Fanon focuses on racial differences in his essay, and what I enjoyed most was how conversational his piece is. When he the racial difficulties he’s faced his attitude never sinks to a lower level. He states on pg. 109, “I was indignant; I demanded an explanation.” Throughout Fanon’s essay he presents various difficulties, stereotypes, and even the connection with Jews, all in an attempt to work towards an explanation for this break in society.
I found it interesting how Fanon describes the “negroes” place in various countries, “In America, Negroes are segregated. In South America, Negroes are whipped in the streets, and Negro strikers are cut down by machine-guns. In West Africa, the Negro is an animal” (113). It seems to me he ties these different situations to show how not only is the “negro” discriminated against and abused but they continue to strive for a place in every society that they deserve. No matter the situation they may be in, they will continue to fight for what they deserve.
Fanon then goes on to point out who the enemy of such discrimination is: “all this whiteness that burns me…” (114). His defense against this enemy is identifying with the enemy. This pointed out the presence of stereotypes. Stereotypes are probably the largest issue with this racial separation because its easy for people to quickly judge people of the same race or ethnicity by comparing he/she to others of that same race or ethnicity. In my opinion this poses a real problem and I see Fanon addressing this issue when he says, “I resolved, since it was impossible for me to get away from an inborn complex, to assert myself as a black man” (115).
While I thought I understood what Fanon was getting at with having to behave as a black man that all seemed to change when he introduced the concept of the Jew. “His actions his behavior are the final determinant. He is a white man, and, apart from some rather debatable characteristics, he can sometimes go unnoticed” (115). At first thought I expected Fanon to use the Jew as a relation to the black man in their struggles but he describes the Jew as blending with the white man. The Jew has the ability to escape the criticisms they may face simply because they are white, but the blacks are stuck in an “infernal circle” (116). They have a difficulty breaking away from these forced stereotypes related to something as simple as their skin color.
Fanon makes a lot of good points in this essay and it was easy to follow along with. He presents many interesting ideas on the things negroes face, their struggles, their place in different societies, and the myths many people hold of them. He relates all of this back to something as simple as color prejudice. It’s something that is and will always be constantly justly fought for but will continue to be an endless cycle. One race was hated and constantly put down because their skin was a different color. How absurd?!!
