Gender Talk: Chapters 5&6

In Chapters 5&6 of Gender Talk, Sheftall and Cole discuss the concept of race secrets, as well as homosexuality and homophobia in the black community. I think these chapters have a lot of the same concepts in them, which is why I chose to discuss them in one post. In chapter 5, Sheftall and Cole bring to light the idea that while Black men have been marginalized, they do not believe it is an excuse to be violent in their day to day lives. They state, “While we understand at a profound level the particular plight of Black men and the hostile world they inhabit, we do not believe that ‘black males have been the principal victims of the legacy of racial discrimination and prejudice in American society’ or that Black men have been prohibited from being men or denied a gender identity” (132). While Black men have been demoralized, I think what Sheftall and Cole are pointing out is that they have not been objectified anymore than women have. They point out that Black men “also benefit from the gender privilege that operates in some manner for all males in male dominant cultures such as the United States” (132). They explain that this is not to say that power and privilege are shared throughout the color lines, but male privilege is something that is true in their own marginalized communities and families. The idea of “the Black Man” thoroughly gets examined in this chapter, with respect to slavery and the media. The whole chapter is set against this backdrop of “race secrets,” which are secrets that are kept within the Black community about the problems of some of the members. This idea of a race secret is problematic, however, if we are to ever change the face of the violence and homophobia in the Black community. Sociologist Clyde W. Franklin II says that in order to explore Black masculinity, we must at first look at the “legacy of slavery when Black men were property and rendered submissive, nonprotective, powerless, and studs supreme” (134). So what he is saying is that we must take into consideration the fact that Black men have been marginalized, beaten, and dehumanized by the dominant culture. I understand that completely, but in no way does their marginalization give them the right to abuse or minimize women , especially black women in this case, and their struggles. Women have always been the lesser being in regards to gender, and black women went through the same sadistic institution that is known as slavery. The difference in the male’s mind between slavery for men and slavery for women? Women are supposed to be treated as submissive creatures because they are inferior to men. Women are supposed to be raped because that is a domination tactic created by males to assert their power over females. Men are not supposed to be raped and treated as submissive beings because they are men. Thus, the need to assert ones manhood in Black culture gets amplified that much more because that assertion is an attempt to show the dominant culture that they are not docile, and that they are not less of a man. They also feel the need to prove this to the women, which is where the violence comes in. Violence has become a way for some men of all races to be recognized as the dominant ones, as if the world had forgotten. Sex is also used as a way to assert ones masculinity. Cole and Sheftall explain that “When Black men are unable to be men in traditional ways…they compensate by exaggerating what’s left of normative gender roles. ‘And that is sex…what is left of his manhood demands that he control this last frontier. The result is exaggerated sexuality” (134). What is problematic in this is the fact that the dominant culture views Black males as animalistic, oversexed beings, and when Black males reiterate these stereotypes, they help to give more power to their oppressors. It becomes an “I’ll show you” kind of pattern, but the only thing that is being shown is that the dominant culture is right.

Cole and Sheftall discuss violence in Greek fraternities and the demeanor of Black men that is known as “the cool pose.” In one example about a student, Joel, of Cole and Sheftall’s, he was taking a women’s study course and really getting into figuring out the man he wanted to be. He also discovered that he would rather have a daughter than a son, which was not approved of by his fraternity at Morehouse College. He died during that semester and hazing was thought to be the cause. A psychologist, Ricky L. Jones tries to connect the violence that happens in fraternities to cultural ideas of masculinity that underline power over others. “Jones is not excusing Black male violence, but asking us to see the link between certain Black male identities and the particularities of Black men’s sojourn in America” (137). Jones explains that Black male violence at the core is about trying to achieve manhood. In trying to appear like a “man” in Black culture, there is something called a “cool pose.” This is connected to the idea of “Black macho” (137). The cool pose is defined as an “array of coping behaviors and psychological defenses, both positive and negative, that some Black males in particular employ to deal with the persistent stressors of an oppressive society (137). This cool pose is problematic, too. I have decided that this must be the blog post where I discuss everything that is problematic in trying to be a part of a hegemonic masculine society. This cool pose shows Black male adolescents that they must not care about anything in the world because it is a cruel place, that they must just adapt to the inequality and use guns to express their anger. It gets absolutely zero resolved, and it shows young Black males that violence is the way to get out aggression. It perpetuates the vicious cycle of the oppressed trying to emphasize their masculinity to the dominant culture, and the dominant culture getting more power because their stereotypes are being reaffirmed. We will revisit the “cool pose” again in a few days when I discuss the world of hip-hop.

