This past Wednesday night, I was invited to weigh-in on Madness & Reality Radio’s hot-button topic: ‘The Voyeuristic Fetish of Angry Black Women’ in hopes of contributing to  a nuanced conversation about the ‘Angry Black Woman’ trope; but alas, as most conversations about Black women do, the discourse veered  off course.  Additionally, due to technical difficulties, I wasn’t able to be patched through successfully, so I could offer my two cents, as planned. I sat on the sidelines clenching my mug of hot apple cider, racked with a wicked case of the WTFs, courtesy of guest  commentary from a  popular pod-caster at the helm of a movement called, “Die Hoodrat Die”,  who calls himself HaterArazzi. Most of the more incendiary comments came  from male-callers (undoubtedly loyal fans of Generation X forums, Tommy Sotomayor HaterAzzi’s podcast).

Rippa, host and proprietor of this blog, wanted to delve a little deeper into the anti-Black women sentiments manifested in “Bitches Be Like…” memes, viral internet videos of Black women in urban America fighting, and reality TV show behavior that’s been pervading popular culture and social media, because let’s be real, the commodification of Black female pathology presents a popular and lucrative machine in mass media.

As if the infamous Cleveland bus brawl video wasn’t cringe-worthy enough, a recent one showing a group of Black women (and their children), whose behavior was admittedly off-putting, enmeshed in a confrontation outside a downtown Atlanta mall with a security guard named Darien Long. Long recorded the altercation, and himself tasering one of the women. Long posted the video online, where folks sneered, jeered and cheered, before Reddit crowd-sourced more than $20,000 to gift him, so he could get “better and more gear”.

Long, who’s been employed at the mall for about a year, allegedly has tasered mall patrons before and often records his confrontations, which make their way online in a series titled ‘Kick Ass Mall Cop’. Long claims that he wants to help rid the neighborhood of unsavory elements, so he can see businesses flourish. Which is all well and good, but ‘the road to hell’… etc  and so-forth. My first inclination would be to ask Darien Long  if he attends any local Chamber of Commerce or neighborhood planning committee meetings; or if he mentors young at-risk Black women and men in his spare time. Because I honestly don’t see how recording poor Black women and/or men behaving badly, to prove just how ‘kick ass’ he is, helps encourage any sense of community building. And since Long has developed somewhat of a cult following for his Otis-like approach to mall security, I’m now left wondering if his freshly minted ‘I’m not the one’ reputation doesn’t serve as a stage to continue providing content for social media consumption. And that he prompted strangers to gift him with thousands of dollars, comes as no surprise, since people cum cream leche in their pants, whenever loud-mouthed Black women get put in their place, whether it’s deserved or not.

The moral majority on Madness &  Reality Radio disagreed that their critique of Black female pathology had anything to do with self-hate or intra-racism. And I somewhat agree, since the commentary was more overcast with cumulus misogyny. The line of demarcation that was drawn- “us” Blacks vs. “those” hoodrats (and “hoodwolves”)- was pretty clear. And the division is not unlike the “those people”/othering commentary that surrounds discussions about racism, when some folks want to emphasize their disdain for Blacks.

When one male listener called in and proceeded to liken ‘hoodrats’ (a term I despise, by the way) to “animals” who “breed all over the place”, before being cut off at the quick by the host, I damn near blew a gasket over the flagrant ignorance.

Listen, those in the Black community who love to play respectability politics, particularly when Black women are at the receiving end of the derision, can tsk tsk about how abhorrent a specific segment of Black women are, all we want, but what does the act of shaming accomplish, exactly? Who are some of you trying to impress, when you loudly declare how vast you’ve made the divide between yourselves and the disenfranchised, in a bid to prove how respectable and ‘unlike them’ you are?

As for the stereotypes about the hulking Angry Black Woman, I’ve surmised a long time ago, that no matter what any of us do, we’ll always continue to come under harsh scrutiny; whether it be from underneath the white gaze, Black men, other people of color, or other Black women. Whether we’re docile, educated, upwardly mobile, successful, or have a recurring date to have high-tea with the Queen of England, society will always stigmatize Black female behavior. Black women aren’t saints. None of us are infallible- we’re subject to err, hurt, make stupid choices, and experience the range of circumstances and emotions just like everyone else gets to work through- but because we are expected to continue playing mule alongside the Black male ego and remain unflappable but silent, our humanity goes unrecognized.

Anti-Black woman sentiment and stigmatization doesn’t have a genuine or vested interest in what it is, exactly, that’s making young Black women tick and lash out, because it’s much easier to gaslight, grind and ax, and to continue marginalizing. Even the First Lady of The Free World isn’t above the scathing critiques or having stereotypes ascribed to her…

During a 2012 interview with Gayle King, in response to a book written by New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor, in which she frames the FLOTUS as being difficult and forceful, Michelle Obama said she didn’t read the book and suggested that she, more or less, navigates the negative tropes ascribed to Black women the way I had to program myself to learn to do, more than five years ago; she has removed herself from the scrutiny that works to silence us from having a voice and hinder us from evolving, and says she’s made peace with not being able to please everyone– “ There will always be people who don’t like me. (…) “It’s a game, in so many ways, that doesn’t fit. Who can write about how I feel? What third person can tell me how I feel?” she said.

