A while ago, I did a post about the Central Park 5, a group of young boys accused of raping a white women in New York City. The story was terrible because it brought back ideas about black men as sex crazed deviants. While it turned out that the young men were completely innocent the sting of the stereotype still hurt. But, if I am honest with myself, Black people and black men in particular, do a lot to contribute to the image of black men as sex fiends.
I was on Hulu watching a trailer for the film Dear White People, and a gentlemen made a comment about the angry black people in the movie. In response to a comment about stereotypes of black men he stated
“How dare white people think black men are sex crazed thugs?” But we glorify in music and other media the part of our community that are sex crazed thugs. You can cry all you want about negative stereotypes of blacks in the media but those perceptions will persist as long as the dysfunction in the black community persists to the extent that it does.
I read the comment, and I had to pause for a second and say “there is some truth to what he is saying.” The song lyrics of Lil Wayne, Trey Songz, T.I. and many others could make anyone blush. There is talk of infidelity, fornication, three-somes, rape and anything else you can think of. But that is not the worst of it.
The bad part, and I am sure a lot of people will agree, is that we sing and dance to the songs. We like them, and we turn up the volume when they come on the radio. So, if these songs are so great, why do we protest when the “white media” says black men are sexual miscreants and sites rap music as evidence?
Truth be told, there is a double standard. It is just like the use of the ‘N’ word: we can say it, but the minute someone else says it we break out the protest signs. I do not condone the use of that word by others, nor do I like it when the media says bad things about black men. However, I do recognize that if we want it to stop, we have to stop giving them fuel for their fire.
FROM BOYZ 2 MEN, INC. 