Cole and Sheftall discuss the ways that the Black culture must break the silence on these race secrets that are kept. In order to change the face of the Black culture, the secrets must be exposed, and we must not approach them as insurmountable tasks that continue to grow and grow with each rape or gunshot. We must take a look at them now. The reason that so many people in the Black community are tight lipped about these secrets is that they do not want to be judged as imperfect, nor do they want to feel as though their actions are under the watch of white society, but the fact that gangs are in the news every other day already exposes that fear. In keeping the secret, they are saying without sometimes saying it, that the behavior is something that can be excused, and it really cannot. Byllye Avery states, “We have to look at how violence is used, how violence and sexism go hand and hand…We have to stop it, because violence is the training ground for us” (143).

Chapter 6:

In this chapter, Sheftall and Cole discuss Gay and Lesbians in the Black community and where a lot of the homophobia stems from. They also touch on the Black males who are undercover, meaning that they are married with children, but have a gay lover on the side. It is really no surprise that in a culture that wants to “other” anything that is different, that homosexuality would be something that is misunderstood and hated in a lot of Black communities. Some people believe that Black homosexuals “betray the quest for healthy black families, a regulated and normalized black sexuality” (155). I am sorry, but I seriously doubt that being gay is the one “problem” that is going to sink the ship on issues in the Black community. As someone who is half Black and half White, I get deeply offended when people of a minority, who were once ostracized and “othered” by society feel like it is acceptable to do the same horrible treatment to another group of people. It is as though the last 100+ years never happened for slavery and that people forget how difficult it is to be castrated of your rights. But on the other side, when it is important to remember how much people in the Black community have been ostracized, for example with the violence I discussed earlier, it is remembered. But it is soon forgotten with the issue of homosexuality and the dominant culture. I understand that being against homosexuality gives those who are objectified the chance to join forces with the dominant culture and stand on common ground, but it is bullshit, quite frankly. Instead of having a deep understanding of the pain that homosexuals face, it appears that some are glad to have the focus off of them, so they must do whatever they can to remain out of the spotlight. Not so long ago, it would have been a crime that could have been punishable by death for my Black father to even look at my white mother, but now it is not a very big deal at all, so I don’t understand how people can forget that enough to go and take those same rights away from homosexuals. The way to beat out the dominant ideas about race and sexuality is to ban together and fight it, remembering where each person has been and the hurt they felt as outcasts. It baffles me that this idea cannot be understood. Cole and Sheftall prove my point by stating, “Black people’s intense hatred of racism and their knowledge of the pain it causes has not kept many of them from subjecting their gay brothers and sisters to a range of indignities” (173-4).

But enough with my rant about this, I will now return to Gender Talk.

The idea that Black homosexuals are race traitors is a popular idea in the Black community. The belief that “homosexuality is a sickness, just as are baby-rape or wanting to become the head of General Motors” (158) is being told to a lot of youth in the Black community. Homosexuality is defined as synonymous with dysfunctional Black manhood. Again, homosexuals are used as the scapegoat for the dysfunction of Black masculinity, when really it is the reiteration of the “cool pose” that is the problem with Black masculinity. Cole and Sheftall say it best when they state, “Explanations by Black scholars and lay persons alike that assign blame to external factors help perpetuate the myth that homosexuals are deviant, degenerate, and unmanly” (159). Homosexuality, as it is seen in this book, and as I already knew, is not something that happens because of white supremacy or slavery, it is just as natural and instilled at birth as it is in other ethnicities. The ideas that go along with homosexuality in the Black culture are the ones that are created. The pressure that one is a race traitor if they are not heterosexual and hegemonic in the Black culture helps to facilitate “on the down low” (172) sex. On the down low sex is where men who are supposedly heterosexual regularly have sex with other men. There was an outbreak of HIV/AIDS among heterosexual Black women, which exposed the secret of down low sex. It is sad because homosexuality is not synonymous with HIV/AIDs, but this pull towards keeping ones family, but having sex with another man on the down low has made some of these men grow careless about precautions they should be taking when having sex with anyone.

As always, Cole and Sheftall discuss ways that the Black community is working together to fight these race secrets and homophobic practices from remaining in the community. There are openly gay ministers and communities that accept homosexuals, which is a good start. It is nice to know that in all of this hatred, there are people with love in their hearts who want to create a stronger community full of acceptance for all its members. The lid must be blown off of the race secrets and acceptance must come from the larger community so that down low sex can stop hurting these Black males and their families.