That valid critiques and conversations need to be had (among ourselves), about the public displays of destructive and at-risk behavior young Black women are caught exhibiting, goes without saying. But they need to be productive and broken down accordingly, because it’s definitely a lot deeper than 5-6 minute viral video excerpts. We need to ask legitimate questions; like why many of us support websites like World Star Hip Hop, who thrive on seeing Black women (and people) under duress? and why we continue to feed into the incendiary commentary it prompts? And while it makes us (yes me too, sometimes) recoil, dismissing a poor Black woman as a hoodrat because of her lower socioeconomic lot in life, or to say she isn’t worthy of her humanity, mental health or rehabilitation, and deserves to have violent acts perpetrated against her for shits and giggles, is troubling; regardless of how far away you distance yourself from it.

For those Black women, like myself, Michelle Obama, Toni Morrison, and others, who have the mental capacity and wherewithal to remove yourselves  from the critical gaze of people who don’t deem you as worthy of protection and who’d rather write you off as angry and bitter, and who rejoice at seeing you at your lowest point, do so immediately… for your own growth, self-preservation and peace of mind; and if you feel inclined or have the resources to do so, mentor those young women and girls who haven’t mastered the art of navigating their circumstances. Because continuing to pander to folks who talk over you and are adamant about telling you who they think you are, it’s a destructive dance.

Listen to last week’s show below:

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The latest viral video of a black mother being tasered by a store owner slash “Top Flight” security officer is the most recent incident of a disturbing celebration by online communities that cheer conflicts where black women have been on the other side of a black man’s fist. Though the action of these women were totally out of line, there is something sickening about the public reaction to these videos. We can go down a list. Before this newest ratchet fuckery there was the young woman bus rider who attempted to run up on a bus driver who then upper cut her so bad she flew into the air. Before that, there was the lesbian couple in McDonald’s who tried to bully and jump a McDonald’s employee who beat the shit out of them with an iron rod.

Darren Long: Atlanta’s Metro Mall Superhero?

Out of all three incidents, all males involved in the conflict have been given money through some type of crowd-sourcing. They have all been largely lauded. Of course we want justice when each other is wrong, but it is queasy to know that there are thousands who are green-lighting a gendered street justice when domestic violence, and in particular, violence against black and brown women is under-reported, under-investigated and the women who file restraining orders for legitimate predators are left unprotected.

When you still have women getting their asses beat in public, and she is crying out for help while a group of spectators look on, or even better, walk by as if nothing is going on, then these videos are problematic. And the latest guy, the “Top Flight Security” officer — Darren Long — is wearing his new-found twisted heroism like a badge of honor. No one is questioning why this dude walks around with a pocket camera video recording his day to unsuspecting customers. And then posts them online with these Uncle Ruckus-esqe explanations. Could it be the money Darren Long is making from posting said videos, maybe? More specifically, this trend of reposting, recycling and reanimating these videos are setting up a culture of response that validates a physically violent reaction to aggressive black women, or a black woman who is perceived to be aggressive.

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Are Black women angry? The running racial stereotype suggests that they are. But, we know that racial stereotypes — for the most part — do not exist or serve to be a source of empowerment. That said, as it relates to Black women, there seems to be a recent trend of television shows, YouTube videos, and many stories in media to reinforce this stereotype. Some may even argue that there are many women who contribute to the reinforcement of said stereotype. That said, it can also be argued that the “problem” is overstated.

So, is this problematic? If so, what can we do to dispel, dismiss, or redefine the myth? More importantly, what would you say is the driving force behind the stereotype of the angry black woman? And, are some women unconsciously reinforcing that stereotype with what some deem as inappropriate behavior? Yes, we’ll discuss this and more — from the Cleveland bus fight to the Atlanta Mall security security taser incident.

Join us on yet another episode of Madness & Reality Radio as Team Madness chops it up with esteemed scholar of American & Africana Studies, playwright, and social activist, Dr. Kimberly Ellis PhD aka Dr. Goddess; as well as Mr. Gates aka Dark Hater, the host of the popular podcast Haterazzi Radio Show and creator of the “Die Hoodrat Die” campaign. We will explore this phenomenon and discuss the impact of its consumption, in the new age of social media and post-racialism. Trust me, this one will be a hot one, folks — don’t miss it!

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I’m sure that everyone has seen the most recent video of the security guard using a taser against a woman at an Atlanta mall. If you haven’t, you’re in luck because in addition to it being found all over the internet, it can also be found below. The video is, however, graphic and before it is posted, let me preface it with a story. I was riding home from work last week, listening to a certain white rapper’s satellite radio show on my way home, and just happened to catch wind of this story on one of the shows. The (white) host of the show explained that when he initially caught wind of the story, he felt bad upon reading the story that the woman had been tased at all – let alone in front of her children. He said that it seemed outrageous – until he saw the video; his breakdown description of the video was incredible to me: he described the store that the armed guard was securing as one of those stores in the ghetto with the “big butt mannequins,” and that the woman, basically being a hood rat, deserved every bit of what she got. Again, warning: some may find this video to upsetting or at the least extremely offensive.

