Gangsterism...

First off...listen to the song please...

Ok...

One of my favorite African American Studies Scholars said something that's stuck with me for a couple of years now. Me and "Father of The Year" went down to his alma mater a few years back to hear Cornel West speak. Brother West is always an entertaining and informative speaker and I was too excited to hear the brother expound upon the current state of Black America.

When discussing the state of our youth and their penchant to lean towards a sort of "criminal" pathos he made this statement, "I am NOT a gangster...but I DO have gangster proclivities..."

Fast Forward to 2011...

I was on twitter the other day holding a conversation with a professional woman who expressed the desire to have a man with a little "thug" in him. Being the guy that I am, I've always been curious as to what qualities a "thug" possesses that makes him desirable.

She said she wants, "a man w/ street smarts who can A) handle himself B) protect me & C) teach me how to build a diverse portfolio"

Now, I didn't know thugs were all up on E-Trade and stuff, but I always figured the first two were more a part of being a man in general...as opposed to simply being a thug...

That, of course, made me think a little more...

More after the break...













According to Dictionary.com here's what a "Thug" is:

"a cruel or vicious ruffian, robber, or murderer."
"a tough and violent man, esp a criminal"

I understand that connotations change...

I understand that the etymology of Black American slang is as twisted as any language can be...

Let's be honest with ourselves though. The word "thug" is still an undesirable adjective. When one refers to himself as a thug, he is most definitely saying that he's capable of performing in a violent manner and more than able to do criminal things. When someone is referred to as a thug its more often in a negative connotation than a positive connotation.

Here's the litmus test for you...if your son called himself a thug would you a) buy him a new pair of J's and say, "Good Job" or b) beat the black off him?

If you answer "A"...you should probably be sterilized.

I'm not saying this from an ivory tower...I'm not trying to "Bill Cosby" anyone by lofting rhetorical bombs from a place of privilege...

I just want us to take a hard look at what we consider black manhood to be...

I'll go into more detail about that after the break...













Growing up as a black man you're often faced with a choice...a choice that's been placed on our table as a result of generational/systematic oppression, a lack of opportunities for upward economic mobility, and the lack of traditional positive role models within our community.

That choice is between staying on one side of the law or the other. Often times the choice is made for you. Very few black men have walked the line between both...

While I'm sure there are some black men out there who've never experienced the types of hustles, situations, and downright danger that abject poverty, inner city life, or exposure to illegal activity can bring; its become a fact of life that millions of black men all over America have had similar experiences growing up...

I know black men who've never held a gram of crack, never carried a firearm on their person, have never had to be nervous when they see blue lights pull up behind them, and may have never spent a second in handcuffs...unfortunately, they are in the minority. I'd argue about 1 out of 10 of the brothas I know...

That's tragic to me...

Very Tragic...

So, I guess I can understand now why she desired that "intelligent thug"...that's all we know...its all we have...

It sums up the lion's share of our upwardly mobile black men. Brothas who have stood in a grey area for so long that their "gangster proclivities" have melded with their assimilated "schoolboy sensibilities..."

Either way...I want my son, whenever I have one, to grow up without having to make that choice...without that option being on the table...

I guess its going to take some gangster proclivities to get him there though...

--Bleek G.