Thug-o-phobia: Fear of Black Men as a Criminal Defense

Posted by Min. Paul Scott at 12:00 PM on August 9, 2007.

This post, written by Min. Paul Scott, originally appeared on The Smirking Chimp

You've seen the gag a million times on 70's sitcoms. A nerdy white guy rolls up on a group of tough lookin' black dudes just chillin' on the block, then all of a sudden the white guy yells for no apparent reason, "Please, just take my wallet !!!" ...while the Black dudes look at him like he's lost his darn mind. I guess ole "Kneel and Bob" Allen must have left his wallet at home when he went to the potty in the park, last month.

According to news reports, Florida Representative Bob Allen (Republican) was arrested last July 11 for soliciting sex from an undercover black male cop. The reason he gave was his fear of black men...

Now many will quickly ask what rational person would believe such a cockamamie story?

But hold on, now..

Allen is not the first one in history to cop the fear of a Black man plea...

How many cases of the slaughter of black men can be attributed to the fear of the rise of a "Nat Turner" type leading a mass insurrection against plantation owners during slavery?

Also, one of America's biggest fears has been the rape of white women by Black men. (However, you gotta admit the fear of the rape of white men was kinda original.)

There are many cases, like those of the Scotsboro Boys who were accused of raping two white women in 1931 and Emmit Till who was murdered for whistlin' at a white chick in 1955, where black men were prosecuted "southern style."

And who can forget the hysteria surrounding the Central Park Rape case that made "wildin" a household word in white America, back in 1985.

Dr. Frances Cress Welsing, author of the book "The Isis Papers" has chalked this paranoia off as "the fear of white genetic annihilation." To break it down, this means that if black men and white woman continue to have interracial relationships, in a few years , because of the dominance of the "black" gene there will be no more white people. A funnier more X-rated version of this theory was delivered by Warren Beatty in the 1998 movie, "Bulworth."

We must never forget the fictional black dudes that were accused of murders that white folks committed.

Remember Charles Stuart, the Boston man who blamed the murder of his wife on a black man or South Carolina's Susan Smith who had an APB issued for black men, world wide, for the drowning of her children back in 1994?

Politicians have also found it politically expedient to blame "tha brotha's," as well. Think back to 1988 when George Bush's "Willie Horton" ads had white folks looking behind every bush for a black boogey man.

During the 90's, thanks to movies like Boys in the Hood and the popularity of rappers like the late Tupac Shakur, the image of the young black male became synonymous with "Thug Life. So, I just assumed that in 2007, since most of the "gangsta rap:" is purchased by white people, the stereotypical image of the black thug came with a " for entertainment purposes only" disclaimer.

But there is nothing humorous about this image, especially when it could be responsible for sending black men to jail, unjustly.

Although, Bob Allen was cold busted, he thinks that he should still be able to keep his job representing the good folks of Florida.

I just have a problem with a dude that is so petrified of black men that he would "assume the position" being responsible for making laws that will effect the lives of thousands of black boys.

I am tired of black men being thought of as bloodthirsty thugs.

The people of Florida should be also and demand Bob Allen's resignation...

Tagged as: allen, race, racism, crime, criminal john negroponte

Min. Paul Scott is a writer and activist in Durham NC. His blog is http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com. He can be reached at info@nowarningshotsfired.com.