(ThyBlackMan.com) I fervently believe that self-actualization is a crucial element in Black men gauging their present situation and a yet to be written future that could be filled with countless opportunities.
Many life coaches and self-help books state that the most important question that must be answered is “Who are you?” I agree with others who believe that it is impossible to make significant changes in one’s life without answering the above question.
I find that a crucial portion to answering the question of “Who Are You?” flows from a long-running debate regarding which has more influence on our existence, issues flowing from “nature” or those flowing from “nurture.”
This matter is complicated by the historical reality that Black America, a community that routinely extends the constrictive limits of “family” to include fictive kin that are not biologically related, is far from monolithic in its familial constructions. Any historian can tell you that this 
cultural adaptation was a response to the disruptive nature of a chattel slavery system that enriched so many Whites while simultaneously bankrupting them morally. This daunting history does nothing to address my question of what is the primary determinant in the development of Black male identity. Does “nature” hold sway over “nurture” in the development of the identity of Black males?
The proliferation of “rites of passage” mentoring programs serves as partial evidence that the vast majority of Blacks believe that it is “nurture” that serves as the primary determinant in the path young Black men will travel. The inhabitants of this school of thought rarely dispute the notion that “nature” does have some impact on the process that leads to the formation of Black male identity, they disagree with it being on par with “nurture.” For most, it is difficult to argue against assertions that “nature” does have some say in this complex process of identity formation.
Basic observation of the temperament, preferences, and values of random Black males highlight the impact of “nature” on each of them. Anecdotally, I am very quiet, yet funny when I want to be (despite what others attest), like my father. My son possesses these same qualities, qualities I might add that his great grandfather whose name he carries possessed.
In every occupation there are some things that can be considered peculiar or intriguing. I will tell you that one of the most intriguing aspects of being an African-American Studies Professor is that it provides me an unobstructed view of the process that my Black male students undergo as they attempt to answer the above question of “Who Am I?”; a process that is made exponentially more difficult by their existence in a world that looks upon Black males with what W.E.B. Du Bois termed “amused contempt and pity.”
If nothing else, this clunky process of self-discovery that so many of my Black male students undergo proves that they hail from circumstances that are rarely similar. The alluded to contexts that incubated and then birthed these young black men range from two-parent households to situations where neither parent was present. Regardless of their upbringing, each of these young men must deal with the question of “Who are you?” Oftentimes, the answer to this matter is found in ways ranging from speech pattern, dress, the decision to be standoffish or friendly to others (including Professors), or the conscious decision to engage in criminal activities ranging from drug dealing/use, rape/sexual assault of Black women, refusal to engage school work or even attend class consistently.
The most illogical expressions of what it means to be a young Black male always emanates from socioeconomically privileged suburban kids. It is their “privileged” status that birthed their ignorance of poor and working-class Blacks. To my chagrin and amusement, a sizable portion of these young men, desperate to fit into the social scene of a Historically Black University adopt the persona of a Minstrel performer attempting to mimic the dress, linguistic patterns, and deplorable lifestyle choices of the Black peers that they know little about. The Black males that I am referencing proudly display their limited understanding of what a Black man ought to be and ought to be doing. Unbeknownst to these young men, they have made themselves the featured attraction of a Minstrel Show that should be titled “Blackish.”
The script of the alluded to Minstrel show offers outsiders a unique opportunity to view what occurs to young Black males who have used the content provided by irrational Blacks and bigoted Whites working in television, radio, movies, and schools. I am sure that I do not need to tell you that such mediums glorify Whites and denigrate the Black experience.
Although I resist the urge to generalize, I have little problem stating that many of the Black male collegians I am discussing have internalized some combination of the following beliefs.
- Black males are criminal-minded.
- Black males are drug abusers.
- Black males are socially inappropriate at every opportunity (language, dress, etc.)
- A true measure of Black manhood is found in the denigration (physical and/or verbal) of Black women.
- Intellectual curiosity is a sign of weakness among Black men.
What makes this script more repugnant is that its supporters have usually never seen it modeled by either parents, aunts, uncles, siblings, or grandparents. Instead of relying on those things that they have witnessed in their lives, far too many Black males allow those experiences to be trumped by a wicked cocktail of Rap videos, Rap lyrics, and Hip-Hop Culture images that have no basis in reality. It is saddening to witness Black male worldviews being hijacked by what can only be termed fictitious characterization of their own.
I am always amazed that so many of these misguided young men fail to understand that the privileged status they were born into will eventually expire if not tended to. In fact, they seemingly do not understand that the cost of starring in their Minstrel Show comes at the cost of squandering their socioeconomic inheritance. Trust me when I say that when that bill is delivered by a hostile society that has no regard for Black males, there is little that Black males will find funny. Unfortunately for many of these modern-day Al Jolson’s, there is little that we can do to convince them of the opportunities that their ancestors have placed in front of them.
I guess that what they say is true, “The Show Must Go On.”
Staff Writer; Dr. James Thomas Jones III
Official website; http://www.ManhoodRaceCulture.com
One may also connect with this brother via Twitter; DrJamestJones.