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Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness? What it Means to Be Black Now
Journalist Touré turns his ear to 100 prominent black Americans to create a provocative look at the state of race in America.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published September 13, 2011
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2089 people want to read
About the author
Touré
22 books97 followersTouré Neblett is an American novelist, essayist, music journalist, cultural critic, and television personality.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
March 23, 2018
This is a good book. It's almost a 'how to behave yourself' manual fit for all races. I'd like to believe everyone would read this and we would all get our shit together.
There are aspects of race that we humans will always react to. There has been and always will be tribes because "birds of a feather do indeed flock together." Human-kind has also always proved that it is willing to behave in mean and ugly ways. So, hoping that suddenly we will all be nice is wasted hope, but yet I still do hope.
Having typed that, I do acknowledge that many of us are trying to do better at reducing the intensity of hate between black America and white America. I really have difficulty using the words white and black to describe people. Lay a piece of paper beside a black shoe and ask yourself; "Have I ever seen a human being that is really black or white?" No, we are all some shade of brown. There aren't any red or yellow humans either.
This book shows us some of the ways we as a society have improved how we behave with regard to having enslaved or having been enslaved. It also tells us about some ways in which we are still messing up.
Overt racism has diminished in part because of technology. Forensic science has made it easier to determine guilt and cameras provide a video witness to many more acts of hate. Education has reduced the lies of stereo-typing that have been created and perpetuated by both races. Perhaps with more education and technology and determination, we can eliminate the 'N' word and two 'R' words......nigger, redneck, and retard.
Another factor that has diminished racism is that the older haters, both black and white, are dying off. Yes, some young people today of both races are still taught to hate, but much of that hate is dying with the older haters. As a side note.....I am aged 61 years and still get a ration of crap from older men telling me to "Go get a haircut." The thought has popped into my mind more than once; "Maybe I'll have some peace when all you old pharts are dead."
None of us are totally void of racism. We can however learn to respect each other and live together in peace. Let us all find our balance. It starts with you and me.....Michael
There are aspects of race that we humans will always react to. There has been and always will be tribes because "birds of a feather do indeed flock together." Human-kind has also always proved that it is willing to behave in mean and ugly ways. So, hoping that suddenly we will all be nice is wasted hope, but yet I still do hope.
Having typed that, I do acknowledge that many of us are trying to do better at reducing the intensity of hate between black America and white America. I really have difficulty using the words white and black to describe people. Lay a piece of paper beside a black shoe and ask yourself; "Have I ever seen a human being that is really black or white?" No, we are all some shade of brown. There aren't any red or yellow humans either.
This book shows us some of the ways we as a society have improved how we behave with regard to having enslaved or having been enslaved. It also tells us about some ways in which we are still messing up.
Overt racism has diminished in part because of technology. Forensic science has made it easier to determine guilt and cameras provide a video witness to many more acts of hate. Education has reduced the lies of stereo-typing that have been created and perpetuated by both races. Perhaps with more education and technology and determination, we can eliminate the 'N' word and two 'R' words......nigger, redneck, and retard.
Another factor that has diminished racism is that the older haters, both black and white, are dying off. Yes, some young people today of both races are still taught to hate, but much of that hate is dying with the older haters. As a side note.....I am aged 61 years and still get a ration of crap from older men telling me to "Go get a haircut." The thought has popped into my mind more than once; "Maybe I'll have some peace when all you old pharts are dead."
None of us are totally void of racism. We can however learn to respect each other and live together in peace. Let us all find our balance. It starts with you and me.....Michael
January 28, 2012
So far, I'm amazed. The book is dedicated to "anyone who was ever made to feel not Black enough. Whatever that means." Thank you, Brother!
This book answers all the obnoxious questions asked of people like me, Black Americans with unique personalities and unique ways of "being Black" without insulting our ancestors or asking anyone for permission or a set of guidelines.
This book answers all the obnoxious questions asked of people like me, Black Americans with unique personalities and unique ways of "being Black" without insulting our ancestors or asking anyone for permission or a set of guidelines.
October 15, 2011
The book is equals parts social commentary and autobiographical musings from a cadre of Black stars in the sky of American Africana. Post-Blackness as a definable thing is constantly changing and based on a generational set-point—for example, being born in the 80’s, I am not familiar at all with critical ‘white gaze’ or could never imagine being afraid to eat friend chicken or watermelon in front of a White person—these thoughts have never crossed my mind. My parents never told me I had to be better, do better, than any White person or other any person; just to do my best and to be myself. Blackness was never considered a stumbling block, nor has other people’s ignorance based on my melanin ever become my own personal issue. Is this post-Black thinking? Racism is shocking in the sense of “Damn, people still on that dumb shit?” not that it affects me constantly; classism and homophobia constitute the microagressions in my life. Would this also be a post-Black problem?
I wish he went into more details of his own personal experiences before adding in his interviews. His life sketches were interesting enough on their own. However, Touré completely lost some cool points—and needs a whole punched in his Black card—for allowing the “How to Build More Baracks” or rather as it should have been titled “How to Be Sellout Magic Negro to Gain Power and Influence People”. That chapter was a painful read. Basically to gain this nebulous power—not sure it is political, economic, or social; maybe a combination of all three—in America as a post-Black person you need not to strike fear in the hearts of White(supremacist) folks, have any human failings, possess a baby face (seriously!?), and be the best Uncle Thomas you can be! Sorry, but if anyone of any race holds White supremacist ideals then they should be exposed and feel guilty for holding such ignorance—at the very minimum. If my melanin, words, and actions arouse guilt in a White supremacist then I am doing my job. Other than that one chapter of pure treacherous (traitorous ) fuckery, the book ends on good note—the idea that American Black people now have the emotional and personal space to define themselves as themselves for their own benefits or detriments like any truly free group of a people.
January 6, 2012
Loved it. The pressure is off now. I am a child of the 60s and 70s and there was always this spectre hanging over me to constantly prove my blackness to the world. I have been challenged by children and adults to explain myself for not "talking black" or "acting black" or "not listening to the "correct" music for a black man. Nor should I feel any self-doubt or self-hatred because of denied opportunities because I am "too black" or "not black enough" in the opinion of the person in charge of the gateway to that opportunity. Thanks Toure for spreading the word that blackness is not a fashion trend or style. It is who we are (people of African descent), regardless of public opinion.
November 1, 2011
I was really digging this audiobook at the beginning, particularly chapter 3 which focuses on the impact of Chapelle's Show. As it went on, some bits resonated, others didn't (for me, personally).
(My other favorite bit is a great postscript to Chapter 6, exploring the etymology of "M-therf-cker". It blew my mind).
If you're at all interested in the state of "blackness" in post-Obama America, this is a pretty good survey of the multiplicity of perspectives inherent in any consideration of what that word "blackness" or "post-blackness" might even mean.
(My other favorite bit is a great postscript to Chapter 6, exploring the etymology of "M-therf-cker". It blew my mind).
If you're at all interested in the state of "blackness" in post-Obama America, this is a pretty good survey of the multiplicity of perspectives inherent in any consideration of what that word "blackness" or "post-blackness" might even mean.
October 14, 2016
Foreword by Michael Eric Dyson
Touré is one of my favorite people because you never have to guess who he is, what he’s thinking, or what he is about because he doesn’t hide behind a facade―what you see is what you get. He’s not afraid to say what’s on his mind and you’ll get it without it being sugar coated. If anyone wants to see what a real Black man looks like then you have to look no further than Touré.
What’s most important, and uplifting, about Touré is he just doesn’t give a damn about what you think about him…. Toure’s notion of post-Blackness is just what we need to move from exhaustive Blackness to expansive Blackness―from the idea that Blackness is one thing to a focus on the one thing that Black folk should never forget: that we are so many wonderful and terrible things all at once, and that we can live past the puny ideas and wan portraits of those who would hold us back to claim the birthright of enormous Blackness that is ours for the asking and doing.
…We’ve got to do away with the notion that there’s something that all Black folk have to believe in order to be Black. We’ve got to give ourselves permission to divide into sub-groups, or out-groups, organized around what we like and dislike, and none of us is less or more Black for doing so. I think what Clarence Thomas has done on the Supreme Court is wholly destructive to Black folk, and I’m willing to toot my arguments about his catastrophic performance in reasoned claims about politics and race. But he isn’t any less Black than I am, he’s got a different take on Blackness and race than I do. Whether his take on race is viewed as less or more helpful than mine should be judged, but not by reference to an unchanging, eternal idea of Blackness that is stuck in the Black sky as a North Star to shed light on our doings as a people.
That’s why post-blackness is so suggestive a term: It clearly doesn’t signify the end of Blackness, it points, instead, to the end of the reign of a narrow, single notion of Blackness. It doesn’t mean we’re over Blackness; it means we’re over our narrow understanding of what Blackness means....
Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness? is one of the most powerful reads I’ve read in 2016!
What I liked about Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness? is that it teaches Blacks
a. To give themselves permission to “do them”.
b. To not buy into the hype of what Blackness is suppose to look like.
c. To embrace their faults and their successes and to move on to the next journey.
d. To stop buying into the victimhood of what their ancestors suffered.
I dare everyone to read Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness?
Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness?
Quote by Touré
To be born Black is an extraordinary gift bestowing access to an unbelievable rich legacy of joy. It’ll lift you to ecstasy and give you pain that can make you stronger than you imagined possible. To express the full possibilities is Blackness, you must break free of the strictures sometimes placed on Blackness from outside the African-American culture and also from within.
Quotes I Liked
Blackness is limited only by the courage to imagine it differently. ―William Pope
Post-Black is what it looks like when you’re no longer caught by your own trauma about racism and the history of Black people in the United States…. It’s not a disavowal of history, it’s just the determination that you’re not wearing all the trauma anymore and you’re not waiting for the world to be different to live your life in more interesting ways…. It reminds me of some of my Jewish friends talking about being indoctrinated into this kind of trauma narrative of survivorship and thinking of themselves as survivors of the Holocaust. ―Prof. Wahneema Lubiano, Due Law
Black people can be very limiting for themselves…. The great freedom, you see, would be for Black people to say, “You know what? Fuck y’all. I’m just gonna do what I do. ―Carrie May Weems, photographer
You see there’s an assault on symbols of abandoning the group mentality. If you don’t talk like us, don’t dress like us, don’t listen to the music we worship, or fail to sit with us during free moments then you are taking steps away from the herd and for that you will be harshly censured. It’s bad enough that attempting to cultivate an independent personality will be attacked but somehow the idea is also spread that mental development
Blackness is like a Visa Card―accepted everywhere you want to be. ―Santi White
For Blacks, America is like an Uncle who put you through college but molested you. ―Chris Rock
People have opportunities in the way they construct themselves and if you’re not reliant on the society around you to provide you with that construction then you can make yourself or construct yourself anyway you’d like. ―Lorna Simpson, photographer
When you really get at the Black normative gaze, what you find is that often times the white supremacy inside of Black minds is so deep that the white normative gaze are not that different. I hope that more of us can get to a place where we don’t make personal decisions based on the white gaze. ―Cornel West
What Some of the Smartest Black People on Planet Earth Had to Say
Michael Eric Dyson defines three primary dimensions of Blackness. He calls them accidental, incidental, and intentional.
Touré prefers to call the three primary dimensions of Blackness as introverted, ambiverted, and extroverted.
Roland Martin also rejects the hierarchical way of looking at the community that he broke down. “Hell, yeah, we gotta stop doing that,” he said. “What is real and authentic Blackness is solely based on your experience. How you grew up, how you were raised, what you saw, what you went through. That is your authentic experience as a Black person and you cannot define what I saw, what I witnessed, What I went through as not representative. That’s you. That’s what you went through.”
Henry Louis Gates, Jr., said, “Well the most painful thing for a Black person is ‘You’re not Black enough.’” “You’re not Black” and “you’re acting white” are essentially two sides of the same coin, both meaning your understanding of what it means to be Black is wrong. You’re not wielding Blackness correctly. You’re not living right. Perhaps even you’re ashamed of Blackness and trying to pretend you’re white. Or we both know it’s hard to be Black but I’m not tiring to sneak out of the race so why are you? Why are you trying to act like whitey? Whasmatter? Don’t you like being Black? The accusation can cut to the core of a person. It can hurt so deeply it can change lives.
How it Originated
Dr. Neal-Barnett said slaves who were seen as acting white could command more on the auction block. So the acting white accusation started as a way of saying: Don’t be what white people want you to be. Being of greater value to them was of no value to us.
But now when the fruits of America are much more available to us, and mastering the King’s English and developing your mind can bring tremendous economic benefits, the “acting white” accusation seems to be part of the crabs-in-the-barrel phenomenon. “The ‘acting white’ accusation is to put people in their place,”…. To make them remember…. I haven’t found anyone who wants to throw out the Black race. It’s trying to bring them back in.” Bringing them back in or bringing them back-down?
