Bee Ona

“Especially for a black man”

I spoke to a black man last week, he was young, fresh and light. I mean fresh in the pure way. When you see nature, you see a young black boy with an afro.

I asked him about the why for being there-he’s originally from America and he just stated he’s vibing and he has a place around here. After speaking a little bit, he added that it’s difficult place to live especially for a black man, still.

I’m not quite sure about the black male experience, and I don’t know if I can delve into it too much because it’s been a long time since I’ve read the news let alone seen a lot about the black male experience but I wanted to explore…

What makes black men different?  

I don’t know if I can say it’s gone, but there was an inferiority complex that black men used to have, and I know there was a shift in society when I realised that white men operate from their ego but black men operated from their hearts. This meant that the black men I saw, were humble, treading lightly, some with their heads lower, watching their step and focusing peacefully on their work. The white men however, had this excess bravado, were rude, arrogant, and walked with their chests puffed up for no reason. Seemingly over compensating.

I’ve come to understand something called white male privilege now.

This was also around the time I learnt what arrogance looked like too. When someone is watching you, you might exhibit a few things.. you might ignore them, might be over confident, might feel insecure but that arrogance “I’m better than you” persona always felt excessive. Holding your head up high is very important by any means.. but it looks odd cause who are you trying to impress?

When we see ourselves as whole beings, without even thinking about colour we actually experience life a little bit different. If there’s 90% of a person that manifests a whole being but they have that other part that is a bit more conscious and true to life and the situations around them.. I think it looks different.

The person I met, looks different, feels different, vibes differently but it’s not because he’s a black man. Sometimes a weight and label is put on us because we choose to carry it. When you align with the society you live in and stay true to yourself I think you’ll see the difference vs aligning with trauma. 

When I see black men, I don’t see them as black. My head doesn’t really register colour and I say this because I like black men, but I like good people more.