In Darren Wilson's Testimony, Familiar Themes About Black Men

[Judi Lynn]

In Darren Wilson's Testimony, Familiar Themes About Black Men
November 26, 2014 3:11 PM ET
Frederica Boswell



After Michael Brown was shot dead in August, his mother, Leslie McSpadden, said, "My son was sweet. He didn't mean any harm to anybody." He was, she said, "a gentle giant."

But when police officer Darren Wilson fired the shot that ended Brown's life, he saw things differently. "I felt like a five-year-old holding onto Hulk Hogan," he said in his testimony to the grand jury. "That's just how big he felt and how small I felt." Wilson said "the only way" he could describe Brown's "intense aggressive face" was that it looked like "a demon." He feared for his life.

Many observers, such as Slate's Jamelle Bouie and Vox's Lauren Williams, pointed out that Wilson's testimony has historical echoes of the "black brute" caricatures which portrayed black men as savage, destructive criminals.

After the Civil War, many white writers argued that the institution of slavery was what kept the supposed savagery of black men in check, and also justified the punishments that they met. In his reconstruction-era novel, Red Rock, for example, Thomas Nelson Page wrote of a black politician – a "repulsive creature," Moses – who tried to rape a white woman: "He gave a snarl of rage and sprang at her like a wild beast," he wrote.

More:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2014/11/26/366788918/in-darren-wilsons-testimony-familiar-themes-about-black-men

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

1. He may have been a gentle giant to his momma

But that little man in the Asian shop will surely disagree.

Interestingly, if you read the the testimony of Brown's friend to the grand jury, he also talks about the aggressive and angry demeanor on Brown's face...and Wilson's.

[Judi Lynn]

2. I've never witnessed "aggressive and angry demeanor" on anyone's face.

Sounds dangerous. Probably should be a capital offense, if the person is black. White's o.k., apparently.

By the way, in your research, did you discover whether or not walking in the street is a death penalty offense?

[ellenrr]

3. viscerally, I was shocked that in this day and age, the moron Wilson

could actually put forward stereotypes like this.
(recalls Birth of a Nation)

and yet, the sad fact is, that once we get out of our bubble of liberal, progressive and radical friends,
many many Americans take in those absurd images he painted.

that's what's really scary!