Stupid Stuff Black People Say Out of Ignorance and Fear When They Believe You, a Black Person, is Breaking the Rules of Blackness
1. Black people don’t do that.
2. Black people don’t scuba dive
3. Black people in Africa are not gay
4. You know you’re a mutt (meaning that you are of mix culture).
5. If we don’t bother them (meaning white people) we can only hope they don’t bother us.
Touré is one of my favorite people because you never have to guess who he is, what he’s thinking, or what he is about because he doesn’t hide behind a facade―what you see is what you get. He’s not afraid to say what’s on his mind and you’ll get it without it being sugar coated. If anyone wants to see what a real Black man looks like then you have to look no further than Touré.
What’s most important, and uplifting, about Touré is he just doesn’t give a damn about what you think about him…. Toure’s notion of post-Blackness is just what we need to move from exhaustive Blackness to expansive Blackness―from the idea that Blackness is one thing to a focus on the one thing that Black folk should never forget: that we are so many wonderful and terrible things all at once, and that we can live past the puny ideas and wan portraits of those who would hold us back to claim the birthright of enormous Blackness that is ours for the asking and doing.
…We’ve got to do away with the notion that there’s something that all Black folk have to believe in order to be Black. We’ve got to give ourselves permission to divide into sub-groups, or out-groups, organized around what we like and dislike, and none of us is less or more Black for doing so. I think what Clarence Thomas has done on the Supreme Court is wholly destructive to Black folk, and I’m willing to toot my arguments about his catastrophic performance in reasoned claims about politics and race. But he isn’t any less Black than I am, he’s got a different take on Blackness and race than I do. Whether his take on race is viewed as less or more helpful than mine should be judged, but not by reference to an unchanging, eternal idea of Blackness that is stuck in the Black sky as a North Star to shed light on our doings as a people.
That’s why post-blackness is so suggestive a term: It clearly doesn’t signify the end of Blackness, it points, instead, to the end of the reign of a narrow, single notion of Blackness. It doesn’t mean we’re over Blackness; it means we’re over our narrow understanding of what Blackness means....
Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness? is one of the most powerful reads I’ve read in 2016!
What I liked about Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness? is that it teaches Blacks
a. To give themselves permission to “do them”.
b. To not buy into the hype of what Blackness is suppose to look like.
c. To embrace their faults and their successes and to move on to the next journey.
d. To stop buying into the victimhood of what their ancestors suffered.
I dare everyone to read Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness?
Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness?
Quote by Touré
To be born Black is an extraordinary gift bestowing access to an unbelievable rich legacy of joy. It’ll lift you to ecstasy and give you pain that can make you stronger than you imagined possible. To express the full possibilities is Blackness, you must break free of the strictures sometimes placed on Blackness from outside the African-American culture and also from within.
Quotes I Liked
Blackness is limited only by the courage to imagine it differently. ―William Pope
Post-Black is what it looks like when you’re no longer caught by your own trauma about racism and the history of Black people in the United States…. It’s not a disavowal of history, it’s just the determination that you’re not wearing all the trauma anymore and you’re not waiting for the world to be different to live your life in more interesting ways…. It reminds me of some of my Jewish friends talking about being indoctrinated into this kind of trauma narrative of survivorship and thinking of themselves as survivors of the Holocaust. ―Prof. Wahneema Lubiano, Due Law
Black people can be very limiting for themselves…. The great freedom, you see, would be for Black people to say, “You know what? Fuck y’all. I’m just gonna do what I do. ―Carrie May Weems, photographer
You see there’s an assault on symbols of abandoning the group mentality. If you don’t talk like us, don’t dress like us, don’t listen to the music we worship, or fail to sit with us during free moments then you are taking steps away from the herd and for that you will be harshly censured. It’s bad enough that attempting to cultivate an independent personality will be attacked but somehow the idea is also spread that mental development
Blackness is like a Visa Card―accepted everywhere you want to be. ―Santi White
For Blacks, America is like an Uncle who put you through college but molested you. ―Chris Rock
People have opportunities in the way they construct themselves and if you’re not reliant on the society around you to provide you with that construction then you can make yourself or construct yourself anyway you’d like. ―Lorna Simpson, photographer
When you really get at the Black normative gaze, what you find is that often times the white supremacy inside of Black minds is so deep that the white normative gaze are not that different. I hope that more of us can get to a place where we don’t make personal decisions based on the white gaze. ―Cornel West
What Some of the Smartest Black People on Planet Earth Had to Say
Michael Eric Dyson defines three primary dimensions of Blackness. He calls them accidental, incidental, and intentional.
Touré prefers to call the three primary dimensions of Blackness as introverted, ambiverted, and extroverted.
Roland Martin also rejects the hierarchical way of looking at the community that he broke down. “Hell, yeah, we gotta stop doing that,” he said. “What is real and authentic Blackness is solely based on your experience. How you grew up, how you were raised, what you saw, what you went through. That is your authentic experience as a Black person and you cannot define what I saw, what I witnessed, What I went through as not representative. That’s you. That’s what you went through.”
Henry Louis Gates, Jr., said, “Well the most painful thing for a Black person is ‘You’re not Black enough.’” “You’re not Black” and “you’re acting white” are essentially two sides of the same coin, both meaning your understanding of what it means to be Black is wrong. You’re not wielding Blackness correctly. You’re not living right. Perhaps even you’re ashamed of Blackness and trying to pretend you’re white. Or we both know it’s hard to be Black but I’m not tiring to sneak out of the race so why are you? Why are you trying to act like whitey? Whasmatter? Don’t you like being Black? The accusation can cut to the core of a person. It can hurt so deeply it can change lives.
How it Originated
Dr. Neal-Barnett said slaves who were seen as acting white could command more on the auction block. So the acting white accusation started as a way of saying: Don’t be what white people want you to be. Being of greater value to them was of no value to us.
But now when the fruits of America are much more available to us, and mastering the King’s English and developing your mind can bring tremendous economic benefits, the “acting white” accusation seems to be part of the crabs-in-the-barrel phenomenon. “The ‘acting white’ accusation is to put people in their place,”…. To make them remember…. I haven’t found anyone who wants to throw out the Black race. It’s trying to bring them back in.” Bringing them back in or bringing them back-down?
Stupid Stuff Black People Say Out of Ignorance and Fear When They Believe You, a Black Person, is Breaking the Rules of Blackness
1. Black people don’t do that.
2. Black people don’t scuba dive
3. Black people in Africa are not gay
4. You know you’re a mutt (meaning that you are of mix culture).
5. If we don’t bother them (meaning white people) we can only hope they don’t bother us.
September 16, 2011
Ever since the big burly linebacker screamed at him, "shut up Toure, you ain't black",Toure has been looking to solidify his place in that magical circle of blackness. It's clear that incident scarred him and I'm sure he may have had other similiar verbal fire balls tossed his way. So, he writes a book in which he posits, that the circle has expanded to include every black person living, no matter what their ideology or worldview. He champions individualism while making references to black people as a group. A bit confusing. He also suggests that the way to the promised land, especially in politics, is to acquiesce to racism; i.e. make whites feel comfortable.
These thoughts make the book quite flawed for me. A more apt title might have been, RUNNING FROM BLACKNESS: AND LOOK HOW MANY PEOPLE AGREE WITH ME! There are absolutely no dissenting voices that could have made for a more interesting discussion. He mentions having read Molefi Asante and Maulana Karenga, but they are not interviewed for his book. Surely they would have a different spin on post-blackness. He talks about those who have a love/hate relationship with America, and states you can't hate America and not ending up hating yourself. Huh? For African decendants, the root is not America, it's Africa. A major of African studies and a reader of Malcolm would be clear on that. There is an African proverb that states, " no matter how long the wood remains in the water, it will never become a crocodile."
Toure's confusion is evident, because not only does he think we are crocodiles, but we live on land. If blackness is whatever one says it is, then it is in essence nothing at all. If the choice of a lifemate can affirm Obama's blackness than it would follow that one who makes the opposite choice is nullifying blackness. You can't have it both ways, or all ways as Toure wants it. The lone somewhat disagreeable voice comes ironically from the white Yale history professor, Robert Farris Thompson. He states in the outtakes, apparently he couldn't make the cut, "I am not big on post-blackness....Black culture is forever and therefore never post."
If you are running from blackness, you will love this book, and Toure will be your Moses. But if you are running towards Africa, keep your money in your pocket and avoid the landmine of disappointment.
These thoughts make the book quite flawed for me. A more apt title might have been, RUNNING FROM BLACKNESS: AND LOOK HOW MANY PEOPLE AGREE WITH ME! There are absolutely no dissenting voices that could have made for a more interesting discussion. He mentions having read Molefi Asante and Maulana Karenga, but they are not interviewed for his book. Surely they would have a different spin on post-blackness. He talks about those who have a love/hate relationship with America, and states you can't hate America and not ending up hating yourself. Huh? For African decendants, the root is not America, it's Africa. A major of African studies and a reader of Malcolm would be clear on that. There is an African proverb that states, " no matter how long the wood remains in the water, it will never become a crocodile."
Toure's confusion is evident, because not only does he think we are crocodiles, but we live on land. If blackness is whatever one says it is, then it is in essence nothing at all. If the choice of a lifemate can affirm Obama's blackness than it would follow that one who makes the opposite choice is nullifying blackness. You can't have it both ways, or all ways as Toure wants it. The lone somewhat disagreeable voice comes ironically from the white Yale history professor, Robert Farris Thompson. He states in the outtakes, apparently he couldn't make the cut, "I am not big on post-blackness....Black culture is forever and therefore never post."
If you are running from blackness, you will love this book, and Toure will be your Moses. But if you are running towards Africa, keep your money in your pocket and avoid the landmine of disappointment.
September 28, 2011
Who is Afraid of Post-Blackness: What it Means to be Black Now is sure to be a conversation starter for those who read it and openly discuss the points that Toure' raises about Black identity in this century.
The format of this book is a combination of Toure's personal experiences at a child of the Black middle class and excerpts from over 100 interviews with different Black people from different generations.
The mixing of opinions and experinences is one the strong points of this work. Through the contributions of people from different walks of life, you can see how we have evolved past the identity markers of Blackness that once glued us together.
There are also some very mind boggling information in this work. Toure' points out that Justice Clarence Thomas read the speeches of Malcolm X daily and his friends declare that he is quite well versed on what Malcolm spoke about. He was also ready to join the Black Panthers at one point in his college career. Who knew this about Thomas?
Toure's in your face style of writing is not spared in this work. I found myself thinking long and hard over the different topics and examples that are present to support the argument that we need to look at ourselves different because there is a real need to do so. He raises a fact that I have believed to be true for my children's generation. They are the real beneficaries of the movement. They know that racism still exists and the have to deal with it on a different level than there parents and their grandparents. I recognized this reality within my own family and it is one that needs more acknowledgement.
He also deals with the sensitive topics of class, colorism and Black authenticy issues in a thought provoking manner.
I really liked this book and I am recommending it to anyone who likes an intelligent perspective on the subject of racial identity and attitudes.
The format of this book is a combination of Toure's personal experiences at a child of the Black middle class and excerpts from over 100 interviews with different Black people from different generations.
The mixing of opinions and experinences is one the strong points of this work. Through the contributions of people from different walks of life, you can see how we have evolved past the identity markers of Blackness that once glued us together.
There are also some very mind boggling information in this work. Toure' points out that Justice Clarence Thomas read the speeches of Malcolm X daily and his friends declare that he is quite well versed on what Malcolm spoke about. He was also ready to join the Black Panthers at one point in his college career. Who knew this about Thomas?
Toure's in your face style of writing is not spared in this work. I found myself thinking long and hard over the different topics and examples that are present to support the argument that we need to look at ourselves different because there is a real need to do so. He raises a fact that I have believed to be true for my children's generation. They are the real beneficaries of the movement. They know that racism still exists and the have to deal with it on a different level than there parents and their grandparents. I recognized this reality within my own family and it is one that needs more acknowledgement.
He also deals with the sensitive topics of class, colorism and Black authenticy issues in a thought provoking manner.
I really liked this book and I am recommending it to anyone who likes an intelligent perspective on the subject of racial identity and attitudes.
December 7, 2012
A highly recommended read. In fact, I am going to let what I read marinate for another year and read it again. This time I am not going to be afraid to highlight sections that I love.
For my full review go to my blog: http://thelittlereadingnook.blogspot....
March 27, 2016
Refreshing, Insightful, Riveting, Funny Page Turner! An Excellent Read! I Loved It!
