There was a woman--she happened to be black--on CNN earlier, and she was complaining about African American leaders who talk about race in regards to the killing of Trayvon Martin. She said that they should be out there telling young black men to not wear hoodies and to blend in so as not to frighten those who aren’t black. She claimed that wearing a hoodie was a stereotypical thing for a young black man to do, and that they should be encouraged to avoid doing things that are stereotypical.
She reminded me of gay people who complain about flamboyant, Pride-parade-attending, feather-boa-wearing gays. They’re convinced that homophobia would disappear if “bad gays” would just work harder to blend in. Yeah, right.
There is nothing wrong with doing something that is stereotypical if you’re not hurting anyone, and bigots will use anything to excuse their bigotry. Telling them that their bigotry is justified only encourages them. Allowing them to bully us into not being ourselves will not appease them. It will embolden them. Bigotry is the problem, not fashion.
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