\u201cAll of my father\u2019s texts and songs, which I had decided were meaningless, were arranged before me at his death like empty bottles, waiting to hold the meaning which life would give them for me. This was his legacy: nothing is ever escaped. \u2026 The dead man mattered, the new life mattered\u201d (Baldwin, 603)<\/p>\n
The common misconception that anger is a negative emotion presents itself in our internalized attitudes and externalized manifestations of our anger. When angry, we often act out of impulse, and our rationale dwindles. It is so easy for anger to become manipulative or violent. This is why philosophers and psychologists have historically sought to find methods to reduce these strong feelings. In chapter six of her book, titled \u201cAnger Management: An Alternate View,\u201d Myisha Cherry acknowledges that we are often taught to manage, suppress, and eliminate emotions of anger. Many ancient stoic philosophers preached techniques that stray away from the catalyst, which ultimately distracts one from their very real and valid emotions.<\/p>\n
This method is not effective nor substantial when dealing with rage toward injustice; it is especially dangerous to conflate our flawed preconceived notions of anger with productive Lordean rage. Instead, Cherry writes that \u201canger management should help us make sure our anger \u2013 our Lordean rage \u2013 remains appropriate, motivational, productive, and resistant\u201d (Cherry, 139). This way, we can harness and express our anger in a healthy, thought-provoking manner that drives change.<\/p>\n
When discussing Lordean rage, it is also important to take our preexisting judgments into account. Racial othering is embedded in the foundation of the United States, even if some may choose to ignore its effects on themselves and others. From the horrifying methods of enslavement and torture to the dehumanizing depictions of Jim Crow and Aunt Jemima, Black Americans were perceived as barbaric and animalistic from the development of this country. It would be silly to reiterate here, that Black people are human like any other person from any other race, but we must remind ourselves that we are nevertheless viewing our world through an Anglo-American lens. We continue to hold stereotypes regarding Black people, even if they may not be conscious.<\/p>\n
The dehumanization of African Americans achieves a couple of things. Firstly, these stereotypes create a hierarchical distance between White and Black people. Stereotypes that portray Black people as \u201cviolent\u201d create a sense of fear among those of the majority race, which ultimately validates the oppression. As a result, any form of Black rage is regarded as aggressive and thus creates more fear and tension between races. To avoid this, one can accept the system as it is and internalize this racist rhetoric towards their own race, which may create more problems of self-identity. No matter what, it is difficult for Black people to break out of this ongoing, debilitating cycle.<\/p>\n
Stereotypes do not only perpetuate bigotry against other people but also impact how we view ourselves. In \u201cThe Souls of Black Folk,\u201d W.E.B. DuBois writes about his famous \u201cdouble-consciousness\u201d: \u201cIt is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one\u2019s self through the eyes of others\u201d (DuBois, 3). To be Black in America is to have two clashing ideals, living with a double self that may be very difficult to navigate. Moreover, this constant battle between two selves results in internal turmoil, and in turn, rage.<\/p>\n
One prime example of how this double-consciousness can eat someone up is found in the sixth chapter of James Baldwin\u2019s Notes of a Native Son, titled \u201cNotes of a Native Son.\u201d In this three-part chapter, Baldwin tells the story of his father that passed away from tuberculosis. Baldwin describes his father as \u201ccertainly the most bitter man [he had] ever met; yet it must be said that there was something else in him, buried in him, which lent him his tremendous power and, even, a rather crushing charm. It had something to do with his blackness\u2026 with his blackness and his beauty, and with the fact that he knew that he was black but did not know that he was beautiful\u201d (Baldwin, 588).<\/p>\n
Baldwin\u2019s father suffered from paranoia that arose from the mistreatment he had endured in the past. He trusted nobody, and he would react to situations in ways that would upset others \u2013 his friends, wife, siblings, and children \u2013 because it was difficult for him to connect with other people. Baldwin\u2019s father especially resented White people, as he had been conditioned to expect mistreatment and hatred from them. Throughout the whole chapter, Baldwin repeats that he regrets not talking to his father more often. Since he presented himself as a very bitter, angry man, Baldwin\u2019s father constantly pushed others, even if that was not his intention, which led Baldwin to hate him.<\/p>\n
When reflecting on his father, Baldwin recalls the time he had an epiphany regarding his father: \u201cWhen he died I had been away from home for a little over a year. In that year I had had time to become aware of the meaning of all my father\u2019s bitter warnings, had discovered the secret of his proudly pursed lips and rigid carriage: I had discovered the weight of white people in the world. I saw that this had been for my ancestors and now would be for me an awful thing to live with and that the bitterness which had helped to kill my father could also kill me\u201d (Baldwin, 589).<\/p>\n
This gut-wrenching excerpt shows another nuance of how racism can destroy someone\u2019s identity from within. In addition, Baldwin\u2019s relationship with his father changed during his time abroad \u2013 Baldwin\u2019s hatred towards his father was evidently caused by his father\u2019s hatred towards systemic racism. Baldwin may argue (and perhaps Cherry would agree) that had his father expressed his rage within himself, he would have been less bitter and more similar to whom he used to be: a happy, passionate man.<\/p>\n
The legacies of James Baldwin and his father will live on forever as we, as a people, continue to move toward racial equity. We can learn a lot from Baldwin\u2019s father and how destructive stoic attitudes toward meaningful anger can be. It is okay to be angry, especially with those who dismiss and disregard the residual effects of Our Country\u2019s past. We must understand that racism still exists; color blindness will not solve anything, as it only invalidates the experiences and hardships of Black people. Even as I write this, I recognize that I do not and will never understand Black experiences. However, that is not to say that I cannot listen to and give uptake to those who need it. Productive anger has been, and will always be, the solution to racial injustice, and we must accept and project Black voices in order to move forward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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