March 19, 2012
I understand why Toure is so controversial in the black community. I really appreciate some of the ideas he has put out there with this book, namely adding his voice to a small choir that tries to dispel the myth of a monolithic blackness, claiming that such beliefs restrict black people in myriad ways. He does not, however, deny that there is indeed a black culture and frame of reference. In fact, he frequently draws from this base of common black knowledge to appeal to the reader and make his points. I often found myself laughing out loud (very awkward because I get most of my reading done in public spaces) when he referenced the common hesitation to eat fried chicken or watermelon in a room full of white people or slapping your forehead when some "assailant" or other on the news turns out to be black, while thinking "No! Think of the race!". Impressively, the book draws on personal interviews with many black public figures, artists, politicians, and scholars, many of whom I have intellectual or artistic crushes on. These mentions were obviously my favorite parts of the book. I'm reeeallly not mad at his love-gushing section on artist Kara Walker. BUT all that said, I was a bit uncomfortable with his conclusion that we must sell-out a little bit and assimilate and try not to scare white people with our blackness in order to succeed in America. I appreciate his efforts to take the power of racial change in America out of the hands of the institutionally powerful and put the onus on black people. However, my radical sensibilities cringe at the starch-your-collared-shirts, try-to-be-less-scary solution. I have complicated feelings about this book, but definitely think it is worth a reread to suss out his arguments more clearly. It's a courageous book and Toure proves that he a fearless thinker.
March 3, 2012
This book is a MUST READ for almost anyone who is Black and lives in Philadelphia (or any other historically Black city/town). Before people go off on Toure, he didn't coin the phrase, an artist did in the late 90s. More importantly he draws an important distinction between "post-racial" and "post-Black."
I have the teflon attitude (most days), I just wish others could build up the resilience I have and see the diversity and beauty in all as opposed to believing (falsely) that there is only one way to "represent" or "keep it real." What is extremely problematic is that the people who NEED to read this book (not gonna throw shade at anyone but they should know who they are, or where they reside) won't because of either the author or the subject. So much for informed, intelligent discourse and debate.
I have the teflon attitude (most days), I just wish others could build up the resilience I have and see the diversity and beauty in all as opposed to believing (falsely) that there is only one way to "represent" or "keep it real." What is extremely problematic is that the people who NEED to read this book (not gonna throw shade at anyone but they should know who they are, or where they reside) won't because of either the author or the subject. So much for informed, intelligent discourse and debate.
April 16, 2014
Who is afraid of Post Blackness is a title that creates a knee jerk reaction. There is nothing subtle about this book or the title for that matter. Toure interviews a myriad of Black individuals to make up this body of work. Everything is out there in the open for you to deal with head on. Toure fulfills almost all the stereotypes of what a Black man is supposed be, while recklessly going against them simultaneously. Toure is Black how he sees fit, he is loud and states his point clearly and sometimes obnoxiously. He speaks of his experiences as a human being first and then of those other esoteric circumstances(both positive and negative) he has ran into by way of being Black. He steadfastly pushed his way into becoming a writer and media personality who speaks of everything even topics that Black people are not usually supposed to speak about. Although, he is passionate about Blackness he is happily married out of the race. Toure is a riot and he doesn't care what you think about him.
I appreciate the ability that Toure has showed to be able to go into the discussion about race with both guns blazing and even sometimes going as far as naming names without shaming. In this book Toure speaks honestly on sensitive issues without alienating any group(s) of people. Post Blackness is not post racial. Post Blackness doesn't mean that America or the world is now colour blind. To assume that the America or the world is colour blind is a naive and bankrupt concept, which demonstrates a lack of understanding of race and its dynamics.
Post Blackness means that you are rooted in Blackness but not restricted by it. Toure goes on to describe the pillars of Blackness, which are as follows:
Introverted(Accidental)
Ambiverted(Incidental)
Extroverted(Intentional)
Introverted Blackness suggests a private relationship with Blackness. Typically the person adopts the “ I'm American, I'm a human being, I happen to be Black. By accident of my birth I am Black. It just happened that way,” attitude.
The second group consists of people who more completely embrace their Blackness. They are not trying to avoid it, but that is not their whole existence. Examples of such people are Condolezza Rice, Barrack Obama, Colin Powell, Oprah and Will Smith.
Then there's extroverted Blackness which says, “ I be Black, that's what I do, that's what my struggles are about.” Under this category, people like Kanye West, Jay Z, Malcolm X, Dr. King, and Jim Brown come to mind.
Regardless of the pillar you self identify with, Toure insists that there is no right way to be Black. In fact as people get more secure with who they are, the definition of Blackness expands. They define their Blackness internally as they choose, as opposed depending on external views as to what Blackness entails. Beyond the module of Blackness so to speak that you follow, if you want to more than just survive, that is if you want to thrive and make it to what Toure refers to as the Frying Pan Park, you have to develop mulit-linguality which in essence is the ability to know how to move across the different languages of Blackness. Oprah is someone who exemplifies multi- linguality. She can switch from any mode at anytime depending on who she is relating with. This I believe is what made her distinctively able to manoeuvre a world at the time she started who had no use for a Black woman. She repeatedly showed her high value, not just in the work place but upfront and centre in the media. Similarity, Toure includes a Dave Chapelle skit on the challenges that come with working up the corporate ladder in his “Keeping it real is a prison” chapter.
In a skit called “When Keeping it Real goes wrong,” Dave Chappelle is depicted as an upcoming executive(Vernon Franklin) in a predominantly White dominated work place. In an attempt to be chummy with Vernon Franklin, his boss makes a harmless enough but some what racist joke which offends by reducing Vernon to a stereotype and less of an individual than everyone else in the office. Vernon Franklin goes on to have a fit of hysteria while simultaneously putting his boss back in his place. In the next scene Vernon Franklin is seen wiping wind shields at the gas station. Dave Chappelle being an incredibly socially aware comedian, addresses an ancient dilemma which is also the elephant in the room for Black people(and people in general) especially in higher end jobs. You want to be agreeable, but really how much is too much, because at the end of the day you want to be able to respect yourself.
Toure lets us in on some similar occasions in his life where he was faced with overt racism. When he was starting out as writer in his twenties, he was juggling between jobs with various magazines. And at the magazine he averaged more projects, he tried to negotiate with the editor in hopes of acquiring a more permanent arrangement. He was shocked when said editor who was quite renowned in the business at the time, told him something along the lines of “Toure, don't me wrong. I know you write about Tupac, but can you write about Eric Clapton?” This stopped Toure dead in his tracks. He might have very well raised a stink at that magazine and with the subsequent editor that called him find an exclusively Black drug dealer to write about. Toure's reasoning for keeping his cool in the face of such blatant profiling was the young bull old bull scenario which shows up on the subsequent page. Essentially this story is about a young strong, overzealous but lacking in patience bull. And an equally strong old bull who has the patience which comes with age. The young bull suggests they run down the hill and screw a cow, while the old bull says no, we'll walk and screw them all. It is Black confidence like this that makes us all proud to be black. The ability to see past the immediate situation and thrive despite attempts to crush our confidence.
As Patricia William suggest in the 4th chapter, “Racism is so deeply painful and assaultive as to constitute spirit- murder. Society is attempting to assassinate our souls. However Black people are known for their ineluctably oversized egos. When you think about it the Black ego is not about self indulgence but self preservation. Having said that, the Black ego is not invulnerable but invincible.
My first encounter with Toure's work was a few months ago after encountering some back to back episodes of Shopping While Black(SWB) Surprisingly I am African and have lived in North America for 6 years and it is only in the 6th year that I am aware of the way black people are perceived in America, so I took to google to find meaning in the events that just transpired. I stumbled upon Toure's video, “Touré's Amazing Holiday Tips: 'How to Shop While Black'”(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1rhs...). It was just what I needed to jolt me into recognition. Not to take this video too literally as it is obviously a parody. I believe that sometimes being followed in a store is not always because they think that you might shoplift. Sometimes it is almost like a resume check or trying to put you in your place. I take my general appearance as a religious experience because quite frankly I never know when a runway might just pop out of nowhere- yet because of the colour skin some retail associates feel like I am over stepping my “invisible cloak of inferiority” so to speak. It is almost like they stop short of saying, why are you so confident- you are Black after all.
Toure includes a typical inner monologue a person could be having with themselves when faced with Shopping While Black. “You're in Target. Is the security guard following you? You're not sure. You think he is but you can't be certain. Maybe he is, maybe he's not- maybe he's actually following another Black person you couldn't see it but you can feel it. Maybe the guard is Black, so if you tried to explain it to a white friend they might not understand it as racist, but the guards's boss isn't Black. Or maybe he is. Maybe they're watching all the Blacks in the store more closely. Maybe the guard himself feels badly about that directive but has to follow it because they're watching him, too. Maybe what you're feeling are his ashamed vibes as if he's sending you a silent signal of apology for following you. Or maybe. . .now you're looking for the Tylenol for migraines when all you needed was toothpaste.”
This is a classic case of Shopping While Black which is so apt. Any attempt to paraphrase it will some how take from its authenticity. Granted there are other publicized cases of SWB which happened to Oprah Winfrey in Europe and Condoleezza Rice at a Jewelry store. Racism of the Post Modern era, like in the case of being followed is so sleek that you never know for certain without an element of doubt that you are being discriminated against.
Also important to note is something called the stereotype threat. An Aboriginal friend of mine always recants a very playful account of the stereotype threat. Now this guy is someone who probably has the most squeaky clean record known to man. One evening he was driving home from work and noticed a few police men standing at an intersection. The policemen pulled him over and began to cross examine him. After a while he blurts out playfully “I didn't do anything, I'm just driving home from work.” Then they ask him “Then why are you fidgeting?” Granted this is not an encompassing example of the stereotype. Toure gives two examples of the stereotype threat in Who's afraid of Post Blackness. In a psychological experiment, a group of upper class White kids are being assessed for their jumping abilities by their coach. In the first assessment they all do a marvellous job. In second round, their initial coach is switched for a Black one. Now we have all seen that movie “White men can't jump.” Without the new coach even saying a word, these kids performance was 20% worse than their first performance. There's similar example about Black kids taking the SAT the first time and getting remarkable scores. However when they were debriefed and reminded of the stereotype that Black kids do not do as well as their peers of other races, their scores take a downward toll. We should always be alert to shield ourselves from Cultural conditioning. When you hear a false story about your self for long enough, if you are not careful- you will start to believe it.
Modern racism has taken the face of prove it without a doubt or your concerns are dismissed and you who has complained are put in a position where you are expected to come up with an apology, as Toure puts it, as if the accusation is equal to the crime of racism. If I may quote verbatim from Chiamanda Adichie's Americanah which I feel applies to this situation, “If you’re telling a non-black person about something racist that happened to you, make sure you are not bitter. Don’t complain. Be forgiving. If possible, make it funny. Most of all, do not be angry. Black people are not supposed to be angry about racism. Otherwise you get no sympathy. This applies only for white liberals, by the way. Don’t even bother telling a white conservative about anything racist that happened to you. Because the conservative will tell you that YOU are the real racist and your mouth will hang open in confusion.”
Although the general consensus about dealing with racism is not to voice it out as it makes people around you feel comfortable. However there is evidence that suggests that the more external your response is to racism, the higher the probability that it will roll off your back like water flowing off the back of a duck. If you internalize the experience and carry it with you everywhere you go, that is a heart attack or similar psychological issues waiting to happen.
On a lighter note, Obama is one Black person who has not fought the power, but cashed in on his personal power to access a greater power. Toure's 7th chapter offers tips on how to play in the big league(Politics or any high profile occupation), using Obama as a point reference. Some of tips are as follows:
Babyfacedness
if you are a Black male, having a baby face functions as a disarming mechanism
Political Conservatism
Style of speech
Smiling Behaviour
always have a smile on your face( or you could be like Obama and not quite have it plastered all time but it should be within reach)
Harvard(Or any Ivy League) Education
Mollify(know how to put White people at ease).
A classic case of Mollifying is Obama. When he was running for President in 2007, when asked by CNN Political Analyst Roland Martin, “What are you going to do about unemployment for Black people?” To which Obama replies “ I want every American to get a job.” Another case is when Obama is photographed wearing the mom jeans or how you never get him to lose his cool. And the last tip is have a positive attitude. Don't feel like everyone is out to get you. Do not wear race on your badge, don't put it in your pocket either.
In conclusion, In the first chapter Toure is about to go skydiving with his all white crew of coworkers, when a Black man walks up to him and whispers “ Black people don't do that.” Essentially he was saying that Toure, wasn't Black enough or was somehow selling out. There is no such thing as Black enough or African or Asian enough or White enough- who sets the rules? To paraphrase Santigold, because I am Black I am expected to be only one way. That is just as unacceptable as Prejudice. Any attempt to censor the human experience puts a damper on the human essence.
