Sex God/Rock and Roll Icon
The black male as an intellect, pimp and thug creates an allure he benefits from for survival. Among a society of black men he pontificates on politics of the day, from daily gossip to sociopolitical concerns, his thoughts on education, employment, family, church, crime and money.
His levels of philosophy varies. These conversations are expressed as individuals on the street or those with a college background. There are no qualifications for class or diversity alone as the black male approaches discourse steeped in self - promotion, confidence, success, love of community or at times total harangue.
As an intellect the black male is philosopher. Given his role as someone versed in street culture, he is a visionary on the "hustle." This carries over to his day to day living.
Black intellectuals in general are professionals, educators and artists. They approach philosophy based on degrees of education and experience within popular culture, international affairs and genetics.
The pimp is an innate quality within the black male. He takes on this role to further his libido as lover, family man or street hustler. It is rooted in the social maneuverability of the black male and his association with women. It can be conducted as a power game whereby the black male uses women to make money or makes money to further sexual exploitation.
Black male as thug is controversial. It can border in areas such as survival on the streets or operation as business man.
The black man is aware of how he is viewed both by other blacks and those in society. The thug does not totally qualify him as criminal. It is a mindset, how he defends himself from potential crime or the perspectives of law and order, how police officers perceive black men.
Indiscriminately black men are judged and called thugs. This something that stems from a white society that perceives black men as potential criminals.
Fetishizing of the black male perhaps has its origin in slavery, buying and selling of the slave. It is out rightly racist and inhuman.
The black male is looked at as a physical specimen, revered for his musculature, thought of as having enlarged sex organs. This is crucial in the lynching of black men through out history.
White men are perceived to be jealous of his sexual prowess. White women somehow lust after him.
There are many aspects behind how the black man is fetishized. As a lover the black male is given appraisal. He is depicted in adult films as having an exaggerated sex organ. It is the most sensationalized view of the black man.
Melanin in the black man gives an aura to his skin. The color can be identified as stark ebony and high yellow. The various types of skin color is the basis for black on black racism and how they gain an advantage or are at a loss when they climb the social strata.
The perception of black male beauty can be found in his role as actor in movies, from the command and stature of Paul Robeson to the street wise charm of Richard Roundtree in Shaft.
Blaxploitation as a movie genre gave black actors a chance to display the aspects of the black allure mentioned previously as thug and pimp. This notion is crucial in the universal appeal of the black male in popular culture.
As athletes black men display athleticism and physical power. They express examples of wit and grace in playing different sports, from basketball to football, baseball to tennis.
In sports such as boxing, athletes like Jack Johnson, Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali gained political reward in how they represented blacks as a race in society.
Politically the black male has achieved ultimate representation in the election of Barrack Obama as President. Typically the black male was represented by leaders in the Civil Rights movement. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X along with many other figures helped further the rights of blacks.
As preacher he is known for his sermons. He plays a pivotal role in how he handles his congregation, this borders the dialogue between a pastor and his community and how he manages order and disorder within the community.
Political activism in the modern day can be found in the "Black Lives Matter" movement. Their purpose is bringing an awareness to the treatment of blacks, both men and women, by the police.
Rock and roll and music in general gave the black male a resonance as a sex god and icon. Early on blues musicians like Robert Johnson were given authority as men who dealt with illusions of the devil. It carried over to the musical wizardry of Ike Turner and Chuck Berry, later followed by Jimi Hendrix and the more modern world, Lenny Kravitz.
Rap and Hip Hop culture brought a street wise view of black men to the mainstream. It was and is an ongoing trend where white men and women live out their fantasy through black people.
The internet and social media has brought a whole new depiction of black men and how they live. Most of it represents black men as treacherous, violent and money hungry in the postings of videos depicting black men committing crime and engaging in fights.
News reports both on television and online during the recent uprising and protests concerning the killing of blacks by the police has left a discoloration of the universal representation of blacks in the peace movement. Much of this has been left for discussion as to the role of black youth, black crime and imprisonment.
The prison system has left a mark on the progressiveness of black men. One is left to wonder how does the black man further his original appeal and aura as a modernist.
Unemployment, crime and lack of education has regressed the potentiality of the black male.
Questions arise as to who and what are we becoming and where are we going.
