socio-racism

Slims Table - Chapter 2

Negative Black Statistics (Crime Rates etc.)

“These statistics tell us most of what we know about what it means to be a black main in America but they tell us too little about the black man’s inner strength – his resolve, his pride, and his sincerity.” (26)

Self Esteem / Moral Worth / Mental Anguish

Thesis :

“Slim and his sting buddies posses self esteem…When they conduct themselves in a way that causes them or others to believe they have failed to live up to those standards they are embarrassed. When they are treated by others in a way that is inconsistent with their self esteem they sometimes feel the mental anguish that is associated with injured pride” (26)

Jackson

Embarrassed about others hassling women
“Jackson was easily embarrassed by the men who often passed the time near our building…[they] had been addressing every woman who passed…It hurt Jacksons pride to be assocated with actions that testified to standards below his level of moral worth” (26-27)

Money Issues

“Why would he have to ask me a silly ass question like that? It would have been an indignity for Jackson to begin detailing the problems when they were so obvious”(29)

“he was a man who took pride in paying all his bills” (29)

Willie

"he was one of the few men...whose outer directed attention seekign self aggrandizing behavior actually did conform with sociology's typical portrait of the black male" (31)

"Willie made his way in the world by trying not to take things at face value. He told me he'd let the Greeks at Valois know he was watching them to ensure they'd give him good cuts" (31)

"he sared in their desire to adhere to standards of moral worthiness. But in way shtat made him unusual among the blakc men, his demeanor caused others to treate him in a way that failed to accord with teh image he had of his own value" (31)

Masculinity

"Willie with distorted needs for approval, recognition, and material possessions constitute the model for ghetoo specific masculinity"(34)

* this is in contrast to Barts white unattached masculinity

Socialization

"Once he explained himself to me...Don't go to any one place too often or they think you don't have any other place to go" (34)

"These repetiive sequences are signfiicaiton becaseu they guarantee thte recurrent prescence of close acquaintances while establishing them as people who "have things to do""(34)

"They make a point of developing routines that show a certain independence of the establishment...excessive time spent in one place can demean a man. This is why routines also function to guard teh indivial against a likely challenge to his pride" (35)

"Hangign out consists of discovering types of activity that results in predictable and desired amounts of companionship, conviviality, and solitude, and the ability to bring about new experiences by changing th econditions within each type of activity" (37)

"repetitious activities from day to day. This enables them to preserve their self esteem and to feel they are taking part in chosen activities rather than residual ones" (38)

"Often, many weeks can pass ebtween the interactions of two peopel who have warm feeling for one another. In such a context the "insult" plays an important role in communication...Playful insults ..have a role itn the now and then structure of internation...they enabel regulars who have not seen one anotehr for a period of time to reaffirm the warmth that existed the last time they were together. Boldness and effrontery serve to remind men that although time has bassed, each still has a place in teh others' hearts. These ritual indications are sumbolic of the stability of relationships" (38)

"If a man is asked why he hangs out with thte same peoiple at the same time sthroughout hte year, he may say as one man didi to me that it isi just happenstance o rhe may deny the existence of repetitive sequences altogehter so as no to imply that he is a creature of habit" (39)

Female Relationships

" A willingness to disclose personal weaknesse is not unique....most of the blakc men have opened up in some signficant way. Thi sis most evident in discussion about personal life, where rather then viewing themselves as lovers and exploiters , men often commiserate as victims" (40)

"Harold said that he had no interest in seeing anotehr movie that slandered the balck male...as exploiters and users of women" (41)

"black regulars are senstieve about such imagines because they know...society..associates them with similar steretypes" (41)

"they are straightforward about their weaknesses and their inability to dominate the opposite sex"(41)

ties in with masculinity

"You white folks are apologetic and intelligent with women...the white man has dulled his edges...white poeple have a tendency to be too damn intellectual. NOw that is not one of the...prerequisties fo making love. It's the emotion, the passion. You don't have time to aks a woman what kind of degree she has..But we is not savages..Hit my wife? Never." (44)

"there is a recognition of how difficult it can be to reamign dominate...after my wife started workgin I coudln't relate to her because I didn't have as much education" (45)

Masculinity
"These are not men who find it necessary to show others what "kinda studs" they are. By livign in accordance with principles such as pride, civility, sincerity, adn discretion,, these men confirm for themslves 0 rather than proving to others - tha tthey posses some of the most important human virtues" (45)

"Quiet satisfaction, pride, inner strength, and a genuine expressiveness without effusiveness here coalesce in a type of masculininty that is certainly more widespread in reality than in current account so fthe balck male in the mass media and in sociology" (45-46)