“Well maybe if they weren’t dressed like a thug, they wouldn’t get shot.” This phrase is often thrown around when an African American kid is shot. However, the issue in question isn’t when White people are the ones uttering this phrase. No, the issue is when the people are Black, just like the kid who was condemned for looking “like a thug”. This is Respectability Politics, which should no longer be tolerated, as they are a hindrance to both the subcultures in which they take place and society at large.
Respectability Politics are defined as “attempts by marginalized groups to police their own members”. Respectability Politics in the Black community date back to the end of the 19th century, when Black women in the American Baptist Association
Respectability Politics are defined as “attempts by marginalized groups to police their own members”. Respectability Politics in the Black community date back to the end of the 19th century, when Black women in the American Baptist Association