The Feminization of the Black Male Image: The Subtle Suggestion of Propaganda

This contribution originated as a response to a post that addressed concerns about the picture that accompanies this post. As I began to contemplate the massive impact of this subtle suggestion over the long-term, I decided that it was necessary to address this on a more in-depth level, and across multiple cultural paradigms with the hopes of bringing a higher level of lucidity into play as it pertains to the use of the media as a propaganda channel.

Edward Berneys, the author of “Propaganda” says:

“A thing may be desired not for its intrinsic worth or usefulness, but because he has unconsciously come to see in it a symbol of something else… Suppose the old type of salesmanship, acting for a meat packer, was seeking to increase the sale of bacon. It would reiterate innumerable times in full-page advertisements: ‘Eat more bacon. Eat bacon because it is cheap,because it is good, because it gives you reserve energy.’

The new salesmanship, understanding the group structure of society and the principles of mass psychology, would first ask: ‘Who is it that influences the eating habits of the public.’ The answer is obviously, “the physicians.” The new salesman will then suggest to physicians to say publicly that it is wholesome to eat bacon. He knows as a mathematical certainty, that large numbers of persons will follow the advice of their doctors, because he understands the psychological relation of dependence of men upon their physicians.”

What Berneys revealed through this statement is that propaganda is more than a perceived theory, but it is science with proven and measured results. Edward Berneys, and many of his contemporaries — not to mention many modern publicists, psychologists and media propagandists speak candidly about the use of media to control the movements of the masses through subtle suggestions. When this is done properly, those impacted will be completely unaware of the fact that they are being manipulated through a system of suggestion. Cinema movies have subliminal messages interpolated into the movie frames that suggest that you are hungry, leading you to make trips to the food counter mid-movie.

Before moving into the heart of the matter here, let’s take a look at what Tom Burrell, the author of Brainwashed, has to say about how propaganda has been used to perpetuate the collective mindset of black inferiority and self-hatred.

“Propaganda is the outer layer of this brainwashing onion. In the marketing world, propaganda is the first tool of persuasion. Brainwashing is the outcome, but propaganda got us here, and its continued use keeps the inferior/superior mind game in play. Instead of using torture and other coercive techniques, the stealthy, media-savvy propagandist uses mass media and other forms of communication to change minds and mold ways of thinking. I have no intention of shying away from the term propaganda. I say we use it—take what was thrown at us, shuck it off, and replace it with“positive” propaganda.”

What Tom Burrell is speaking of is taking a proven method of persuasion and using it as a tool for empowerment instead of a weapon of mass destruction. This strategic paradigm is a part of the program development process for the programs I have implemented in the inner city communities. We cannot pretend that propaganda has no bearing on the manner in which we view ourselves or the manner in which we view our situation and circumstances.

Allow me to elucidate the fact that I have no desire to engage the conflict between religion and cultural worldviews. Here is why: We are all different in our beliefs, personal passions and conceptual perceptions; however, the one commonality that we possess that is immutable is our race, and it is our race that has made us targets for annihilation. I am not here to judge homosexuality, but I must speak to the impact it has on us as a race. I see my gay brothers and sisters, simply as brothers and sisters that may be participating in behavior that may have a negative impact on the progression of our people as a whole. Because the vast majority of my people have been consumed by a cultural paradigm that promotes individualism, my approach will not be a popular one, because it calls for doing what is best for the collective, not necessarily what is best for self.

My goal here is not to attack anyone, but to address certain behaviors that are counterproductive to the black struggle, and in this particular context, the focus is placed on the feminization of the black male image and the collective acceptance of such, without examining the impact. We have been conditioned to not challenge the behavior of others because it is their right and to infringe upon that right, even in opinion, is unacceptable — leading those who have been indoctrinated to remain politically correct to avoid certain topics all together. In fact, we take pride in not being concerned with what the next man is doing, completely ignoring all of the pragmatic and empirical evidence presented by social and behavioral sciences that reveal that human behavior does not exist in a vacuum, but impacts the social environment of all who are in the periphery or reach of the person perpetrating the behavior. I simply want to present the fact that every action has the potential to impact the social and cultural environment around it.

