies (Collins, 2005). Furthermore, in order to distance themselves from the harmful stereotype that Black sexuality is depraved, many Black individuals have overcompensated and adhered to the belief that sex is solely procreative, heterosexual, and “is only valid within the confines of heterosexual marriage” (Collins, 2005).

Read More
1491 Words | 6 Pages

Synthesis Research Paper Everyday growing up as a young black male we have a target on our back. Society was set out for black males not to succeed in life. I would always hear my dad talk about how police in his younger days would roam around the town looking for people to arrest or get into an altercation with. As a young boy growing up I couldn’t believe some of the things he said was happening. However as I got older I would frequently hear about someone getting killed by the police force.

Read More
1576 Words | 7 Pages

(Souls, 2) Blacks are linked to the negative stereotypes of being uncivilized barbarians who have no etiquette in society. There negative image only continues further and further into the future because it is never broken by the white man. This negative imaging is only a constant trap to the black man because they are stuck in the constant cycle of degradation. This is one of the many ways that white Americans are constantly able to keep blacks in check because no matter what happens, blacks will continue to be born into this misfortune of being an outcaste at birth. Another misfortune that blacks cannot avoid is the natural clustering of social

Read More
713 Words | 3 Pages

The Mythos of African-American Gender Identity The concept of gender has long determined standards of appropriate and acceptable behavior. Intersectionality, however, offers an explanation to the double standards African-Americans face due to how masculinity and femininity are perceived when applied to them. The social norms imposed upon African-American people and families develop different standards of masculinity & femininity and sexual stereotypes of African-American men and women, and often misunderstand the common family dynamic. African-American men and women have been subjected to many stereotypes that assume and overstate the nature of their ethnicity.

Read More
621 Words | 3 Pages

“Black Men and Public Spaces” Diagnostic Essay Brent Staples in “Black Men and Public Spaces,” illustrates the inescapable prejudices and stereotyping that African-American men face in America. He does this by relating to his audience through his personal experiences with stereotyping, and sharing his malcontent on how these events have made him alter his way of living. From “victimizing” woman, watching people lock themselves away, and having to whistle classical music to calm the nerves of people around him; Staples builds a picture to help people better sympathize and understand his frustration. Although Staples describes himself as a college graduate, a journalist, and a softy in the face of violence, he details that the overall public deems him a dangerous criminal.

Read More
1826 Words | 8 Pages

It all comes down to how what type of ideas they have of being masculine. The male figures represented by African Americans in the media are usually negative. Movies and music tell African American males that masculinity is in drugs, sex, violence, and gangs. The poses they

Read More
828 Words | 4 Pages

We live in a time where blacks have to force themselves to be less black in order to be accepted. No one should have to live every day of their life fearing that that could be their last because of their race. As a result of racial profiling black men have to change their lifestyles so that they don’t become the next victim. Could you imagine living to please others? This is what has to happen in order for black men to not be looked upon as a “typical black man.”

Read More
699 Words | 3 Pages

In present American culture the traditional idea of masculinity differs vastly from what masculinity was in the Okonkwo’s culture. Currently in America when one hears the words manly, masculine, man, father, brother, or husband they associate it with an individual who is physically strong and dominant in the traditional American household. A masculine individual is known to have strengthen and power in society and will not assert or show any weakness towards “touchy” subjects or become emotional. The fact that our society has become so prone to look down upon anyone who is a man that acts more feminine and less manly than what is deemed as societies norm is sad. My personal association with the words above are stereotypically, synonyms that are associated with strength and

Read More
1194 Words | 5 Pages

Closely related to the idea of gender is the idea of masculinity and femininity. Masculinities can be defined as innate qualities that differ a male from a female however, it translates into culture in the form of specific roles and performances which men have to perform or it is imposed on them (Cornwall, 2010). In abstract terms, masculinity can be understood as something which boys and men do and on the similar lines femininity can also be understood i.e. what women and girls do, more so what women and girls learn to do (Paechter, 2006 and Wesely, 2012). These roles may assign a higher status to men in the power hierarchy irrespective of the fact whether they feel powerful or not. Men in this sense may also feel the pressure of masculinity i.e. they have to engage in a

Read More

More about Black Men Masculinity Essay

Related Topics

Open Document