Operation: Perception and Representation


Written by Moyin Ekundayo 


Representation, 'the description or portrayal of someone or something in a particular way'. In many ways, representations are like using stereotypes. I will be trying to talk about the representation of black men in society, a bit of a difficult one to do, really. There are millions and millions of black men out there in the world. 


That last statement is a perfect place to start. I want to ask you to close your eyes and think, what does a black man sound like? What does he look like? Is he tall? What sport does he like? 


See, this topic is very complex, and I can only write and verbalise the stereotyping/distorted representation of a specific group of people. A little self-indulgent but obviously straight black males, I might include some different examples that do not fit this category. However, my goal is to get other people from different demographics to write about their experiences on this similar topic to give a more rounded perspective. 


The I'm Tired Project by Ming Au 
Back on track, a study conducted by the American psychological association found that people see black men as larger, more threatening than same-sized white men. This study was conducted solely in America. This ideology is not isolated to a land far, far away. The number of times I have had people walk up to me, and after a while, they say the following words "I thought you were going to be more scary or intimidating". The idea that I am some scary individual based on my height and skin colour before I had done anything proves to be slightly heartbreaking. The more heartbreaking situation that I have not experienced as often recently, possibly due to the pandemic, is people crossing the road just to cross back the other way when they see me. 


During slavery, the image of Black people, specifically Black males, was of a docile character. The images of buffoonery, blissful ignorance and juvenile angst were seen as the primary traits of enslaved Blacks. The first time audiences got to see a black face in films, it was 'blackface' (a white actor blacking up their face to appear black whilst playing on ultra-racist stereotypes). The exaggeration of stereotyping of Black people as foolish and messy.

 

The perception of black males as aggressive stems from early post-slavery times and an otherism ideology. Where it was used as a tool to encourage the white population to fear a free black man. The brute caricature portrays black men as innately savage, animalistic, destructive, and criminal. Charles H. Smith wrote in 1893, "A bad Negro is the most horrible creature upon the earth, the most brutal and merciless". This fear-mongering was based on multiple things; however, I would like to pick out these two:

  1. Origin- From brutal, savage, uncultured Africa or the Caribbean, not the civilised and cultured western world. These savages are more prone to violence.
  2. Submissive - Based on scientific racism of the time that black people had smaller brains. The notion held that slaves could not take care of themselves by their natures, and whites had been appointed by God to watch over their bodies and souls. 

Many white supremacists still hold these ideas; however, the same views have been directed towards other minorities over time. 


Many media representations of black males have also played a part in the stereotypes still around today. 

I am unsure how to get this next point across, but I promise to try my best. If you know me, you know I love movies and TV shows. One of my favourite sub-genre of films is Italian mobster films. Unfortunately, these films sometimes glamourise violence. I have found what I was looking for, so I will be very liberally copying from Zeba Blay on the HuffPost. "It's not a bad thing that shows like "Breaking Bad" and "Fargo" exist and are beloved. The real problem is an industry that still perpetuates damaging stereotypes about black people and black criminality. These stereotypes have dangerous, real-world consequences. Perhaps if there were as many shows that humanised young black men in hoodies as there are that humanised white serial killers, the attitude towards black life these days would be different. "


In the UK, young black males were found to be 19 times more likely to be stopped and searched than their white counterparts, and in total black people are 9 times more likely to be stopped and searched than white people. Now a detractor might point at knife crimes, drug-related crimes and more. I would like to point out that this is precisely the point of this 'article', the association of a race to a certain predisposition. 


This issue is not simply isolated to black men. In 2019, Neomi Bennett was stopped in her vehicle – according to the officer as recorded on body-cam footage due to her car windows being tinted. After a heated exchange, male officers pulled Bennett out, arrested her and kept her in a cell for 18 hours, despite finding nothing incriminating. She was convicted for obstructing officers, but this has since been overturned. I will include that she is a nurse who had been awarded a British Empire Medal. While this achievement is excellent, it does not detract from the racial profiling and discrimination she faced.


Often portrayed in the media, black people who have "added extra' to society are more favourable than

black mediocre (a term coined by one of my friends), whilst others from different races are often given the benefit of the doubt.


Since the 1960s in the UK, robbery, drug use, and gang violence has been associated with black people, with the metropolitan police often labelled as institutionally racist (A concept I wish to touch on in the future). 

In a report conducted in 2007 by the Home Affairs Select Committee on the criminal justice system of England and Wales, they found that young black males were overrepresented at all stages of the criminal justice system. 


Whilst we are here, I have more questions for you to think about. You might be bored of them by now, but who do you think commits the most crime in the UK? Who is showcased more in the news? Arrest rate per 1,000 people, and number of arrests, by ethnicity (arrests between April 2018 and March 2019.) I mean, the answer should not really be a surprise. The UK is predominantly white. However, there is a presumption that most crimes are committed by brown and black people. The statistics by Lancashire Police found that 'Black people were over 3 times as likely to be arrested as white people – there were 60 arrested for every 1,000 Black men, and 17 arrested for every 1,000 White men'. However, this, coupled with the fact that young black men were 19 times more likely to be stopped and searched, shows how stereotypes have been used to target specific people. This is a form of indirect discrimination, i.e. laws or policies that apply to all but effects in practice are disadvantageous to a particular group or groups.


Black men receive disproportionate attention from police officers. Tall Black men were particularly likely to face unjustified stops by police officers.


Stop and Search (African Voice Newspaper)

The former lead on stop and search from 2006 to 2008, said "For me, this is clear evidence the Met is targeting young black boys based on stereotypes and not backed by reasonable suspicion. "This clearly does not represent evidence-based policing or intelligence-led policing. It indicates it has become more random than it was before." 


Crime or gang behaviour comes from a lack of opportunities in improvised areas. Personally, I do not think policing is the answer. Police are only ever called after a crime has been committed or suspected to be committed. I am no sociologist. Still, I believe that improving social programs and education systems where individuals can prosper and can achieve in a society that does not limit them can be a great start. 


Many times, my friends and I have been profiled for being 'aggressive' just for talking to each other, and I have been labelled as 'intimidating' whilst just being passionate about a subject. It is hard to put into words how infuriating and shut out this can make you feel. 


What do I want people to take away from this? It is a scary world out there, and stereotypes have been used to help protect us from danger. However, it is essential to note that many stereotypes are based on racial and sexist bigotry. Critically thinking and evaluating our understanding of our society and how we have got to where we are is important. We are not simple cavemen anymore; we are incredibly complex and should notice and realise the effects and damages of stereotyping. Understanding these can help with our anxieties and help us better the world. 


As mentioned earlier, lots and lots can be explored and brought to the surface on this topic. I hope to get different people here to discuss this. 


I am glad you have managed to make it this far; if you are willing to read more or want to understand more, please follow some of the references and additions reading list: 





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