Black. White. Episode III

Remember what I said about Little Miss. WhiteGirl and Little Mr. BlackBoy being all right? Well, I take that back. Yes, I think we viewers may find that WhiteGirl is the sole voice of reason in this black/white ensemble, but BlackBoy… Oh, BlackBoy… Oh, boy!

It turns out that Jr. BlackMan is what WhiteGirl referred to as “stereotypical!” The astute youngster pointed out that not only is he stereotypical, but he’s proud of it, and this blogger has to agree with her assessment. BlackBoy ain’t got much in the way of a clue.

When asked what grade he was in, BlackBoy said, “I’m sixteen.” as if that answered the question. It didn’t. After WhiteGirl dug around a bit, BlackBoy admitted that he’d failed both the sixth and eighth grades. He eventually got caught holding a “frrrriend’s” knife and was permanently kicked out of school. Curious WhiteGirl tried to get at the reason BlackBoy had the knife in the first place and the only explanation he was able to offer was that he didn’t really know. “I don’t ask all these questions,” BlackBoy said. Well, doll, here you are sixteen with an eighth grade education and it may be time to ask a few questions.

The other day I ran across an article written last year. In it the author, Charles Johnson, wrote the following:

As tired as one might be of hearing this, the crisis (black men being an endangered species) can be seen as possibly terminal for a considerable portion of black Americans at the dawn of the 21st century. Furthermore, it is not merely an economic or political problem but also a cultural, spiritual and moral one that has at its center behavior and attitudes that make far too many black men noncompetitive… and, perhaps, irrelevant in an increasingly complex multicultural and knowledge-based global economy.

Don’t get me wrong, I have a great deal of sympathy for BlackBoy. He’s not hopeless. He just needs guidance. Clearly, his parents are trying to do just that. As they literally cursed their son out for buying a $150 dollar bling-bling watch, Mom and Dad emphasized that they wanted him to get his GED and go to college. BlackBoy expressed confusion at the thought of education. “Why you want me to go to college?” he wanted to know. See, I guess he does ask a question or two!

Unfortunately, BlackMan in his paternal role gave sonny boy a cliché response. Between cuss words he noted he wanted the boy to have a better life. Stop cussin’ at the boy, Dad! Give your son a few facts. Tell him that UC Berkeley's 2004-05 freshman class had only 108 African-Americans out of 3,600 students, with less than 40 males, and not one black among the 800 engineering students. Tell him that 1/3 of black men in their 20s graduate from high school with an eighth-grade level of proficiency in math and reading, tell him about the numbers in prison, on probation or on parole. School your son! Stop cussin’ and start teachin’!

Now, to be fair Mom and Dad do have a problem on their hands – a sixteen year old who’s failed school and doesn’t seem to “get” it is not easy to handle. To their credit they are certainly trying to help their teenager find the “path”, however, Dad’s emphasis on racism maybe misplaced. Now, this ‘ere blogger thinks lessons in racism should be pretty far down on Papa’s list of required study. BlackBoy has more pressing problems. In this particular case, I have to agree with columnist William Raspberry as he urges black people to resist becoming trapped and limited by antique narratives about their lives.

For the first time in black American history, what we do is a greater determinant of our future than what is done to us. We need to teach that and preach that and shout that--to our young people and ourselves.

Teach, preach, and shout, BlackMan! Don’t you think this is what your son needs to hear?! Doesn’t he need to hear that “he” can make better choices? Doesn’t he need to hear that those choices can break the stereotype he’s living?

Oh, and what were WhiteMan and WhiteWoman doing during this black family moment? Well, Whiteman was stretched out on the couch thoroughly enjoying hearing BlackWoman call her son, “Neeeeegro!” And WhiteWoman was off somewhere recuperating from cursing at her own child and, of course, getting her cry on!

Here’s to not drowning our children in foul language and actually teaching them to navigate life’s difficult waters!