People are wonderfully complex free spirited individuals. And we should be given the chance to create ourselves, instead of being weighed down by dogma. The World is a global village. I follow an Aussie Vlogger on Youtube and he is just obsessed with all things Kenyian. I believe I have a similar fascination for Asian food and culture. A friend of mine who is Asian, is your stereotypical White girl. Another friend of mine is White but could be mistaken for a Black girl. We are all citizens of the world. Let us borrow and give parts of our culture away.The more confident you are in yourself(and in your Blackness) the more your definition of Blackness, Whiteness, Africaness or Asianness broadens. Finally, if you accept the rules of the world you are in, you will fail or die, but if you believe that you are not limited in any way then you can succeed.
I appreciate the ability that Toure has showed to be able to go into the discussion about race with both guns blazing and even sometimes going as far as naming names without shaming. In this book Toure speaks honestly on sensitive issues without alienating any group(s) of people. Post Blackness is not post racial. Post Blackness doesn't mean that America or the world is now colour blind. To assume that the America or the world is colour blind is a naive and bankrupt concept, which demonstrates a lack of understanding of race and its dynamics.
Post Blackness means that you are rooted in Blackness but not restricted by it. Toure goes on to describe the pillars of Blackness, which are as follows:
Introverted(Accidental)
Ambiverted(Incidental)
Extroverted(Intentional)
Introverted Blackness suggests a private relationship with Blackness. Typically the person adopts the “ I'm American, I'm a human being, I happen to be Black. By accident of my birth I am Black. It just happened that way,” attitude.
The second group consists of people who more completely embrace their Blackness. They are not trying to avoid it, but that is not their whole existence. Examples of such people are Condolezza Rice, Barrack Obama, Colin Powell, Oprah and Will Smith.
Then there's extroverted Blackness which says, “ I be Black, that's what I do, that's what my struggles are about.” Under this category, people like Kanye West, Jay Z, Malcolm X, Dr. King, and Jim Brown come to mind.
Regardless of the pillar you self identify with, Toure insists that there is no right way to be Black. In fact as people get more secure with who they are, the definition of Blackness expands. They define their Blackness internally as they choose, as opposed depending on external views as to what Blackness entails. Beyond the module of Blackness so to speak that you follow, if you want to more than just survive, that is if you want to thrive and make it to what Toure refers to as the Frying Pan Park, you have to develop mulit-linguality which in essence is the ability to know how to move across the different languages of Blackness. Oprah is someone who exemplifies multi- linguality. She can switch from any mode at anytime depending on who she is relating with. This I believe is what made her distinctively able to manoeuvre a world at the time she started who had no use for a Black woman. She repeatedly showed her high value, not just in the work place but upfront and centre in the media. Similarity, Toure includes a Dave Chapelle skit on the challenges that come with working up the corporate ladder in his “Keeping it real is a prison” chapter.
In a skit called “When Keeping it Real goes wrong,” Dave Chappelle is depicted as an upcoming executive(Vernon Franklin) in a predominantly White dominated work place. In an attempt to be chummy with Vernon Franklin, his boss makes a harmless enough but some what racist joke which offends by reducing Vernon to a stereotype and less of an individual than everyone else in the office. Vernon Franklin goes on to have a fit of hysteria while simultaneously putting his boss back in his place. In the next scene Vernon Franklin is seen wiping wind shields at the gas station. Dave Chappelle being an incredibly socially aware comedian, addresses an ancient dilemma which is also the elephant in the room for Black people(and people in general) especially in higher end jobs. You want to be agreeable, but really how much is too much, because at the end of the day you want to be able to respect yourself.
Toure lets us in on some similar occasions in his life where he was faced with overt racism. When he was starting out as writer in his twenties, he was juggling between jobs with various magazines. And at the magazine he averaged more projects, he tried to negotiate with the editor in hopes of acquiring a more permanent arrangement. He was shocked when said editor who was quite renowned in the business at the time, told him something along the lines of “Toure, don't me wrong. I know you write about Tupac, but can you write about Eric Clapton?” This stopped Toure dead in his tracks. He might have very well raised a stink at that magazine and with the subsequent editor that called him find an exclusively Black drug dealer to write about. Toure's reasoning for keeping his cool in the face of such blatant profiling was the young bull old bull scenario which shows up on the subsequent page. Essentially this story is about a young strong, overzealous but lacking in patience bull. And an equally strong old bull who has the patience which comes with age. The young bull suggests they run down the hill and screw a cow, while the old bull says no, we'll walk and screw them all. It is Black confidence like this that makes us all proud to be black. The ability to see past the immediate situation and thrive despite attempts to crush our confidence.
As Patricia William suggest in the 4th chapter, “Racism is so deeply painful and assaultive as to constitute spirit- murder. Society is attempting to assassinate our souls. However Black people are known for their ineluctably oversized egos. When you think about it the Black ego is not about self indulgence but self preservation. Having said that, the Black ego is not invulnerable but invincible.
My first encounter with Toure's work was a few months ago after encountering some back to back episodes of Shopping While Black(SWB) Surprisingly I am African and have lived in North America for 6 years and it is only in the 6th year that I am aware of the way black people are perceived in America, so I took to google to find meaning in the events that just transpired. I stumbled upon Toure's video, “Touré's Amazing Holiday Tips: 'How to Shop While Black'”(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1rhs...). It was just what I needed to jolt me into recognition. Not to take this video too literally as it is obviously a parody. I believe that sometimes being followed in a store is not always because they think that you might shoplift. Sometimes it is almost like a resume check or trying to put you in your place. I take my general appearance as a religious experience because quite frankly I never know when a runway might just pop out of nowhere- yet because of the colour skin some retail associates feel like I am over stepping my “invisible cloak of inferiority” so to speak. It is almost like they stop short of saying, why are you so confident- you are Black after all.
Toure includes a typical inner monologue a person could be having with themselves when faced with Shopping While Black. “You're in Target. Is the security guard following you? You're not sure. You think he is but you can't be certain. Maybe he is, maybe he's not- maybe he's actually following another Black person you couldn't see it but you can feel it. Maybe the guard is Black, so if you tried to explain it to a white friend they might not understand it as racist, but the guards's boss isn't Black. Or maybe he is. Maybe they're watching all the Blacks in the store more closely. Maybe the guard himself feels badly about that directive but has to follow it because they're watching him, too. Maybe what you're feeling are his ashamed vibes as if he's sending you a silent signal of apology for following you. Or maybe. . .now you're looking for the Tylenol for migraines when all you needed was toothpaste.”
This is a classic case of Shopping While Black which is so apt. Any attempt to paraphrase it will some how take from its authenticity. Granted there are other publicized cases of SWB which happened to Oprah Winfrey in Europe and Condoleezza Rice at a Jewelry store. Racism of the Post Modern era, like in the case of being followed is so sleek that you never know for certain without an element of doubt that you are being discriminated against.
Also important to note is something called the stereotype threat. An Aboriginal friend of mine always recants a very playful account of the stereotype threat. Now this guy is someone who probably has the most squeaky clean record known to man. One evening he was driving home from work and noticed a few police men standing at an intersection. The policemen pulled him over and began to cross examine him. After a while he blurts out playfully “I didn't do anything, I'm just driving home from work.” Then they ask him “Then why are you fidgeting?” Granted this is not an encompassing example of the stereotype. Toure gives two examples of the stereotype threat in Who's afraid of Post Blackness. In a psychological experiment, a group of upper class White kids are being assessed for their jumping abilities by their coach. In the first assessment they all do a marvellous job. In second round, their initial coach is switched for a Black one. Now we have all seen that movie “White men can't jump.” Without the new coach even saying a word, these kids performance was 20% worse than their first performance. There's similar example about Black kids taking the SAT the first time and getting remarkable scores. However when they were debriefed and reminded of the stereotype that Black kids do not do as well as their peers of other races, their scores take a downward toll. We should always be alert to shield ourselves from Cultural conditioning. When you hear a false story about your self for long enough, if you are not careful- you will start to believe it.
Modern racism has taken the face of prove it without a doubt or your concerns are dismissed and you who has complained are put in a position where you are expected to come up with an apology, as Toure puts it, as if the accusation is equal to the crime of racism. If I may quote verbatim from Chiamanda Adichie's Americanah which I feel applies to this situation, “If you’re telling a non-black person about something racist that happened to you, make sure you are not bitter. Don’t complain. Be forgiving. If possible, make it funny. Most of all, do not be angry. Black people are not supposed to be angry about racism. Otherwise you get no sympathy. This applies only for white liberals, by the way. Don’t even bother telling a white conservative about anything racist that happened to you. Because the conservative will tell you that YOU are the real racist and your mouth will hang open in confusion.”
Although the general consensus about dealing with racism is not to voice it out as it makes people around you feel comfortable. However there is evidence that suggests that the more external your response is to racism, the higher the probability that it will roll off your back like water flowing off the back of a duck. If you internalize the experience and carry it with you everywhere you go, that is a heart attack or similar psychological issues waiting to happen.
On a lighter note, Obama is one Black person who has not fought the power, but cashed in on his personal power to access a greater power. Toure's 7th chapter offers tips on how to play in the big league(Politics or any high profile occupation), using Obama as a point reference. Some of tips are as follows:
Babyfacedness
if you are a Black male, having a baby face functions as a disarming mechanism
Political Conservatism
Style of speech
Smiling Behaviour
always have a smile on your face( or you could be like Obama and not quite have it plastered all time but it should be within reach)
Harvard(Or any Ivy League) Education
Mollify(know how to put White people at ease).
A classic case of Mollifying is Obama. When he was running for President in 2007, when asked by CNN Political Analyst Roland Martin, “What are you going to do about unemployment for Black people?” To which Obama replies “ I want every American to get a job.” Another case is when Obama is photographed wearing the mom jeans or how you never get him to lose his cool. And the last tip is have a positive attitude. Don't feel like everyone is out to get you. Do not wear race on your badge, don't put it in your pocket either.
In conclusion, In the first chapter Toure is about to go skydiving with his all white crew of coworkers, when a Black man walks up to him and whispers “ Black people don't do that.” Essentially he was saying that Toure, wasn't Black enough or was somehow selling out. There is no such thing as Black enough or African or Asian enough or White enough- who sets the rules? To paraphrase Santigold, because I am Black I am expected to be only one way. That is just as unacceptable as Prejudice. Any attempt to censor the human experience puts a damper on the human essence.
People are wonderfully complex free spirited individuals. And we should be given the chance to create ourselves, instead of being weighed down by dogma. The World is a global village. I follow an Aussie Vlogger on Youtube and he is just obsessed with all things Kenyian. I believe I have a similar fascination for Asian food and culture. A friend of mine who is Asian, is your stereotypical White girl. Another friend of mine is White but could be mistaken for a Black girl. We are all citizens of the world. Let us borrow and give parts of our culture away.The more confident you are in yourself(and in your Blackness) the more your definition of Blackness, Whiteness, Africaness or Asianness broadens. Finally, if you accept the rules of the world you are in, you will fail or die, but if you believe that you are not limited in any way then you can succeed.
October 26, 2020
Regardless of personal opinion, this is a great book to read. He manages to offer some insight into the era of Post-Blackness - which, by the way, is in no way similar to or related to the notion of Post-Racialism- with input from several others, although some more input from other figures is desired, since as he posits, Blackness operates on many levels. It will be polarizing due to its absolutist perspective.
So, what *is* Post-Blackness? Arising as a term in Art History, it refers to a Post-Civil Rights generation whose lived experience is "rooted in Blackness", yet not bound or constricted by it or the Racism that seeks to dictate how we define it. Contrary to the prefix, "Blackness" hasn't left them, so much as the collective consensus on what Blackness is as well as some of the lived experiences- instead of a society where racism was unanimously overt and the social barriers raised by institutional reinforcement are prevalent, those in the Post-Black generation exist in a culture where racism and its enforcement is incredibly subtle, if not invisible. While this remains a ripe period socially for Blacks, there remains a sense of distance- or in other cases, detachment- that accentuates the differences these generations have. Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s statement outlines both the scenario's possibilities and its problems: "If there are thirty five million Black Americans then there are thirty five million ways to be Black. There are ten billion cultural artifacts of Blackness and if you add them up and put them in a pot and stew it, that's what Black culture is. Not one of those things is more authentic than the other."
The premise is one ripe for philosophical, social, and metaphysical exploration, if not a legion of scholarship. Sadly, we only see this explored modestly, although efficiently still. Toure intersperses personal anecdotes with a mixture of scholarly and artistic insight in other cases, and at his best transcends the reader's expectations as he delves into the rather conflicted nature we exist, both as a collective struggling to uphold the status quo while simultaneously attempting to establish coda by which we all should operate individually. It's a galumphing exercise that in the end could've been cut short or expanded with further input from additional Black perspectives, which sadly were lacking in some areas. His razor sharp examination of art, music, Walker, Chappelle, and other figures - not including himself- makes for great reading and offers insight into the myriad ways that Blacks move and operate within the spectrum of their identity both in public and private.
