Movie Review: What Black Men Think
by Racialicious special correspondent Latoya Peterson
If you take nothing else from this review, remember this:
That often-touted statistic that there are more black men in jail than in college? That’s a myth.
In the documentary What Black Men Think, director Janks Morton takes a sledgehammer to the falsehoods and misconceptions that are used to describe and categorize black men. Using expert opinions and cold hard facts, Morton tackles popular perceptions and assumptions that plague black men to this day. (Racialicious has mentioned the film before, here and here.)
Assumptions include:
- There are more black men in jail than there are in college
- The crack epidemic and the resulting violence in the black community
- Black Men on the DL and the AIDS crisis
- “I can’t find a black man because they all want white women.”
- Black Men don’t pay child support.
The trailer for the film addresses some of these statistics directly.
The documentary shines by using a very clear methodology to debunk some of the most deeply ingrained myths about African-American males, combining Matrix-style public announcements with expert commentary and factual analysis. The experts cited in the film came from all walks of life and all ends of the political spectrum. Discussion and commentary were provided by John McWhorter, Armstrong Williams, Juan Williams, Clenard Childress Jr., Michael Steele, Mychal Massie, Jessie Lee Peterson, Steve Perry, Shelby Steele, Alvin Poussaint, Earl Ofari Hutchinson and Darryl James.
Check out what they have to say:
[Note on the experts: some people - self included - were a bit shocked to see some of the experts on the panel. My boyfriend in particular was extra salty about the inclusion of Shelby Steele and John McWhorter. “What do they know about being black?” he fumed. I shared some of his sentiments, as some of the people cited in the film seem to have had issues with embracing black issues, or have challenged their own black heritage. However, in viewing the film, I was pleased to see that politics was left by the wayside this time. The discussion focused on black masculinity in all forms, and all of the gentlemen included on the panel were able to discuss their ideas and experiences without the sensationalism that normally marks their public statements. The range of perspectives was both refreshing and telling: Refreshing, as Morton quietly tackles the concept of “blackness” by choosing to feature perspectives from individuals outside of the black mainstream media (and some who have been accused of being “Uncle Toms”) and telling because all of the speakers hold differing ideologies and experiences - yet they all saw the same basic problems, and shared similar ideas for a solution.]
In addition, two spoken word artists (one of whom is Taalam Acey) wax poetic on being black and male in our society.
Morton’s film also spends a lot of time on exploring what black women think. When I saw the segment heading, I braced myself for the worst. However, Morton’s views of the conflicts between black men and women do not seek to find fault with one side or another, nor do they feed into the same overdone battles and arguments. Taking an analytical look at some of the most common actions attributed to black men, Morton reveals the not-so-silent partners who seem to have a vested interest in African-American gender conflict.
I watched Morton’s movie three times - once by myself, once with my boyfriend, and once with a close black friend of mine. Each time, something different caught my attention. Each time, one of my companions literally leapt out of his chair at one of the assertions made in the film. And each time, I was overwhelmed by the instinct to find a mini-DVD player and start playing random segments from the film on the metro.
This is not to say that Morton’s movie is perfect. There are some assertions made that can be very hard to swallow. Revealing the answer to the question “What is the number one killer of black people?” for example, sparked a debate between my friends that has resurfaced three or four times in the last few weeks. [I am not revealing the answer here - you will have to go see the movie to see why there is cause for debate.] Fans of the NAACP and Michael Eric Dyson may also be in for a rude awakening.
[Side point two - This is not to say that systemic racism, and discussions about the impacts of systemic racism] are ignored. The film covers the civil rights movement, the idea and implementation of the black family, healthcare, FICA, etc. However, from where I sit, the film’s predominant theme is to deconstruct some of the flawed thinking about black manhood. This is where the film lays its focus, and it is effective in this goal. Perhaps Morton will discuss racism on a higher level in another film; but this film
is well served focusing on the internalized racism and self-hate that African-Americans need to overcome before we can tackle outside forces.]
However, that is a very minor point. The film is otherwise outstanding, and fulfills its set purpose: to open a dialogue about the images and perceptions of black men in America. Morton is very clear about what he wants to accomplish, where he found his facts and figures, and how some topics (like the role of the government) are too expansive to cover in one film.
Other film highlights include an excellent montage of images of black men in the media, set to the tune of “The Whole Town’s Laughing at You.” While many of the faces presented are familiar to us all, the choice of background music takes comedic scenes and paints them with tragedy.
It is painful to see Tyler Perry, Martin Lawrence, Wesley Snipes, and Eddie Murphy near the end of the montage, made even more painful as Morton quietly states, “Ok, we get it. A black man dressed up as an overweight black woman is funny. How many more movies do you need to make to prove that?”
After watching the film, many of the fallacies surrounding black manhood were in tatters. However, being a little more aware, it is easy to see why Morton’s film is so necessary.
In making my normal rounds through the blogosphere, I came across a post on BlackProf.com written by Adrian Wing. Wing writes about a community wide educational crisis, stating:
Will the University suffer the fate of the University of California after Prop 209, which now only enrolls 2% blacks? We continue to have many more black males in prison than in college. At this stage, one-third of our males will do prison time.
…
If one- third of white men were in prison, would they declare it a national emergency??
Before watching What Black Men Think, I would have probably shaken my head at the statistics quoted and mindlessly accepted them as the ugly truth.
Now, I know better.
Before debunking this particular myth, Morton shows you how this statement is skewed by asking a simple question: what are we comparing? If the average age range of a college student is 18-24, and the average age range of a person in jail spans from 15-55, is this really a fair comparison?
[The age range difference had never crossed my mind - and I have heard this statistic more often than I care to remember.]
Morton decides to debunk the myth at face value, even with the huge discrepancy in age range.
Citing figures from 2005, Morton compares the total number of black men in jail and prison (801,995) with the total number of black men enrolled in college (864,000). So, almost 64,000 more black men are in college than there are in jail.
He then takes it a step further, and isolates the data out into the 18-24 year old demographic.
Of black men 18-24 years old, there are 106,000 in the prison system.
There are 473,000 in college.
4 to 1.
Thinking of the black men in my family and in my circle of friends, the statistics ring true to me. Of the black men I know, two have gone to prison. All the rest have gone to some form of college, or are college graduates.
I wondered why I had never challenged that myth before, with the truth literally staring me in the face.
Perception is a powerful thing.
You can see more clips and previews from Jank’s Morton’s film “What Black Men Think” on YouTube or on his blog/website. The film is currently sold out through Amazon; I will update here once I find out where the film can be purchased.
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of 
» Movie Review: What Black Men Think on 12 Sep 2007 at 3:55 pm
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