Black Man

*disclaimer I know this is posted in the Men's locker room but i think it deserves better exposure so I'm reposter here*

Definition of a Black man:

A complex man who deep down is usually wrestling with the voices in his mind telling him to be one of these things.

a gangsta - A child who grew up in an environment you honestly don't want to know about. Was generally exposed to traumatic events during his childhood, most of them violent. Has lost many or most of his family members and is struggling to keep what's important to him in the only way he knows how (violence or crime). Generally this person was never given a chance to succeed because of early circumstances out of his influence.

a thug- A man dedicated to gathering the attention of those around him, with multiple shows of bravado. Will perform minor acts of theft sometimes and will often try to mimic the actions and words of other thugs seen in music videos. May live in the ghetto/suburbs but will refuse to participate in any real crminial activity.

a traitor- Often know as an oreo, any black man who after showing signs of intelligence, is willing to pursue his potential as an intellectual human being. Will talk proper english and will enjoy reading and learning. Has shown tendancies of hatred towards those of his own skin color brought on by previous ridicule.

a matyr- Will make references of how black people are still enslaved by white people, blaming every non-black person for anything that goes wrong in his life usually. Often makes request for reperations for slavery and assures people of his hatred for "The Man". Continues to make radical statements calling for mass acts of violence or the refusal to eat some foods.

a Vagrant- Upon realizing the paradoxs in all the previously stated paths this man has chosen to do what he wants and ignore the voices. This man may show signs of multiple personalities but can never clearly fit into any one class. Will often spend hours in thought on the question of "Who am I?".

Gangsta- "I dont like what I do, but it's the only choice we got out here."

Thug- "Test tomorrow? I dont give a fuck, the only test I care about is how much weed can I smoke!

Traitor- "Mixed? No I'm not mixed, why do you ask? Because I talk funny? Sorry for speaking proper english."

Maytr- "If the white man understood what it was like to be black man, he'd hate himself too.

Vagrant- "Theres like a civial war between black people, honestly I think both sides need to swallow their pride."

 

The closest one I fit into is the traitor, I guess, minus the self hate part, and I don't like reading, if it's boring. But if it's interesting, I like to read it. And I talk in proper English most of the time.

 

hmm

 

??

 

This is may be representative of the insecurities of Black Men, and who they worry about becoming, but not the reality of who they are. The reality of who Black Men are every day would be summed up into words like Hero, Leader, Wiseman, Father, Teammate, Lover.

 

Tell ya something though..

Being bombarded with images from mainstream media would lead some to believe that the bruthas are having an identity crisis at times. But..just like everyone else, we run the broad spectrum of who we are and who and what we can be. I think it's important to keep goals and values in perspective as part of realizing one's self worth/self identity.

 

wasn't this thread posted b4?