One of the problems that blacks have that contributes to our consistent position at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder, and our struggle to extract ourselves from the pit of oppression is our proclivity to engage everything through the lens of emotionalism and individualism. We look at how we feel and how things impact our own personal worldview and lifestyle to determine how we will engage it. We rarely engage any significant issue through a paradigm of collectivism and rationalism. This places us at a significant disadvantage when attempting to evaluate any dilemma that we are facing.

Also, we tend to view life through snapshots in time, meaning that it is difficult to see any type of progressive plan or agenda that may be diametrically and malevolently opposed to the most progressive and productive movement of the black collective.

The truth is that there has been a deliberate and consistent campaign to feminize, emasculate and even homosexualize (newly coined) the black male image. It is important to understand that my primary focus here are not gay men, but heterosexual black men who have been feminized in the media, and how it impacts the black collective as a whole. Despite the fact that these words will be difficult for many to swallow and digest, it is not my objective to cause harm, but my focus is the elucidation of just how we are being systematically picked apart and destroyed.

Although this extends far beyond the entertainment world, it will do well to keep the focus here for maximum elucidation. I have made it a personal policy not to personally attack any of my black brothers and sisters, unless I identify the fact that they are acting with negligence and clear hostility toward the black collective. So, I will stick to addressing this in general, but I will use a couple of names as benchmarks.

With the exception of Denzel Washington and Dave Chappelle, every other leading black man that can be considered a heavy hitter in Hollywood has been put in a dress and/or makeup at some point in their career, and Mr. Diggs represents the second tier of black male actors on the rise. One must also ask the question, why was it such an issue with Dave Chappelle? Yes,men other than blacks have been put in drag in Hollywood, but one must be aware of the dynamic at play in order to understand why it has a different impact on the black community.

No other group of men in the world has been marginalized more than black men. We are the victims of mass incarceration, we are over represented in homicide statistics, we are under represented in corporate America, entrepreneurship and more. The marginalization and diluting of the black male presence has left the community without an impactful male presence, meaning that any negative influence on black men is magnified by 10+.

Another problem that plagues the black community is that we tend to view all of the propaganda channels used to control and manipulate the masses as mediums of entertainment, making us much more vulnerable to the subtle suggestions presented through these channels. I would suggest reading the two books mentioned in this article to help understand this powerful process:Brainwashed by Tom Burrell and Propaganda by Edward Berneys. Question: When the fashion world decided to introduce male dresses or other feminine garments into male fashion, what race of men were most of the male models who took the fashions to the runways? When there are far more white male fashion models, how was it that black men were well over represented in this move? These are questions that the black collective simply have not been trained to ask, and it has cost us dearly

Any psychologist worth their weight in dirt will tell you that the human subconscious is highly vulnerable to the subtle suggestions of visual and audible stimuli. While human consciousness has the ability to distinguish between differences in suggestion, and can even determine what to accept and what to dismiss, the human subconscious cannot. This is why we are told to guard our gates. This is why many life coaches and spiritual leaders will tell you to be very careful in determining who you allow into your periphery. Subtle negative suggestions over time will take their toll. What we see as entertainment is being used as a weapon against us. Much of what we are experiencing today that many find to be diametrically opposed to their values are the final results of agendas that are more than 40 years old and were progressed through the very mechanisms that blacks view as entertainment. If you want to trace the progress of any of these movements, simply trace the TV and radio programming backwards.

Again, our problem is we view everything as being isolated, and this inhibits our ability to see the progressive nature of the pernicious assaults against us. It is not the one show that we have to be worried about, it is the collective programming that combines a specific subtle message that when viewed from a singular platform, seems harmless, but when presented over multiple mediums and channels in different forms becomes powerful. For those who are intent on dismissing this as speculative theory, I will simply use the current gay agenda. You must be able to explain how gays and cultural society, in general, progressed from a point 40 years ago in which gay behavior was generally unacceptable and was basically unheard of in TV programming. Now, not only is it a part of TV programming and acceptable, but anyone who speaks out against it will be subject to hostile rebuttals and attacks for being a bigot. I am not arguing against homosexuality here; I am simply pointing to the manner in which the gay agenda was progressed through the media. They subtly, over time, suggested that the behavior was acceptable, with a secondary suggestion that anyone who opposed it was homophobic. Now we have people who don’t even believe in the lifestyle defending it. That is the power of propaganda.

