The emasculation of the black male originated in slavery by a process called “buck breaking” Slave owners feared black male slaves because of their size, strength, and masculinity. They feared that the black males would start an uprising. In order to prevent this from happening, homosexual slave owners would take the more intimidating male slaves, bind their hands around a tree, put them on display in front of the other slaves, and brutally rape them. If the male slave had a wife and children they were placed in the front row and forced to watch the heinous sexual assault. This horrendous act forced the slaves into submission. Later, the raped male slave was often forced to walk around with the backside of his pants removed or his pants “sagging” as a symbol that he was broken and readily available to fulfill his masters sadistic needs. “Sagging” is still a popular fashion trend among black males today.
The emasculation of the black male started in slavery but continues today through film,television, and even fashion trends worn by black entertainers. While taking scriptwriting classes I learned about psychologist Carl Jung’s theory about character archetypes and how they can be applied to the human psyche. His theory is most commonly used in scriptwriting as the building blocks for successful script writing. In every script there are usually a Hero (Protagonist), Nemesis (Antagonist), and several other characters that are found on the Hero’s Journey throughout the film. In most film’s, “the jester” is known as the comical character. Since the origination of film and television African American’s have filled such roles, but at what expense? From minstrel shows that portrayed black people as singing and dancing “buffoons” to comedians from the early 1940’s such as Eddie Anderson, to the comedians of our time; the African American male’s role in film and television are often comedic, but now what used to be comedy has now turned into a comedic freak show in the entertainment industry. More and more black males are being portrayed as homosexual on film and televison. In times where black television represented strong, kung- fu and crime fighting black men during the Blaxploitation era, have now been replaced by homosexual reality tv stars rocking better weaves than some of the sistas. The flamboyant and quick-tongued gay man is an increasingly popular form of the “jester” archetype. Even more black actors are cross-dressing as women to get better paying roles. Flip Wilson became the first actor to portray the role of a woman. His character Geraldine Jones became a huge success. Complex.com reported, “In the show’s prime, it was the second most watched program in the United States, and Flip was presented as “TV’s First Black Superstar” on a Time magazine cover in 1972”. Tyler Perry’s most famous character Madea, the gun toting, fiery Christian grandma with an attitude grossed over 1 billion dollar in sales. Tyler Perry’s chitlin circuit play has turned into a billion dollar franchise making his estimated net worth over 40 million dollars for his portrayal of an elderly black woman. Dave Chappell was the first to bring this trend to light after his hiatus. One could argue that Hollywood’s limited roles for black men force them into these roles. While some can also say Caucasian men have played female characters for years, but the fact still remains the number of black comedians and actors who have reached a higher level of success have dressed in drag. It was reported in 2013 that blacks owned about 6 percent of television stations and has decreased to less than two percent today. Media consolidation and the fact that wealthy white families were the only ones in the position to own major media outlets are two of the reasons why blacks do not have ownership in the entertainment industry. The owners of such companies choose who and what goes to our movie theatres and television stations while our black entertainers are cashing in big time for starring in these roles. Although these characters are quite funny, is there some other way black men can entertain an audience and reach the same level of success without degrading themselves? The thought of buck breaking comes to mind as we look at history repeating itself, but this time instead of physically beating us into a submissive mindset; the entertainment industry is constantly showing our strong black men as weak or feminine males. Black male actors and entertainers are becoming more feminine as they fall prey to the all mighty dollar while the black audience is intrigued and entertained. It has become such a popular trend that even social media stars are breaking the internet by portraying themselves in the stereotypes often associated with black women. Black celebrities are now being seen rocking the latest so called high end fashion trends that consist of dresses, skirts, jeggings, and blouses-clothing worn by women(or maybe Prince). Buck breaking has now transformed from savage sexual torture to modern day mental castration for black males in our community. Could it be that white males are still intimidated by the presence of our strong black kings? Is the black community being brainwashed into mental slavery by the media? If this is so, unlike the times of our ancestors, we are no longer forced to be slaves…some make the choice to fall into the snares of something much worse… mental slavery. xoxo, Krystale Jane'l
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
|