Of course, however, there are some weaknesses to his arguments, typified primarily by the lack of insight from figures representing these areas. First, while his concept of Post-Blackness is all-inclusive and welcoming, it is also obtuse due to his vague definition- many will take issue with his insistence on seeing Blackness from an ethnic position. This doesn't leave out the fact that while this view is especially prevalent contemporaneously, numerous figures in the past have shared similar views of Blackness encapsulated by Toure's term; not to forget that some of the examples of Post-Black figures featured later on wouldn't qualify as Post-Black under his conception. All throughout, he alludes to a commonality Blacks all share and against arguments about authenticity and "realness" but fails to explicitly describe what this commonality is, let alone what Blackness is. As Shelby Steele famously said, "One of the things it means to be black today is that we don’t really know what the hell it means."
Blackness is like Art: there are clearly established parameters that designate its existence, yet there are myriad more variables introduced that make its essence impossible to be defined by simply one understanding. Sometimes, Blackness is recognizable; other times, it isn't. Sometimes, Blackness is social; other times, religious. Toure claims it is expanding toward infinity; yet the danger of this understanding is that it is contextless: unless we know where it expands from -as the constant binding our wildly-divergent identities - then there is the chance that it will become so nebulous and all-encompassing that it becomes meaningless, used without abandon as a placeholder word like the very n-word or f-word in contemporary pop culture.
Therefore, while Toure's points about avoiding the establishment of a hierarchy of "Black" authenticity are welcome, there can be pragmatic approaches to critiquing definitions or understandings of Blackness beyond spurious and banal examples of tired political or ideological tropes. He also lacks considerable insight on the heterogeneity of the phenomenon from those who also identify as more than one ethnicity, which would certainly have enriched discourse on the subject, especially regarding notions of authenticity.
Thankfully, Toure doesn't spend much time tying his hands together in an attempt to define Blackness, let alone from a Post-Black understanding, and while he enters familiar material later on, it remains an insightful read. He covers the ambivalence in which Blacks exist both as Americans and as people of African descent with amusing anecdotes that continue to unveil the delicate complexities inherent in concepts of Blackness.
In particular, he notes the importance of not rejecting or denying the immutably "Americanness" of our psyche. While we are very much African, which he makes sure to note, we are also very much African people raised and descending from American people and culture. Our history of course doesn't end with this revelation, but as he argues, offers Blacks existing in this "relationship" (which he compares, rather banally, to a "battered wife,") incentive to re-examine our role both historically and socially. Any sensible individual would tell a battered wife that she has the right to divorce that abusive husband, yet, this isn't an ordinary relationship.
Indeed, uncritically disowning our American heritage in favor of a sanitized view of our culture not only runs the risk of serving a great disservice to the ancestors who did struggle to succeed for the opportunities most of us now have, it also leads to the same idyllic and often ignorant understandings of the things and people we've imagined. As an Afrocentric myself, the flaws of this thinking are clear, since our worldviews aren't being shaped by what we know and actively experience, but the same myth-making that fuels these cultural gaps.
In a far more nuanced interpretation of Black history and the role of Institutional Racism as Patriarchy, there are many things that have been done in order to hide the abuse and scars that exist among African Americans, and since, we have yet to discursively express this legacy of blues, struggle, and perseverance in a singular medium. That's something fundamentally American, and very much African in retrospect, and should not be avoided but sought for inspiration in the same ways we were motivated in the past. I don't know if I buy the rather commercialized Blackness Toure argues for later on, which straddles the line a bit too safely for me.
Racism and its problems still exist, of course, especially in a country that thrives on vapid ideas of Race and Culture, and in the very least, it is our responsibility as Africans of American descent to continue the legacy left behind for us (both locally and globally) rather than wasting air with no effort behind our words. Will there ever come a time when this double-consciousness ends? Probably not until the US becomes Post-American, whatever that will mean in the future.
In closing, Toure's book is a telling portrait of Blackness as it pertains to the current generation. This book is very much as personal an adventure for Toure as it is for the person reading it, and I think many will trivialize this very real phenomena within our own community and miss the ulterior point of its existence, especially as it pertains to the gaze. There is nary a dissenting voice in the book that challenges these views, but I'm certain, as usual, there will always be opinions to be heard in this never-ending quest to understand ourselves as Black people. We've been arguing over what to call ourselves for centuries, from Colored to Negro, from African to Afro-American, from Black to American, and now Post-Black. The true beauty in spite of all the semiotic chaos is that we can have our cake and eat it too, because Blackness will always be what we make it out to be, nothing more, nothing less. Toure dares you to tell him or anyone else differently.
So, what *is* Post-Blackness? Arising as a term in Art History, it refers to a Post-Civil Rights generation whose lived experience is "rooted in Blackness", yet not bound or constricted by it or the Racism that seeks to dictate how we define it. Contrary to the prefix, "Blackness" hasn't left them, so much as the collective consensus on what Blackness is as well as some of the lived experiences- instead of a society where racism was unanimously overt and the social barriers raised by institutional reinforcement are prevalent, those in the Post-Black generation exist in a culture where racism and its enforcement is incredibly subtle, if not invisible. While this remains a ripe period socially for Blacks, there remains a sense of distance- or in other cases, detachment- that accentuates the differences these generations have. Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s statement outlines both the scenario's possibilities and its problems: "If there are thirty five million Black Americans then there are thirty five million ways to be Black. There are ten billion cultural artifacts of Blackness and if you add them up and put them in a pot and stew it, that's what Black culture is. Not one of those things is more authentic than the other."
The premise is one ripe for philosophical, social, and metaphysical exploration, if not a legion of scholarship. Sadly, we only see this explored modestly, although efficiently still. Toure intersperses personal anecdotes with a mixture of scholarly and artistic insight in other cases, and at his best transcends the reader's expectations as he delves into the rather conflicted nature we exist, both as a collective struggling to uphold the status quo while simultaneously attempting to establish coda by which we all should operate individually. It's a galumphing exercise that in the end could've been cut short or expanded with further input from additional Black perspectives, which sadly were lacking in some areas. His razor sharp examination of art, music, Walker, Chappelle, and other figures - not including himself- makes for great reading and offers insight into the myriad ways that Blacks move and operate within the spectrum of their identity both in public and private.
Of course, however, there are some weaknesses to his arguments, typified primarily by the lack of insight from figures representing these areas. First, while his concept of Post-Blackness is all-inclusive and welcoming, it is also obtuse due to his vague definition- many will take issue with his insistence on seeing Blackness from an ethnic position. This doesn't leave out the fact that while this view is especially prevalent contemporaneously, numerous figures in the past have shared similar views of Blackness encapsulated by Toure's term; not to forget that some of the examples of Post-Black figures featured later on wouldn't qualify as Post-Black under his conception. All throughout, he alludes to a commonality Blacks all share and against arguments about authenticity and "realness" but fails to explicitly describe what this commonality is, let alone what Blackness is. As Shelby Steele famously said, "One of the things it means to be black today is that we don’t really know what the hell it means."
Blackness is like Art: there are clearly established parameters that designate its existence, yet there are myriad more variables introduced that make its essence impossible to be defined by simply one understanding. Sometimes, Blackness is recognizable; other times, it isn't. Sometimes, Blackness is social; other times, religious. Toure claims it is expanding toward infinity; yet the danger of this understanding is that it is contextless: unless we know where it expands from -as the constant binding our wildly-divergent identities - then there is the chance that it will become so nebulous and all-encompassing that it becomes meaningless, used without abandon as a placeholder word like the very n-word or f-word in contemporary pop culture.
Therefore, while Toure's points about avoiding the establishment of a hierarchy of "Black" authenticity are welcome, there can be pragmatic approaches to critiquing definitions or understandings of Blackness beyond spurious and banal examples of tired political or ideological tropes. He also lacks considerable insight on the heterogeneity of the phenomenon from those who also identify as more than one ethnicity, which would certainly have enriched discourse on the subject, especially regarding notions of authenticity.
Thankfully, Toure doesn't spend much time tying his hands together in an attempt to define Blackness, let alone from a Post-Black understanding, and while he enters familiar material later on, it remains an insightful read. He covers the ambivalence in which Blacks exist both as Americans and as people of African descent with amusing anecdotes that continue to unveil the delicate complexities inherent in concepts of Blackness.
In particular, he notes the importance of not rejecting or denying the immutably "Americanness" of our psyche. While we are very much African, which he makes sure to note, we are also very much African people raised and descending from American people and culture. Our history of course doesn't end with this revelation, but as he argues, offers Blacks existing in this "relationship" (which he compares, rather banally, to a "battered wife,") incentive to re-examine our role both historically and socially. Any sensible individual would tell a battered wife that she has the right to divorce that abusive husband, yet, this isn't an ordinary relationship.
Indeed, uncritically disowning our American heritage in favor of a sanitized view of our culture not only runs the risk of serving a great disservice to the ancestors who did struggle to succeed for the opportunities most of us now have, it also leads to the same idyllic and often ignorant understandings of the things and people we've imagined. As an Afrocentric myself, the flaws of this thinking are clear, since our worldviews aren't being shaped by what we know and actively experience, but the same myth-making that fuels these cultural gaps.
In a far more nuanced interpretation of Black history and the role of Institutional Racism as Patriarchy, there are many things that have been done in order to hide the abuse and scars that exist among African Americans, and since, we have yet to discursively express this legacy of blues, struggle, and perseverance in a singular medium. That's something fundamentally American, and very much African in retrospect, and should not be avoided but sought for inspiration in the same ways we were motivated in the past. I don't know if I buy the rather commercialized Blackness Toure argues for later on, which straddles the line a bit too safely for me.
Racism and its problems still exist, of course, especially in a country that thrives on vapid ideas of Race and Culture, and in the very least, it is our responsibility as Africans of American descent to continue the legacy left behind for us (both locally and globally) rather than wasting air with no effort behind our words. Will there ever come a time when this double-consciousness ends? Probably not until the US becomes Post-American, whatever that will mean in the future.
In closing, Toure's book is a telling portrait of Blackness as it pertains to the current generation. This book is very much as personal an adventure for Toure as it is for the person reading it, and I think many will trivialize this very real phenomena within our own community and miss the ulterior point of its existence, especially as it pertains to the gaze. There is nary a dissenting voice in the book that challenges these views, but I'm certain, as usual, there will always be opinions to be heard in this never-ending quest to understand ourselves as Black people. We've been arguing over what to call ourselves for centuries, from Colored to Negro, from African to Afro-American, from Black to American, and now Post-Black. The true beauty in spite of all the semiotic chaos is that we can have our cake and eat it too, because Blackness will always be what we make it out to be, nothing more, nothing less. Toure dares you to tell him or anyone else differently.
January 25, 2012
When pop-culture writer Toure was a student at Emory, a fellow student told him that he wasn't black. That verbal attack--obviously a defining moment in his life-- was the catalyst for this book "Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness?"
In this book, he calls on a bunch of blacks with bold-faced names -- Malcolm Gladwell, Cornel West, Skip Gates, Thelma Golden, David Paterson and even an ex-boyfriend of mine--to talk about what it means to be black post-Obama. Basically, Toure fills the book with a bunch of quotes by people who support his thesis that there are myriad ways to "be black." In the age of post-blackness, being black (I thought this was post-blackness) is going to Harvard, skydiving, skiing as much as it belonging to Jack and Jill or playing at Sportsmen's Tennis Club. OK. Did we really need a book of quotes by 105 people to explain/support that? I think he needs a hug. Also, there's not one dissenting voice? Molefi Asante? Somebody? Eh.
Ok, maybe I didn't like it much because I've never felt a need to prove or disprove my blackness. It isn't a terrible book, but it contains too little of Toure's own thoughts.
There is one interesting tidbit in which he explains the etymology of the word MF; other than that, there's no new ground here.
In this book, he calls on a bunch of blacks with bold-faced names -- Malcolm Gladwell, Cornel West, Skip Gates, Thelma Golden, David Paterson and even an ex-boyfriend of mine--to talk about what it means to be black post-Obama. Basically, Toure fills the book with a bunch of quotes by people who support his thesis that there are myriad ways to "be black." In the age of post-blackness, being black (I thought this was post-blackness) is going to Harvard, skydiving, skiing as much as it belonging to Jack and Jill or playing at Sportsmen's Tennis Club. OK. Did we really need a book of quotes by 105 people to explain/support that? I think he needs a hug. Also, there's not one dissenting voice? Molefi Asante? Somebody? Eh.
Ok, maybe I didn't like it much because I've never felt a need to prove or disprove my blackness. It isn't a terrible book, but it contains too little of Toure's own thoughts.
There is one interesting tidbit in which he explains the etymology of the word MF; other than that, there's no new ground here.
November 17, 2015
This text addresses Black racial identity from both a first person, and third person interviews with over 100 prominent African Americans. This is imperative since this analysis is Post-President Obama's election. It addressed the notion of what it means to be Black from both inside and outside the Black community. I highly recommend it!
