Reasonable Doubt And The Lost Democracy Argument Analysis

Privilege is a special right granted to a specific person or group of people. Historically, whites have been more privileged and cannot relate with the mistreatment blacks have suffered through such as, slavery, lynchings, and Jim Crow laws. In “Reasonable Doubt and the Lost Presidential Debate of 2012,” black professor Kiese Laymon hopes to expose and educate white people about the hardships associated with being black through his imitation of a presidential debate. Similarly, in the “Humble” music video by hip-hop sensation, Kendrick Lamar, he explores this same idea of “privilege,” but from his own perspective as a successful African-American male. He encourages others like him “to be humble” and not let this “privilege” get to their …show more content…
Laymon creates lyrical “beef” or tension between his persona’s internal conflict and the external context of Barack Obama’s respectability politics by using Mitt Romney as a way to criticize whites. During the debate, the moderator asks Romney, “how is it that the Republican Party, the self-proclaimed party of personal responsibility, never, ever, ever, ever takes any responsibility for the state of the nation or of the world?” (Laymon 106). He makes a generalization about Republicans, saying they do not take responsibility for their actions. Laymon chooses Romney for the purpose of exaggerating his claims. Romney is a rich, white, Republican man who has faced little to no real struggles in his lifetime. He addresses Romney with, “You? You were born rich. You will die rich” (Laymon 110). Laymon portrays whites as insensitive people who have no real understandings of the struggles blacks face. Romney embodies the typical, unconcerned white American that Laymon hopes to reach and enlighten about the racial challenges blacks face. This is similar to how in Kendrick Lamar’s “Humble,” he represents the typical rich black man. He wears a robe to symbolize his “royalty” and a single light shines on him, just like a spotlight (Lamar 0:00-0:14). The spotlight represents the selfishness and greed that often come along with wealth. When a person at a fancy dinner stands up, he immediately motions for him to sit down and “be humble” (Lamar 1:15-1:20). Although he represents the qualities of a wealthy man, he still encourages others to “be humble,” and not let the money go to their head. Money or privilege does not give people the right to think they are superior to others. The way power gets to their head is similar to how Republicans sometimes let power get to their heads as well. The purpose of including this is to express how “privilege” can corrupt people’s minds and make them less likely