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Me? A Misogynist?
Why this word and the insinuations behind it trigger me.
I would believe it. You say some pretty harsh things about black women.
I was sitting in the living room at my girlfriend’s place yesterday when she said this to me. We were having a conversation about the social dynamics that influenced Richard Wright’s book Black Boy when she dropped this bomb on me.
I told her that for decades black men have struggled to find safe places in our society where their fear, angst, and ambivalence is not only unacknowledged but allowed to grow unfettered. I explained that the changing dynamics of our society have allowed women and in particular black women a place to be anything they want.
As opposed to sounding bitter about it, I explained that it was high time for such a thing and said how necessary it is for us a society to not only listen to black women but embrace their freedom. I thought I was doing well.
But as I have seen over the course of the past year, whenever I spoke about how I feel about these changing dynamics, I too often find that my words come across to many of my female counterparts as hate.
I thought to explain myself and justify my actions in this essay. But I realized that I have done this the whole year to no avail. I instead will share…