April 24, 2016
IQ "'My claim is that we actually really do love America,' said Melissa Harris-Perry. Love is actually a pretty good word for it because it's almost a romantic rather than completely patriotic love, and therefore we get our feelings hurt a lot just as you might expect in the context of a romantic love. I actually think we're really incredibly invested in our identity as Americans and see Americanness and Blackness as constitutive of each other. We really are invested in this idea of it as our place but are deeply hurt by the fact that it doesn't love us back. We're highly critical of it the way that you might be of a rejecting lover in a kind of dysfunctional relationship." (192)
I love that quote from Professor Melissa Harris Perry mainly because I was never able to understand Americans who hate America because of its horrific history and yet ignore all its potential and how far its come, her description of the relationship between Black Americans and Americans felt right. But I understand that some people won't agree but when I consider my relationship with America it's mostly one of disappointment and I remember how proud and shocked I was that we were able to elect Barack Obama as president. And how scared I was (as perfectly captured in Blackish) while he was running and during his Inauguration because we usually can't win. Anyway it is important to note that post Black does not mean post racial, post Black roughly means that you embrace being Black but it does not define you, that there is no good or bad way to be Black. Barack Obama is a good example of this and Toure I imagine would hold himself up as an example of this attitude as well. It's a stance I largely agree with and I think explains why I often had a hard time relating to more militant Black students in high school and college who protest against a number of microaggressions. He also argues we can't get swept up by those who are extremely loud about being the "identity police" those who have self-appointed themselves as keeper of Blackness and are quick to talk about those who are Uncle Toms or "not Black enough". I did feel like some parts were fairly dramatic but I just reminded myself he was born at a different time, for example, it's never crossed my mind not to eat certain things in front of white people because of stereotypes. I also still don't understand this scarily prevalent idea that Black people are holding themselves back out of fear of entering a majority white profession or space. It just seems utterly ridiculous to stifle your dreams out of fear of racism in the 21st century. I'd take a microaggression any day over actual threats to my life so this notion just seems disrespectful and I'd like to believe it's an exaggerated phenom.
"Dyson defines three primary dimensions of Blackness. He calls them accidental, incidental and intentional but I prefer to call them introverted, ambiverted, and extroverted. The introverted (or accidental) mindset is about a perhaps more private relationship with Blackness. [like Clarence Thomas and Condoleeza Rice...] Ambiverted (or incidental) Blackness refers to having a more fluid relationship with it: Blackness is an important part of them but does not necessarily dominate their persona. [Obama, Colin Powell, Will Smith....] Then there's intentional [or extroverted] Blackness [Malcolm X, MLK, Jay-Z]." (9-10)
This book felt deeply personal to me but putting that aside in regards to rating I thought the writing was strong and able to combine history, sociology, and pop culture in an entertaining way. I do wish he had been a bit more expansive in who he interviewed as he spent a lot of time talking to visual artists and not enough time talking to hip hop artists and I would argue the latter have been the most key in forming a rigid idea of Blackness. I understand that it's probably difficult to talk to Jay-Z, Kanye, Nas, Public Enemy etc etc but we needed more than Questlove (although his quotes were great) and Talib Kweli. I also would have liked more exploration of sexuality and how Black men and women relate to one another.
On the whole I thought Toure brought up great points but didn't take it far enough, delve deeply enough although he managed to be engaging and provocative and I wish more people would read this book because it could start some great conversations. While I would like to believe we're in an era of post Blackness and not to be a part of the identity police, I am honest enough to know that I will continue to view Clarence Thomas and Stacey Dash as sellouts. I would love to see Toure update this book with his thoughts on Rachel Dolezal.
Final favorite quote that so perfectly nailed what we mean when we say racist due to microaggressions: "This is where race can function like a dog whistle. Call it a Black whistle: the reverberations emanating from certain names or words or symbols or tropes can only be heard by Blacks because of our intimate relationship with the culture. Whites don't hear the same sounds. Sam, unable to hear the Black whistle, didn't know he was pushing buttons deep inside me by asserting that this extraordinary Black man [Jesse Jackson] was politically irrelevant. By saying that about Jackson I was hearing him all but say Black people were irrelevant. And as we went on verbally punching each other I felt the sting of racism, though I knew deep down Sam was not consiciousl being racist and not meaning to be. Finally in disgust, but not intending to hurt him, I said 'that's what a racist would say'. I was not calling him a racist, just saying that he was sounding like one. But I did not then realize that for many white people being called racist is the absolute worst insult possible." (87)
I love that quote from Professor Melissa Harris Perry mainly because I was never able to understand Americans who hate America because of its horrific history and yet ignore all its potential and how far its come, her description of the relationship between Black Americans and Americans felt right. But I understand that some people won't agree but when I consider my relationship with America it's mostly one of disappointment and I remember how proud and shocked I was that we were able to elect Barack Obama as president. And how scared I was (as perfectly captured in Blackish) while he was running and during his Inauguration because we usually can't win. Anyway it is important to note that post Black does not mean post racial, post Black roughly means that you embrace being Black but it does not define you, that there is no good or bad way to be Black. Barack Obama is a good example of this and Toure I imagine would hold himself up as an example of this attitude as well. It's a stance I largely agree with and I think explains why I often had a hard time relating to more militant Black students in high school and college who protest against a number of microaggressions. He also argues we can't get swept up by those who are extremely loud about being the "identity police" those who have self-appointed themselves as keeper of Blackness and are quick to talk about those who are Uncle Toms or "not Black enough". I did feel like some parts were fairly dramatic but I just reminded myself he was born at a different time, for example, it's never crossed my mind not to eat certain things in front of white people because of stereotypes. I also still don't understand this scarily prevalent idea that Black people are holding themselves back out of fear of entering a majority white profession or space. It just seems utterly ridiculous to stifle your dreams out of fear of racism in the 21st century. I'd take a microaggression any day over actual threats to my life so this notion just seems disrespectful and I'd like to believe it's an exaggerated phenom.
"Dyson defines three primary dimensions of Blackness. He calls them accidental, incidental and intentional but I prefer to call them introverted, ambiverted, and extroverted. The introverted (or accidental) mindset is about a perhaps more private relationship with Blackness. [like Clarence Thomas and Condoleeza Rice...] Ambiverted (or incidental) Blackness refers to having a more fluid relationship with it: Blackness is an important part of them but does not necessarily dominate their persona. [Obama, Colin Powell, Will Smith....] Then there's intentional [or extroverted] Blackness [Malcolm X, MLK, Jay-Z]." (9-10)
This book felt deeply personal to me but putting that aside in regards to rating I thought the writing was strong and able to combine history, sociology, and pop culture in an entertaining way. I do wish he had been a bit more expansive in who he interviewed as he spent a lot of time talking to visual artists and not enough time talking to hip hop artists and I would argue the latter have been the most key in forming a rigid idea of Blackness. I understand that it's probably difficult to talk to Jay-Z, Kanye, Nas, Public Enemy etc etc but we needed more than Questlove (although his quotes were great) and Talib Kweli. I also would have liked more exploration of sexuality and how Black men and women relate to one another.
On the whole I thought Toure brought up great points but didn't take it far enough, delve deeply enough although he managed to be engaging and provocative and I wish more people would read this book because it could start some great conversations. While I would like to believe we're in an era of post Blackness and not to be a part of the identity police, I am honest enough to know that I will continue to view Clarence Thomas and Stacey Dash as sellouts. I would love to see Toure update this book with his thoughts on Rachel Dolezal.
Final favorite quote that so perfectly nailed what we mean when we say racist due to microaggressions: "This is where race can function like a dog whistle. Call it a Black whistle: the reverberations emanating from certain names or words or symbols or tropes can only be heard by Blacks because of our intimate relationship with the culture. Whites don't hear the same sounds. Sam, unable to hear the Black whistle, didn't know he was pushing buttons deep inside me by asserting that this extraordinary Black man [Jesse Jackson] was politically irrelevant. By saying that about Jackson I was hearing him all but say Black people were irrelevant. And as we went on verbally punching each other I felt the sting of racism, though I knew deep down Sam was not consiciousl being racist and not meaning to be. Finally in disgust, but not intending to hurt him, I said 'that's what a racist would say'. I was not calling him a racist, just saying that he was sounding like one. But I did not then realize that for many white people being called racist is the absolute worst insult possible." (87)
June 15, 2012
Racism doesn’t often come with a machete these days but the death of your self-esteem by a thousand cuts can still lead to the murder of your soul.
--Quote from Toure’ book entitled “Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness”
Toure’ s book entitled Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness paints the picture of contemporary Black people in America. To note, Toure’ capitalizes Blackness to make the point that Blackness, which contrary to whiteness, is indicative to a certain ethnic groups—African Americans. Where as whiteness is not specific enough to monitor a proper noun because there are simply too many ethnic groups of white people: Irish, French, Italian, Germen, American, etc…Thus, to compliment Toure’ s audacity and undercurrent of reverse racism, I too will capitalize Blackness.
Post-Blackness according to Harold Ford, the former Tennessee Congressman: “Post-Blackness means being an American. Being as broad and as full an American as you can be.” Then what is an American? An American is defined as a rugged individualist whom forefathers crossed the ocean blue for religious, ethnic, social freedom from governmental rule.
Toure’ goes too far in depicting Americans as conservative whites whom hate Blackness both pre and post. He describes America has an international political “bully.” He even goes beyond reason when he writes that America, as a whole, deserved to be attacked on September 11, 2001 (911) for the injustices American has done both internationally and domestically. As a personal disclaimer, Toure denounces the justification of 911 but does believe there are sediments in the Black community who find some level of justification on the 911 attacks.
Toure’ book is disappointing from the perspective of an amateur sociologist who believes in Martin Luther King Jr’s dream a “man [should] be judge by the content of his character, not by the color of his skin.” Toure’ advocating victimization for black people to dwell on racism and to mourn for the “murder of your soul” by believing “white supremacy” is afraid of post-Blackness.
White people are not afraid of Blackness. White people have embraced Blackness has part of Americana. White people are grateful for the diversity of Blackness for which has strengthen America’s legacy—as being the freest, greatest and most powerful country the world has ever known. America is a melting pot of ethnicity and Blackness is as much apart of America as America is part of Blackness. America cannot be segregated from Blackness. We American are not defined by what color our skin is but the content of our rugged individualism to achieve and fight for our inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
To counter-act the reverse racism for which Toure’ evitably portrays in his book “Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness, I offer a more positive outlook upon the great history of Blackness in America by entitling a book: Why Slavery is the Best Thing that Happened to Black Americans. Fill free to use the title.
--Quote from Toure’ book entitled “Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness”
Toure’ s book entitled Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness paints the picture of contemporary Black people in America. To note, Toure’ capitalizes Blackness to make the point that Blackness, which contrary to whiteness, is indicative to a certain ethnic groups—African Americans. Where as whiteness is not specific enough to monitor a proper noun because there are simply too many ethnic groups of white people: Irish, French, Italian, Germen, American, etc…Thus, to compliment Toure’ s audacity and undercurrent of reverse racism, I too will capitalize Blackness.
Post-Blackness according to Harold Ford, the former Tennessee Congressman: “Post-Blackness means being an American. Being as broad and as full an American as you can be.” Then what is an American? An American is defined as a rugged individualist whom forefathers crossed the ocean blue for religious, ethnic, social freedom from governmental rule.
Toure’ goes too far in depicting Americans as conservative whites whom hate Blackness both pre and post. He describes America has an international political “bully.” He even goes beyond reason when he writes that America, as a whole, deserved to be attacked on September 11, 2001 (911) for the injustices American has done both internationally and domestically. As a personal disclaimer, Toure denounces the justification of 911 but does believe there are sediments in the Black community who find some level of justification on the 911 attacks.
Toure’ book is disappointing from the perspective of an amateur sociologist who believes in Martin Luther King Jr’s dream a “man [should] be judge by the content of his character, not by the color of his skin.” Toure’ advocating victimization for black people to dwell on racism and to mourn for the “murder of your soul” by believing “white supremacy” is afraid of post-Blackness.
White people are not afraid of Blackness. White people have embraced Blackness has part of Americana. White people are grateful for the diversity of Blackness for which has strengthen America’s legacy—as being the freest, greatest and most powerful country the world has ever known. America is a melting pot of ethnicity and Blackness is as much apart of America as America is part of Blackness. America cannot be segregated from Blackness. We American are not defined by what color our skin is but the content of our rugged individualism to achieve and fight for our inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
To counter-act the reverse racism for which Toure’ evitably portrays in his book “Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness, I offer a more positive outlook upon the great history of Blackness in America by entitling a book: Why Slavery is the Best Thing that Happened to Black Americans. Fill free to use the title.
