There's an anecdote that's really been sticking with me: To be a Black man in America, you are born into the horror genre. You are not safe. Period. Full stop.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the inherent struggles and dangers faced by Black men in America, likening their experiences to that of a horror story.
Jonathan Majors articulates the profound and unsettling reality for Black men in America, suggesting that their existence is marred by fear and trauma from the moment they are born. This comparison to the horror genre emphasizes the constant state of danger and the lack of safety that accompanies their lived experiences, calling attention to societal issues that perpetuate fear and violence against them.
In practice
This quote could be used in a discussion about racial inequality during a community forum.
Now, race is one of those topics in America that makes people extraordinarily uncomfortable. You bring it up at a dinner party or in a workplace environment, it is literally the conversational equivalent of touching the third rail.
We are taught by great actions that the universe is the property of every individual in it.
A heretic is a man who sees with his own eyes
We are confronted by the appearance of social institutions unintentionally created, vital for the welfare of society, which are not the result of reasoned planning
We are discreet sheep; we wait to see how the drove is going, and then go with the drove. We have two opinions: one private, which we are afraid to express; and another one - the one we use - which we force ourselves to wear to please Mrs. Grundy, until habit makes us comfortable in it, and the custom of defending it presently makes us love it, adore it, and forget how pitifully we came by it. Look at it in politics.
The relationship between violence and nonviolence in this country is interesting. The fact of the matter is, you know, people do respond to riots. The 1968 Housing Act was in large response to riots that broke out after Dr. Martin Luther King was killed. They cited these as an actual inspiration.
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