Submitted by Terence Blackett
Beginning any controversial piece of literary discourse can be a daunting task. Equally challenging is tackling a taboo subject area which can be exhilarating, as one grapples with the issues that are so pertinent to the thesis you are trying to build – in order that it may have structural integrity. The concept of “Angry Black Men” is a work under construction. It is the title of a book which is currently in manuscript form and will be due out for publication around the autumn of 2010.
The BU Family has got (firsthand) the opportunity to debate rigorously (no holds barred) how this postmodern phenomenon is affecting the Black Family and how this psychopathology can be contained and managed through a variety of remedial interactions and recommendations.
But what is anger? Anger is a natural emotion that affects us all at some point. But for some people, anger can get out of control and cause problems with family relationships, friendships, work and even the law.
It is a scientifically proven fact that intergenerational transmission of social, cultural, moral, philosophical and spiritual capital has produced inequalities across the periphery of the Black family and any attempt at a one-sided explanation of the issues which focus just on social relations or culture or discourse is in itself radically incomplete at the least and copiously sterile at worst.
Some sociologists argue that – “the inequalities in resources and opportunities themselves have little or nothing to do with the moral worth or merit of individuals but they have a major impact on the possibility of achieving goods which are valued and which bring recognition and self-respect” (Sayer 2005). It is with this issue of self-respect which is at the heart of the problem with Black men.
In the United States (where I am currently doing some research) the conceptual theory of the “Black Youth Bulge” is an epiphenomenon of late 20th century “strategic demography” which looks at population characteristics such as age, ethnicity, geographic location and numbers to help locate terrorist or criminal threats.
In Britain, pilot studies are looking at how social measures including areas of social policy can impact on a growing segment of the young Black population who are increasingly disillusioned by the structural inefficiencies created by a closed class system that undermines upward mobility and limits social progress amongst ethnic minorities with the determinant results being – hate, anger and violence.
Our young Black men vigorously opine that it is their right to be angry given what they are up against within the system. This psychopathology which was elucidated by social historian Herbert Moller’s 1968 article “Youth as a Force in the Modern World” in Comparative Studies in Society and History argues that “although the individual ‘age curves’ of psychopathy (or ‘sociopathy’) assume a variety of shapes, all manifestations of this personality disorder – from ‘wild oats’ behaviour, excessive self-assertion and pugnacity to criminal acts – are predominantly correlated with youth. It follows that primitive tendencies and psychopathic behaviours can be expected to increase in any population commensurately with its youthfulness.”
Today, over 7 million people in the US are behind bars, on parole, probation, or otherwise under supervision by the criminal justice system. Two-thirds of prisoners are Black or Latino – groups that comprise just over one-fifth of the population as a whole, while almost half of Americans live in poverty and the greater percentage ratio is amongst African Americans. These disparaging social statistics are contributing factors to the climate of hate and anger so prevalent in America.
In Britain according to a 2003 Home Office Study suggest that “1 in every 100 Black British adults is now in prison”. The number are however much higher given the fact that foreign Blacks also occupy British jails in increasing numbers due to immigration, drugs and other transnational crimes.
It is undeniable that the psychopathology of angry black men is wrapped up in the historical legacy of colonialism, slavery and injustice – something which 400 years has not been able to completely eradicate, no matter how prosperous, affluent or technologically savvy we have become. The scars of such historical pain still bear that psychic imprint upon the psyche of the Black man, bearing fruit in the form of gang & domestic violence, the YOB culture and increasing incidences of Black on Black crime and violence.
Anger unmistakably damages personal relationships. These relationships are often the ones you least want to lose. The target is usually spouses, children, co-workers, and friends. Actions often taken under intense anger are regretted after the damage is done. The Bible reminds us that “the wrath of man does not work the righteousness of God” and even though we can get angry, we must not sin. The difficulty is in balancing these two extremes and even for the most astute amongst us – the challenge proves too great.
The conclusion is as W.E. DuBois reminds the Black man – “The Negro is a sort of seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted with second-sight in this American world — a world which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world. It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity.
We must break this generational pattern which still affects us all…
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