October 26, 2013
This book was a great perspective on American Black experience specifically and explained a lot about identity in general. There were a lot of anecdotes that were funny and sad at the same time, and Touré spells out the emotional meaning and unpacks the cultural significance.
Here, Touré discusses the spectrum of roles that racial identity can play in someone's life:
This basic idea also affects how one teaches one's children about identity:
Here, Touré discusses the spectrum of roles that racial identity can play in someone's life:
"[Michael Eric] Dyson defines three primary dimensions of Blackness. He calls them accidental, incidental, and intentional but I prefer to call them introverted, ambiverted, and extroverted. The introverted (or accidental) mindset is about a perhaps more private relationship with Blackness. … Ambiverted (or incidental) Blackness refers to having a more fluid relationship with it: Blackness is an important part of them but does not necessarily dominate their persona. … 'Then there's intentional [or extroverted] Blackness,' Dyson said. 'I be Black, that's what I do, that's what my struggles are about.' This is Malcolm X, Dr. King, Jim Brown, Jay-Z."
This basic idea also affects how one teaches one's children about identity:
Dr. Beverly Tatum, author of Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?, "found most Black parents raising children in overwhelmingly white environments fall into one of three strategies for teaching their kids about race and racial identity: "race-conscious," "race-avoidant," or "race-neutral."
July 5, 2021
What’s it mean to be Black? As a half-Black man who looks white as hell, it’s a question I’ve wrestled with my whole life, and I know I have it easy compared to so many others. This was my first introduction to Touré, and I thought this book was a great place to start. I’ve read quite a few books on being Black in America and the Black experience, and this is definitely one of my new favorites. Touré dives into so many complex, nuanced topics of the Black experience, and he also showcases how it’s different for everyone. In the book, he pulls quotes from interviews with a ton of different people, and they discuss topics such as how Black people are treated by white people, how Blacks treat each other, how it’s difficult for young Black people to succeed in fear of being perceived as “acting white”, and so much more. This book is such an honest, well-rounded discussion about what it means to be Black in America, and I think it’s far more beneficial than a lot of the books out there because it talks about such a diverse array of Black experiences.
I’m not sure who Touré’s target audience is, but as I read the book, I kept thinking how allies are often told they should start with listening, and I think this book gives potential allies a great opportunity to do so. As a white-passing half-Black guy, I think it’s important to recognize what others are dealing with that I’ve never had to go through, and I always find it interesting when books like this talk with different people from the Black community about how even skin tone can greatly change your personal experience. No matter who you are, you’ll walk away from this book with a better understanding of the conversation.
I’m not sure who Touré’s target audience is, but as I read the book, I kept thinking how allies are often told they should start with listening, and I think this book gives potential allies a great opportunity to do so. As a white-passing half-Black guy, I think it’s important to recognize what others are dealing with that I’ve never had to go through, and I always find it interesting when books like this talk with different people from the Black community about how even skin tone can greatly change your personal experience. No matter who you are, you’ll walk away from this book with a better understanding of the conversation.
November 21, 2016
Just a few years after it was published, this book already reads like a quaint historical document. That’s an exaggeration. But should we ever navigate through this Black Lives Matter/Trump era, I hope that Toure’s ideas about the personal aspect of black identity in America will get some more air time. There’s room for a bit of literary criticism here (see the lengthy scene by scene descriptions of Chappelle Show sketches) and I think the interviews with notable Black figures could have been incorporated better, but overall the ideas were solid and well-reasoned and even confessional at times. The second half is better than the first, so stick with it if you pick this one up. (says the white girl)
March 27, 2016
While this book mirrors a lot of my own thoughts and conversations, it did give me a sense of catharsis in a way. Having experienced a lot of what Touré mentions (being singled out as "not black enough" amongst other things). It gave me some terminology for the changes I was seeing all around me. I think this book gives an adept look at what it means to be Black in America today and provides a good enough historical background of our relationship with America in order to explain to how we've arrived at the state we're in now. I truly enjoyed it.
November 21, 2012
This is a really great discussion of Black American culture and identity now. Touré talks to over 100 artists, media makers, academics, politicians and other notables and there are a lot of ideas going on here. I kind of arched an eyebrow at the title and I would question some of his conclusions but for the most part his approach is more exploratory than didactic and it's well-written. I will be looking up a lot of the artists he mentions.
June 8, 2021
There are 40 million black people in the United States, and 40 million ways to be black and do blackness. Toure interviews 100 prominent black people for this book and uses all of their thoughts plus his own experiences to write this book.
One thing I realized after reading a few low/negative reviews is this book really isn’t for white people. They’re not going to understand the complex relationship that we as black people have with the United States or white people.
Someone made a review and said this book was racist,which pissed me off. Of course it was a privileged white man who only heard or read what he wanted to read and didn’t understand anything. He took it as a personal attack or maybe he was mad that a collective of 100 black people all have the same feelings.
I’m happy that Toure discussed how as a black person you can be accused of acting white or talking white just by doing certain things or having your voice sound a certain way. We as black people have internalized these stereotypes as truth.
Actually stereotypes are based on negative racist views. Toure gave a great analogy on how black people feel about the US. The US is our Uncle who paid for college but he also used to molest us. This is how complicated our feelings are towards a place that really doesn’t like us or want us.
One thing I realized after reading a few low/negative reviews is this book really isn’t for white people. They’re not going to understand the complex relationship that we as black people have with the United States or white people.
Someone made a review and said this book was racist,which pissed me off. Of course it was a privileged white man who only heard or read what he wanted to read and didn’t understand anything. He took it as a personal attack or maybe he was mad that a collective of 100 black people all have the same feelings.
I’m happy that Toure discussed how as a black person you can be accused of acting white or talking white just by doing certain things or having your voice sound a certain way. We as black people have internalized these stereotypes as truth.
Actually stereotypes are based on negative racist views. Toure gave a great analogy on how black people feel about the US. The US is our Uncle who paid for college but he also used to molest us. This is how complicated our feelings are towards a place that really doesn’t like us or want us.
July 31, 2013
This book, as I read it, has two main arguments, which are interrelated. First is what Touré calls "post-blackness," which is simply the idea that there is no single "right" or authentic way of being Black (or "doing Blackness" as he puts it). Being Black can mean a great many different things, and nobody is less real or authentic because of the way the speak, what they listen to, etc.
That argument, the advance of which is the central purpose of the book, strikes me as difficult to take issue with; made explicit, it verges on obvious and so might not be worth making if a great many people did not implicitly take the opposite position.
At the same time, this ends up being a kind of weakness of the book, for two reasons: first, it's really a kindd of ethical argument, not an empirical one, so marshaling anecdotal evidence for it in the way that Touré does is not really reinforcing it. He does this mainly in the form of interviews with smart, prominent African Americans— people like Cornel West, Michael Eric Dyson, Melissa Harris-Perry, and Kara Walker— who discuss their ideas of the meaning of Blackness, post-Blackness, the role of stereotypes, etc. These are interesting people, and so they do have many interesting things to say and worthwhile points to make, but as far as the argument Touré is trying to make here, you kind of either buy it or you don't; having Dyson tell you why he thinks African Americans police each others behavior for signs of inauthenticity is not really going to convince you.
That is a long winded way of saying that the book gets a bit repetitive in making this case; essentially, Touré just says, "Look: isn't this stupid? See, all these other smart people think so too." If you're sympathetic to the argument to begin with, or just interested in hearing what all of these people have to say, you'll go along for the ride, but if not then your attention is likely to drift.
The second problem with this argument is inherent to the argument itself. Touré is trying to simultaneously uphold both ends of a logical paradox, arguing that Blackness is infinitely varied but still somehow works as a common denominator of experience and perspective for African Americans. I don't necessarily disagree with him here, but it's a tricky argument to make, and Touré doesn't quite pull it off; his strategy is, essentially, to repeatedly reassert both claims, and never really attempt to resolve the apparent tension between them.
The second, related argument is that the conditions experienced by Africa Americans today—social status, political and economic power, legal position, etc.— are markedly different from those experienced before and during the Civil Rights era, but that people still tend to think and behave as though nothing has changed. This is related to the first argument, because Touré thinks part of the reason for the concern with "authenticity" of Blackness comes from an era when solidarity was paramount. In the current circumstances, the insistence upon authenticity is actually harmful.
This, to me, ended up being the more compelling argument, at least in part because it is more amenable to empirical support, and so ends up being more clearly supported.
This is definitely not a perfect book, but it will certainly make you think about race and race relations in new ways, which is an important accomplishment. Touré is frank and honest, about both his own shortcomings and about attitudes which might be unpalatable to some readers. The writing is clear and occasionally moving, the interviews include a tremendous number of interesting ideas, and the book is short enough that its weaknesses do not ruin it.
That argument, the advance of which is the central purpose of the book, strikes me as difficult to take issue with; made explicit, it verges on obvious and so might not be worth making if a great many people did not implicitly take the opposite position.
At the same time, this ends up being a kind of weakness of the book, for two reasons: first, it's really a kindd of ethical argument, not an empirical one, so marshaling anecdotal evidence for it in the way that Touré does is not really reinforcing it. He does this mainly in the form of interviews with smart, prominent African Americans— people like Cornel West, Michael Eric Dyson, Melissa Harris-Perry, and Kara Walker— who discuss their ideas of the meaning of Blackness, post-Blackness, the role of stereotypes, etc. These are interesting people, and so they do have many interesting things to say and worthwhile points to make, but as far as the argument Touré is trying to make here, you kind of either buy it or you don't; having Dyson tell you why he thinks African Americans police each others behavior for signs of inauthenticity is not really going to convince you.
That is a long winded way of saying that the book gets a bit repetitive in making this case; essentially, Touré just says, "Look: isn't this stupid? See, all these other smart people think so too." If you're sympathetic to the argument to begin with, or just interested in hearing what all of these people have to say, you'll go along for the ride, but if not then your attention is likely to drift.
The second problem with this argument is inherent to the argument itself. Touré is trying to simultaneously uphold both ends of a logical paradox, arguing that Blackness is infinitely varied but still somehow works as a common denominator of experience and perspective for African Americans. I don't necessarily disagree with him here, but it's a tricky argument to make, and Touré doesn't quite pull it off; his strategy is, essentially, to repeatedly reassert both claims, and never really attempt to resolve the apparent tension between them.
The second, related argument is that the conditions experienced by Africa Americans today—social status, political and economic power, legal position, etc.— are markedly different from those experienced before and during the Civil Rights era, but that people still tend to think and behave as though nothing has changed. This is related to the first argument, because Touré thinks part of the reason for the concern with "authenticity" of Blackness comes from an era when solidarity was paramount. In the current circumstances, the insistence upon authenticity is actually harmful.
This, to me, ended up being the more compelling argument, at least in part because it is more amenable to empirical support, and so ends up being more clearly supported.
This is definitely not a perfect book, but it will certainly make you think about race and race relations in new ways, which is an important accomplishment. Touré is frank and honest, about both his own shortcomings and about attitudes which might be unpalatable to some readers. The writing is clear and occasionally moving, the interviews include a tremendous number of interesting ideas, and the book is short enough that its weaknesses do not ruin it.
October 16, 2013
Outstanding and well written book that gave me the best personal pov of black culture in modern society since Native Son. As a minority having spent the majority of my life in the US and other years countries far more racist both externally (China) and internally (Venezuela), I can certainly relate and sympathize to the plight of the modern black American but not empathize. The prejudices that I have faced, barriers from within both Asian society and white American society, and visibility/lack of invisibility are inherently very different than someone with darker skin.
Touré arises some outstanding points and very progressive assertions within these pages. He goes into the stereotypical roots of the traditions of black culture, how they evolved, and asserts that there are 40MM black people in the US and thus 40MM ways to be black. Probably moreso than any other minority community, the pressures and prejudices are greater than any other minority group where blacks have immense expectations to behave accordingly both within white society and their own group. Many of the stories told profile classic examples of outward racism and many of the more modern examples of subtle racism - that which is typically not seen (Passover for promotion, expectations to behave obnoxiously or crudely). And even moreso about the racism that comes from within the own black community hence Touré's original motivation for writing this book with a shameful accusation that I'm sure many have been told of "acting white" or not being black - with the general consensus that actions by anyone who is black constitute behavior that is black. Here we have a cast that includes a man on death row, rappers, award-winning artists, PhD's, governors who have lived in many countries and speak a bevy of languages - any of these are ways to be black as well enunciated by this quote from Stew: "I want acceptance in my own community and within my own community I kept getting 'The hair's not right' and 'That music you're listening to isn't right.' I want us to deal with the kid who's reading Camus and playing old rock and going to foreign find and just love him and accept him."
