Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Gender, Race, and Affiliation in the World of Black Literature


For me, saying you’re not a feminist because there are extremists that generalize men and cast them all in the roll of the oppressor and abuser is akin to refusing to identify as Christian because the Westboro Baptist Church exists. There are extremists in every group, however they are not representative of the majority and their thoughts and practices should not stand as the impression of the whole group. That being said, I do agree with Smith that it is wrong to paint all black men as the cold, vicious, and violent characters found in The Color Purple. I also found it interesting that Smith notes, “It has been my experience that the most passionate defenders of the images of Black males depicted in books and motion pictures like The Color Purple, and their clones, are white feminists” (12). Why do white women feel the overwhelming need to shove all Black men into the same box, lock it, and throw away the key?

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