I likened this video to the video of the Cleveland bus driver, which coined many memes including “you going ta jail now!” The video was a shot heard round the world, and the internet enjoyed the video and subsequent memes and videos very much from what I observed. The tasing video and the Cleveland bus driver video were similar in that all parties were Black. The perceived aggressors were Black women, and the perceived victims were Black men in their professional capacity who were defending themselves against violence or at a minimum the threat of violence.

I do have personal opinions of what could have and should have been done in both situations, especially in terms of both the bus driver’s and the security guard’s professional capacities. I also have opinions on who is the aggressor and what should happen when a person feels they are being assaulted. This post is not intended to defend either woman’s behavior, nor to call into question what initiated the assault or the end result.

The burning question in my mind is: what is up with the internet’s fetishization of assaults of Black women?

If you did not know anything about the circumstances or behaviors of the woman who was tased, other than she was tased by an armed guard in front of her children, would the natural response be “what did she do to deserve it?” or “that sounds funny!” What if you heard she was upset about something and verbally assaulting the guard?

And the same question of the lady on the bus on Cleveland; if the only information you had of the situation is that a woman is upset and arguing with a bus driver, and is then physically assaulted, is the response amusement and blame? (In fact, the bus driver made a comment like: ‘you wanna be a man, I’m gonna treat you like a man.’) What about once you are informed that both women are Black women?

Every opinion I’ve witnessed about both assault had few differences.

The similarities included judgments of the women in the videos, characterizations of Black women, statements about poverty (ie, the “hood” and/or “ghetto”), and justification for assaulting Black women. Certainly, in many cases, the first lead a direct path to the last. In fact, in all of this, the people in the videos that aren’t the Black women are painted as victors and heroes for their assault, combative nature, or arguable self-defense.

I got physically angry when the initial commentary I heard on the tasing story included comments about “big butt mannequins,” and hood stores, and the show host said that the ghetto broad deserved every bit of what she got. The Cleveland video was even worse; the teenage girl (who was being unruly and also being publicly embarrassed) was uppercut during the altercation and the public rallied behind the bus driver, petitioning that he not lose his job over the incident.

There are more videos both before and after these, including a locker room fight between two Black teenage girls that was posted shortly after the tasing video. There are memes. There are remix videos. There are dummy twitter accounts in the name of fun. All of these things perpetually devalue the violence perpetuated on the Black women/girls, whether in self-defense or not, and justifies that the violence is rational because they are either poor/ghetto/disrespectful/mouthy/whatever and it should also be recorded and sent directly the World Star immediately.

I don’t know how many hits World Star Hip Hop gets daily, but if I had to guess, I’d probably say far too many. Now, they aren’t the focus of this post by any means, but they are the first place many of these videos appear because they have deemed themselves the “CNN of the ghetto”. You heard me. I avoid World Star just like I avoid Media Take Out and Bossip. In addition to actually exhibiting hip hop and urban entertainment gossip, the site heavily exploits videos of real-life people and situations and capitalizes on the many images of real-life violence depicted.

In a brilliant post on The Guardian just after the Cleveland bus driver incident, entitled ‘World Star Hip-hop: making a bankable brand out of brutality’, Jason Farago writes:

It’s not the beatdowns themselves that make World Star so disturbing; it’s how they get there. We are all videographers now, and bystanders now do the work of media outlets, and for free. There was no thought on that Cleveland bus of stopping the altercation; people were too busy filming! (Indeed, it turns out there were multiple cameraphone-wielding passengers on the bus that day; after the first video went viral, a different angle was uploaded to another site – and then swiftly stolen by World Star.)

Not long ago, the knock against modern urban life was that it isolated people, and that in the face of violence we turned away. How things have changed: today we don’t only pay attention to violence, but we offer it up, gratis, to anyone who wants to make a buck off of it.

He also makes note of videos of fights in general, and not just assaults involving women, that go up on World Star’s website. While there is a mockery made of violence in poor, urban communities, I think that there is a different dynamic added when women are involved. Just like Maury is (still, sigh) heavily watched as a way to slut-shame poor and/or Black women, and ‘bitches be like…’ memes hit the internet daily, women of color are poked fun at daily on the internet. Violence against women of color isn’t the new black, but public acceptance of it is — especially if the woman is, well…ghetto.

I don’t know that it should be stated since it is not the main focal point of this post, but I’ll state for the record (and to avoid backlash) that I think that both the woman in the tasing video and the young lady in the Cleveland video exhibited grossly inappropriate behavior. However, the internet equates colored folks to trash based on the behaviors of the people in these videos, and finds gratification in “ghetto” Black women. Yet and still, I do think that there are other remedies that the other parties in both videos could have taken to diffuse the circumstances as exhibited in the videos. Still, I wonder what the reaction from the internet would be if the women in the videos weren’t poor colored girls? Why are we so amused by these videos?

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