Touré is a talented writer with a who's who list of collaborators from the black community that is absolutely stellar - artists, activists, media, professors, politicians - each with a diverse range of experiences that are strikingly similar at heart. One lingering question I had, considering the expertise involved, was how many white people major in African/African-American studies. With so many outstanding books on black sociology/anthropology written by the various PhD and professorial cast/crew of this book, I wonder are any written by white people? Certainly there have been some high profile studiants such as Sascha Baron Cohen, but what would be the reaction/reception of a white professor of African American studies who writes a similar novel? I expect quite a different response than were this to transcend within the Asian American community - again a response of the different series of prejudices and challenges.
I was very glad to see that of the 105 different interviews, Barathunde Thurston (whose "how to be black" was brilliant) was one of them although none of his quotes were ever cited. I was also happy at my own subtle understanding of Touré's often use of "over standing" as a boost to my own ego via Jamaican cultural fluency. This is a great book that I encourage anyone to read and develop a better understanding of what it's like to be black in modern American society.
Touré arises some outstanding points and very progressive assertions within these pages. He goes into the stereotypical roots of the traditions of black culture, how they evolved, and asserts that there are 40MM black people in the US and thus 40MM ways to be black. Probably moreso than any other minority community, the pressures and prejudices are greater than any other minority group where blacks have immense expectations to behave accordingly both within white society and their own group. Many of the stories told profile classic examples of outward racism and many of the more modern examples of subtle racism - that which is typically not seen (Passover for promotion, expectations to behave obnoxiously or crudely). And even moreso about the racism that comes from within the own black community hence Touré's original motivation for writing this book with a shameful accusation that I'm sure many have been told of "acting white" or not being black - with the general consensus that actions by anyone who is black constitute behavior that is black. Here we have a cast that includes a man on death row, rappers, award-winning artists, PhD's, governors who have lived in many countries and speak a bevy of languages - any of these are ways to be black as well enunciated by this quote from Stew: "I want acceptance in my own community and within my own community I kept getting 'The hair's not right' and 'That music you're listening to isn't right.' I want us to deal with the kid who's reading Camus and playing old rock and going to foreign find and just love him and accept him."
Touré is a talented writer with a who's who list of collaborators from the black community that is absolutely stellar - artists, activists, media, professors, politicians - each with a diverse range of experiences that are strikingly similar at heart. One lingering question I had, considering the expertise involved, was how many white people major in African/African-American studies. With so many outstanding books on black sociology/anthropology written by the various PhD and professorial cast/crew of this book, I wonder are any written by white people? Certainly there have been some high profile studiants such as Sascha Baron Cohen, but what would be the reaction/reception of a white professor of African American studies who writes a similar novel? I expect quite a different response than were this to transcend within the Asian American community - again a response of the different series of prejudices and challenges.
I was very glad to see that of the 105 different interviews, Barathunde Thurston (whose "how to be black" was brilliant) was one of them although none of his quotes were ever cited. I was also happy at my own subtle understanding of Touré's often use of "over standing" as a boost to my own ego via Jamaican cultural fluency. This is a great book that I encourage anyone to read and develop a better understanding of what it's like to be black in modern American society.
March 9, 2016
Anyone can write a book. You simply write the words down like ants marching across the paper in rows, black letter and white space, one element after another, paragraph and page and chapter. Do it long enough, and you have a book. Do it well, and people will buy it.
But do it as Touré has done, and you have something that is more than a book of words. You have the soul of a man poured out like water on dry ground, reviving, coloring, refreshing, healing--if you listen. Even when it's hard to listen.
This book, "Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness," is a work of depth and passion, anger and frustration and humor, an exploration of the twin poles of Blackness and Blankness, of being Black in America and being a Black who is American, of the paradox of being an instantly identifiable class and being perhaps one of 45 million unique individuals swimming in the larger sea of 170 million indifferent, unlistening souls.
Every word rings true even as there are multiple definitions, sometimes contradictory, of what it means to be Black--and what it means now, in an age where "Black" is further divided and defined to incorporate Clarence Thomas and Barack Obama. Who's truly Black? Who defines? How does it matter?
There's a lot to absorb here. It's built from countless hours of interviews by Touré of people in America who happen to be Black, who see themselves as Black, who embrace Blackness, who struggle with Blackness, who have simply lived a life as a Black person in this country which has both fed them and abused them, who have lived an uncontrolled, original Black life in freedom. Artists, statesmen and -women, doctors, lawyers, CEOs, and ordinary people like your neighbors with uncommented lives share their stories of what it means to them to be Black and to live Black.
The part of Post-Blackness, I think, refers to the idea that the old definition of being "Black" is being replaced by a newer, freer definition. It's beyond the old boundaries that kept things separated and predictable. It's the discussion of breaking away from a sense of restriction or reservation, to a newer or different place where being Black is something common and unremarkable and perfectly ordinary, without the sense of being taboo or secret or even alien to America itself.
There will continue to be the idea of Blackness, Touré argues, but it won't be the same as it used to be.
I bought this book based upon the advice of friends who wanted to correct my ignorance about the landmine of race identity in America. Usually I read a book of this length in a few hours or even a day or so. I've been reading this slowly, chewing on the ideas, thinking through the challenges, trying to see through the eyes of the Other, feeling my way through the experiences. I appreciate the honesty and rawness of this book, that it's not prettified or made more acceptable or understandable to people like me, who have to ask these questions. I'd not heard of Touré before I read this book, and yet I feel like I know him a little more now, that maybe I could understand him a bit better, that when he talked about stuff that was important to him--or just talked about anything at all, really--I'd have a little more insight into him.
A very good, solid, provoking book.
Note: I've used the terms "Black" and "Blackness" as capitalized in the book.
But do it as Touré has done, and you have something that is more than a book of words. You have the soul of a man poured out like water on dry ground, reviving, coloring, refreshing, healing--if you listen. Even when it's hard to listen.
This book, "Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness," is a work of depth and passion, anger and frustration and humor, an exploration of the twin poles of Blackness and Blankness, of being Black in America and being a Black who is American, of the paradox of being an instantly identifiable class and being perhaps one of 45 million unique individuals swimming in the larger sea of 170 million indifferent, unlistening souls.
Every word rings true even as there are multiple definitions, sometimes contradictory, of what it means to be Black--and what it means now, in an age where "Black" is further divided and defined to incorporate Clarence Thomas and Barack Obama. Who's truly Black? Who defines? How does it matter?
There's a lot to absorb here. It's built from countless hours of interviews by Touré of people in America who happen to be Black, who see themselves as Black, who embrace Blackness, who struggle with Blackness, who have simply lived a life as a Black person in this country which has both fed them and abused them, who have lived an uncontrolled, original Black life in freedom. Artists, statesmen and -women, doctors, lawyers, CEOs, and ordinary people like your neighbors with uncommented lives share their stories of what it means to them to be Black and to live Black.
The part of Post-Blackness, I think, refers to the idea that the old definition of being "Black" is being replaced by a newer, freer definition. It's beyond the old boundaries that kept things separated and predictable. It's the discussion of breaking away from a sense of restriction or reservation, to a newer or different place where being Black is something common and unremarkable and perfectly ordinary, without the sense of being taboo or secret or even alien to America itself.
There will continue to be the idea of Blackness, Touré argues, but it won't be the same as it used to be.
I bought this book based upon the advice of friends who wanted to correct my ignorance about the landmine of race identity in America. Usually I read a book of this length in a few hours or even a day or so. I've been reading this slowly, chewing on the ideas, thinking through the challenges, trying to see through the eyes of the Other, feeling my way through the experiences. I appreciate the honesty and rawness of this book, that it's not prettified or made more acceptable or understandable to people like me, who have to ask these questions. I'd not heard of Touré before I read this book, and yet I feel like I know him a little more now, that maybe I could understand him a bit better, that when he talked about stuff that was important to him--or just talked about anything at all, really--I'd have a little more insight into him.
A very good, solid, provoking book.
Note: I've used the terms "Black" and "Blackness" as capitalized in the book.
January 28, 2012
i found this book very interesting. not much new perhaps, but a useful synthesis of post-black art and discourse. even though i was politicized in an outmoded and oversimplified view of race, the kind of Black power rhetoric of KRS-ONE and Dead Prez, all of that unraveled into much more complicated understandings through the microhistories i read during grad school. despite a kind of obviousness to Toure's central thesis, i found a lot to be provocative in the discussion of artists and performers (who happen to b among my faves) such as Kara Walker, Kehinde Wiley, and Dave Chappelle, whose postmodern engagement with racism allows them to touch and speak, sometimes in shocking ways, to the more horrific parts of our American history. using humor and conveying more complicated and nuanced power relationships than just a dichotomous oppressor/oppressed, these are cultural critics who see how power works and aren't afraid to implicate themselves in the messiness of our past and present. i guess in that sense this is Foucaultian--power is local. the book featured interviews that along with Toure's writing, I found very accessible and enjoyable to read, but overall, confirmed the insanity of the psyche--the insanity of believing we are anything our minds tell us we are, and though i can see how this can work as a survival strategy in the world of ego, at some point, we all got to let it go, because none of it is based in reality and we all suffer. believing in any of these thoughts, the racist and anti-racist, as the crux of who I am is delusion. Blackness, even as a post, open, expansive identity is still a prison, just as is any belief in the I as a separate self.
December 4, 2012
Toure is a great thinker, in that he asks good questions of himself an the people around him. He obviously craves the company of intellectuals like himself who wonder at how far race relations have come, and how subtly fraught they still are. His interviewees skew heavily to those in academia, politics and the art world, and some in the world of entertainment. Given that he's written for Rolling Stone and hosts shows on FUSE and MSNBC, I would have thought he'd sample a broader base. He doesn't seem to have taken it to the streets, as it were, and talked to the urban youth who are most broadly characterized by American racism.
The most fascinating sections, for me, were his cultural touchstones (especially a chapter on the genius of race analysis in "The Chappelle Show") and the breakdown of the word "nigger" (followed by a note on the word "motherf***er"). He does also offer interesting opinions on how Blackness operates in politics, and specifically for Obama.
At other times, the book read like a master's thesis on being Black, and was both dry and unrelatable (as I'm pretty white, myself). My other challenge was his insistence on capitalizing Black and Blackness; stylistically, I can see why it works for this topic, but the copy editor in me was getting annoyed. Perhaps most frustrating is that I didn't get a clear feeling that he was driving toward a conclusion for action or change - it was primarily reflection on how things are, or seem to be to him and other intelligent Black people.
Overall, it's an interesting if unbalanced look at how Black people identify themselves, and how they feel themselves identified in America.
The most fascinating sections, for me, were his cultural touchstones (especially a chapter on the genius of race analysis in "The Chappelle Show") and the breakdown of the word "nigger" (followed by a note on the word "motherf***er"). He does also offer interesting opinions on how Blackness operates in politics, and specifically for Obama.
At other times, the book read like a master's thesis on being Black, and was both dry and unrelatable (as I'm pretty white, myself). My other challenge was his insistence on capitalizing Black and Blackness; stylistically, I can see why it works for this topic, but the copy editor in me was getting annoyed. Perhaps most frustrating is that I didn't get a clear feeling that he was driving toward a conclusion for action or change - it was primarily reflection on how things are, or seem to be to him and other intelligent Black people.
Overall, it's an interesting if unbalanced look at how Black people identify themselves, and how they feel themselves identified in America.
June 12, 2012
This book was incredibly eye-opening. I want so desperately to give this book to all of my white friends/family members that make the tired arguments about racism not being a topic to be addressed anymore what with Barack Obama. Of course, they won't read it but it would be interesting to at least start the conversation.
Before reading this, it was pretty obvious to me that the media in this country tends to portray Black Americans as this singular entity that is either incapable of and/or unwilling to engage in more individualistic arguments about where we are going as a society. I think this book picks up on a crucial part of the debate: the internal dynamics among Black Americans and the debate between those who want to maintain a certain solidarity in all/most things - group mores, political tendencies and public presentation - all for the sake of obtaining, preserving and exercising group power while others strive for a more nuanced approach that allows individuals to live their own lives.
Where I think non-Black Americans would benefit from this book is understanding the presence and implications of the decision between these two choices - a decision that by and large non-Black Americans are never presented with: be yourself no matter where it places you in relation to the larger flock or suppress your own persona for the sake of following that flock?
A great read.
Before reading this, it was pretty obvious to me that the media in this country tends to portray Black Americans as this singular entity that is either incapable of and/or unwilling to engage in more individualistic arguments about where we are going as a society. I think this book picks up on a crucial part of the debate: the internal dynamics among Black Americans and the debate between those who want to maintain a certain solidarity in all/most things - group mores, political tendencies and public presentation - all for the sake of obtaining, preserving and exercising group power while others strive for a more nuanced approach that allows individuals to live their own lives.
Where I think non-Black Americans would benefit from this book is understanding the presence and implications of the decision between these two choices - a decision that by and large non-Black Americans are never presented with: be yourself no matter where it places you in relation to the larger flock or suppress your own persona for the sake of following that flock?
A great read.
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