An educated Black man is still a relatively rare specimen in contemporary America. Only about 8 percent of Black males have Bachelor’s Degrees. Due to this fact Black males are often in demand in circles that value diversity. I’m sure that this sometimes has lead a few institutions to lower standards and cut Black men slack that others might not be given. Occasionally this has serious repercussions. The New York Times- a Hillary Clinton endorser- got into trouble with Jason Blair, a young, Black, charismatic reporter who talked his way to the top and turned out to be fraud. It should also be pointed out that ‘Black slack’ is more than offset by the old white boys network, and the kind of favors they do for one another pale in comparison.
Despite often being considered funny and well spoken, the educated Negro is often also viewed as being lazy and inattentive to details- the results of inferior mental capacity and white liberal indulgence due to race. Who has time to dot I’s and cross T’s when your busy charming the pants off everyone? The main problem with this picture (there are many) is that it conforms neatly to the most racist stereotypes of black men. That we’re lazy, stupid, oversexed playboys that prefer to make our living by entertaining Whites instead of working hard to producing things of worth.
The whole stereotype, however, is not negative. Joseph Biden got into a little trouble by labeling Obama “articulate.” Blacks smiled, turned our collective heads and rolled our eyes because we know what many people are trying to communicate with that type of ‘praise.’ This person is all flash and no substance. It’s condescension through compliment. Like a professor calling a 45 year old student “bright.”
By defining Obama’s appeal among the electorate in terms of his ability to give a good speech Clinton and McCain are making use of old racial myths in order to marginalize him and supporters. When Clinton claims in an advertising
that “we need more than words, we need work” she’s tapping into this long held belief that black men in professional and political settings get by by running their mouths and doing as little work as possible. When she further says that she’s “someone who you can count on” she’s communicating to women- particularly black women- that unlike Black men who are endlessly taking about what their going to do, she’s a doer. This racial and gender subtext is as real as it is subterranean. The point is that these unfair codes and characterizations only thrive when they go unchallenged. We can expect more of them as the 2008 presidential campaign plays itself out.
Roger White March 2008