One thing that my research has revealed that is alarming to me is not only are black men being emasculated, but the image of black men is being robbed of its inherent masculinity and replaced with a more feminine impression. What is scary is that although black women will embrace these feminized and homosexualized men, and even befriend them, they will not follow them. So as this new form of black manhood spreads, the ability of black men to lead diminishes. More black women are convinced that they don’t need a man now, and their financial mobility backs that up, as black women out earn black men, but what we fail to see is the pragmatic and empirical evidence that we are worse off as a race of people now than at any other time in our history. And despite the lie that is being sold, we cannot stand alone. When I see an image like the one here, it cuts me to the core because we have one more black man that chose perceived personal success over the collective advancement of his people. The thing is that without the black collective each of these black men remain at the mercy of the white system that supplied their success, and at some point they will be reminded of it. Just ask Bill Cosby, Tiger Woods, Stephen A. Smith and more.

Understand that although black women have the spiritual power to bring about elevation in the black collective, without the masculine energy and the leadership of the black man, we will never build the momentum to move forward. This is why there is such a high conscious level in the black community, but no real progress. Not only are we accepting the feminization of the black male image, but we are embracing it as culture and entertainment. Art remains the reflection of human reality; however, art also shapes human perception, subsequently shaping reality.

We must shake the emotionalism and individualism, while gaining a lucid perspicacity of what we are up against. Everything is not about entertainment! Tom Burrell’s suggestion that we take the propaganda mechanism and use it to our benefit is at the core of my inner city programs to introduce a new black image to the masses, especially our youth. My goal is to recondition the black psyche to embrace our inherent gifts. My programs are designed to shake the very foundation of black perception to drive out the mindset of inferiority and minimal-minded expectations. It is to emancipate my people from low living, tamed visions, dwarfed goals, mundane thinking and colorless dreams in order to introduce them to the possibilities associated with their design and purpose.

I am aware that I am up against powerful resistance, not simply due to the impact of the massive propaganda machine that will be working against me, but due to the fact that so many of the people that I am fighting to help will see me as the enemy. Nevertheless, I will press on.

I encourage each of you to develop a mindset to challenge everything before you. Dismiss the notion of coincidence and non-purpose, because everything matters, and blacks are so far behind that we cannot afford to take even one more step backwards. To all of my black brothers and sisters, whether Christian, Muslim, agnostic or atheist, straight, gay, Pan African or American nationalists, I love you, and I am standing with you, as well as fighting for you! ~ Rick Wallace, Ph.D., Psy.D.

P.S. Please don’t allow your emotions to make this post be about lifestyle, which will cause you to miss the entire message being presented here. This is not the platform for that discussion. A man can be completely gay, and 100 percent masculine at the same time. The question I am posing now is, why is there so much emphasis being placed on presenting a feminized black male image, even among heterosexual black men?

Dr. Rick Wallace is a man who has committed his life to investigating, examining and anatomizing the struggles of African Americans for the purpose of developing comprehensive strategies that are capable of efficaciously resolving the enigmatic issues that are at the forefront of the African American experience.

Dr. Wallace has written 21 books that include: The Invisible Father: Reversing the Curse of a Fatherless Generation, When Your House is Not a Home, and his latest release, The Mis-education of Black Youth in America: The final Move on the Grand Chessboard and he is currently working on his latest project, The Black Community Empowerment Blueprint, a comprehensive step by step strategy that has the capacity to facilitate the complete elevation and empowerment of Blacks in America and abroad. Dr. Wallace’s 19th book, Born in Captivity: Psychopathology as a Legacy of Slavery serves as a blueprint for dealing with generational trauma.

You can support the work of Dr. Wallace by donating to The Odyssey Project! Your donations will be directed to the numerous existing programs, the development of future programs, further research and studies associated with improving the Black Experience. Thank you in advance for your support.