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T.I. is causing a wave of debate on social media after being seen to endorse the argument that there is an on-going “feminization of black men in the media.”
Peep his Twitter post below, where our detailed weigh-in on the matter also awaits…
Taking to page, the self professed King of the South, shared this video:
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The level of “tried it” here is kinda overwhelming. It’s also a dangerous argument to perpetuate.
See, what the faux “woke” folk like T.I. and the ill-informed woman in that video fail to understand is that it’s the unnatural level of hyper-masculinity that is expected of black men that is the primary problem.
It’s an incredibly layered and complex narrative to unpack, but it ultimately dates back to slavery. A time when the most prized possession the oppressed black man had was their masculinity. For that very reason, being a “man” became the central expectation of the black male experience. Namely being uniform in their hardness, lack of emotional expression, and rampant sexuality.
While understandable in its rooting (see: survival), the effects of this have been plentiful. Sure, systematic racism remains a real problem. But so too is the limited incarnations of allowed “black masculinity.” Black men are often times not permitted (by their own culture) to show sensitivity, empathy, or weakness. This “keep a bottle on it” approach is arguably one of the reasons for the disproportionate number of black men (specifically) suffering from mental health issues and/or acting out in ways that the very folk whose narrow-mindedness causes such behaviour will ironically condemn.
By essentially endorsing this video, T.I becomes part of that problem. He also runs risk of diluting the commendable work he’s done with the Black Lives Matter movement by trying to marry the DNA of that cause with something that not only isn’t related – but does not make sense.
The “white” powers that be are not feminizing the black man. And especially not as a means of restricting their rise. If anything, we live in a world where it’s becoming increasingly ok – regardless of your race, culture, or creed – to express yourself as you see fit. Deeming that a “bad” thing is actually counterproductive to the arguments at the core of some of the very causes T.I. himself lends his name to.
There’s also a homophobic under/overtone to the clip that doesn’t rest well with yours truly.
Enough of our rambling, though. What are…