The article "Cool Pose: Black Masculinity" written by Richard Majors in 1993 is nicely written article discussing black males, sport, and masculinity. Of course I had to express my thoughts on this issue being one of the few black males in this class. Majors believes that black men cope with their frustrations by channeling their energy into what he calls “Cool Pose.” Cool Pose is a set of expression the unique way a person walks, talks, dresses, and carries themselves. According to Majors black men use their expressions as a subliminal message to white males sort of as taunting them; Majors states “See me, touch me, hear me, but, white man, you can’t copy me!” (Majors, 1993) Over the years the concept as evolved into what my generation calls “Swagger”, Swagger is basically the same concept as “Cool Pose” with a modern day twist.
What caught my attention the most in this article was the section discussing the black male and his expression in sport. Majors discussed famous black athletes like Billy “Whiteshoes” Johnson, Julius Erving, Michael Jordan, and Muhammad Ali because of how they expressed their creativity during their careers. I look at sport today and observe how players like Chad Johnson, Reggie Bush, Kevin Garnett, and Roy Jones Jr. express themselves during play and it resembles how the legends before them did it. I think that these athletes use sports as an outlet from reality. In a society dominated by the white male the chances a black male gets to express himself are limited so while on the playing field they use it as the perfect “stage” to vent, it serves as the only place where they can truly feel pride and display their expression.
Cool pose is just an avenue for black males to express themselves. The concept has been around for a long time and it continues today. Of course our culture has changed dramatically since the release of this article; nonetheless it is still built on the same principals. “Cool pose demonstrate black males’ potential to transcend oppressive conditions to express themselves as men.” (Majors, 1993)
1 comment:
I am glad you expressed your thoughts on this article, especially because of your positionality in the class. I had not thought of the term "swagger," but that seems to be a contemporary term that applies. I also think of the movie, "White men can't jump" as a reflection of "cool pose." Your perspectives really seem to confirm all that Majors said. I appreciate that you have shared your thoughts!
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