I was flipping through entertainment weekly recently and saw an article featuring an upcoming comedy co-starring Robert Downey Jr. as a black man. My first thought was, this is a freaking awesome idea. Seriously, could he look any blacker if he wanted? It really took me a few moments before figuring out it was him.
Being the sick sadist I am, I quickly decided that I had to figure out how to dye my skin black. I’d love to show up to one of my wife’s family gatherings as a black man. I know a few of her slightly racist relatives (notably my father in law) would despise it and I love pissing off in-laws.
But then I started wondering how it would feel to walk around as a black man since after all, people who don’t know me or recognize me would only know me as black.
I read a few places online that the movie was doing well in testing with black audiences but that some viewers were infuriated. Why is that? Was anybody infuriated when the Wayans Brothers dressed up as white chicks in the movie White Chicks! Some might argue that by acting ‘black’ he’s supporting an unfavorable stereotype. I haven’t seen the movie so I can’t agree or disagree but I have to ask:
“Why can’t we all step back and laugh at ourselves every now and then?”
Honestly, I’m not really worried about black (or white) people being offended as much as I’m afraid of how differently I may be treated if I were to find a way to do this social experiment. After all, some people just love to be offended and will be no matter what. I’m more frightened that the experience would open a door of realization to me that I don’t care to face.
I’ve experienced plenty of black people who like to blame the color of their skin for their misfortunes in life. I won’t deny that race and ethnicity undoubtedly plays a factor in society, but I’ve always lived by the belief that in this county at this point in time you can overcome that prejudice if you’re determined to do so. Would being a black man for a few days change my view of that? Who knows?
Of course my treatment would vary depending on who I encounter, where I live and so on. Depending on where you are, anyone of any color might face prejudice. I’ve been called a cracker and a honky more than a few times just for being in someone’s way on the street or a hallway at school. It’s not easy but its life. Should we let it keep us down?
Regardless of what I might discover, racism is human nature and universal. Being a member of a multi-racial family, I’ve had to face it head on. I have a black nephew who I hope I’ll someday be able to educate about what it means to be black in a largely white society and hopefully he’ll not grasp these notions that the white man wants to keep him down. Even if it is true in some situations, it’s not the attitude to have. If you think the white man wants to keep you down and you use it as a crutch then he’s won. But at the same time, I hope I can show him that being racist himself against others makes him just like them.
To answer my question, no I don’t think the experience would change my mind. In this country right now, the only person holding you back is yourself. Take a look at Barrack Obama if you don’t believe me.
