Black Masculinity as a Paradigm in Contemporary Films: Shaft (1971) (Term Paper Sample)

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Black Masculinity as a Paradigm in Contemporary Films: Shaft (1971)
Introduction
Black masculinity can be considered a model of the society that has been used to identify the male from the African-American origin due to some traits. Increased research by many scholars into the subject of black masculinity has been published to try and explain its significance and contribution to the society. The film industry has also capitalized on black masculinity to produce masterpieces that present the traits of the black male. Although meant to show the disparities in race and culture, black masculinity has been used to judge the African Americans in the society as well as relate them to some of the evils. As a model, the black masculinity has been proposed to entail physical strength of the male, violence, drugs, incompetence, sexual figures as well as racists. These traits have been used to build a black masculine archetype that is developed in most of the films back in the 1970s up to now.
Shaft (1971) is a production sponsored from Hollywood and directed by an African American known as Gordon Parks. The film ventured into a new genre in film that was termed blaxploitation to depict the combination of blacks and exploitation. By using a lead character as a black man, Gordon builds his case showing him as a superhero that defied the authorities to safeguard the fellow black men. The film received a huge reception especially from the black audience as they had been provided by a figure that showed power and such their own hero. The film brings out the black masculinity theme through the lead actor, John Shaft, effectively relaying the message on the capabilities of the black men. This paper will take a look at the paradigm of black masculinity focusing on the violence, power, sexuality as well as racial aspects as depicted in the 1971 film Shaft.
Conceptualization of Black Masculinity
The idea of masculinity has been debated for a long time with different scholars proposing different perspectives to the issue. Black masculinity even makes the debate more complex as the male population of both the blacks and whites seek a common ground to define masculinity (Gates 22). According to an article on “Advertising and Construction of White Masculinity”, the role of the media in legitimizing white violence through violent action films is shown. However, black masculinity has been widely used to depict the inherent strength of black males and their role in the society (Henry 114). The representation of the males as violent, hypersexualized and racial in most productions depicts the aspect of black masculinity. The veil of African slavery is believed to be the major driving force in the large base for the blacks in black masculinization. As a way of vengeance for the past suffering of the blacks, they have been overly exploited in cinemas to show extreme acts of violence, gangsters, drug lords as well as rapists. Negative stereotyping produced by the concept of black masculinity has distorted the African American communication due to the racial identities used to judge them (Ferber 11).
In the studies of “satisfying black-white communication”, the authors note that social projections of the body of male blacks comply with some set projections including association with violence, sex, and incompetency in the society. This has greatly degraded and stigmatized the black males leading to fears, insecurities and anxieties concerning them in the society. The factual evidence of black males committing more crime compared to the whites according to the police reports has been used by the media inappropriately to show the blacks as violent. The media has, therefore, being used to reinforce racial stereotypes, delinquency of males and social deviancy. Shaft (1971) tries to negate this notion by showing the black men as able and efficient even without the intervention of the white. Gordon uses his storytelling skills to showcase the abilities of the male blacks even in the political realms.
Power and Black Masculinity
Black masculinity has been often related to power and money especially in the recent development of the film industry with several renowned black artists and actors. Shaft (1971) has been used to display the use of power by the black men to protect the rest of the black community. John Shaft has a vast connection in the community and appears as a superhero from the beginning of the film. He is seen to cross the roads without minding the traffic rules; his attitude is related to the power he commands in the community. Shaft shows his police badge severally to his own benefit and appears to be concerned about protecting the brotherhood of the black men. The black masculinity is seen in his use of power not for the sake of the state but for his interests and those of the black (Henry 116). After confronting the Italian mafias and killing some of them, John Shaft arranges for the escape of the blank panthers to protect them from arrest. This shows that John Shaft considers it a personal responsibility to protect the black community (Gates 23). Also, the black panthers indulge into drugs and crime to maintain power in the society. Their houses are full of wall hangings that depict resistance to the reigning white authorities and their resistance can be termed a source of influence to the society.
Although this may be considered racist, John Shaft is shown as a superhero for the blacks. The independence and control shown by John Shaft have been used to mask the notion of underestimating the black as well as the evidence of achievement. This is in line with the assertion of Roberts (1994) that, and I paraphrase, Africans are more concerned with human relationships while the whites are more focused on competition, individualism and domination. The desire to remain aligned with the black culture shows that John Shaft is a superhero who identifies with those he represents (Henry 115).
Violence as an Aspect of Black Masculinity
Black masculinity is compounded by violence as depicted in many contemporary films such as Shaft (1971). The film presents two different outlooks of the white and blacks to show the differences in beliefs and values of the two races. The black is shown to occupy a secluded part of the town filled with drug lords, crime and petty thieving. The whites are however displayed as law abiding and strict to the rule of law. John Shaft as the main male black figure is a superhero who is seen to lead the fight against the mafias. Also, the black panthers are an unlawful sect that is involved in drug dealing and crimes in the city. This shows that the film articulates the blacks as violent and unable to control their aggression (Gray 402). Shaft misuses the authority he has in the community to carry out his violent activities. At the start of the film, Shaft is involved in a potential manslaughter but gets away with it due to the influence he commands in the society. According to Matthew Henry, the black men have adopted aggressive and violent acts to compensate for their undermined race in the society (Henry 115). He further asserts that the popularity of gangsters has made the black people have something to relate to.
According to Jackson Katz, the blacks have utilized the ‘tough guise’ to prove their manhood in the society (Katz 350). This has been used to label the blacks in movies as elements of violence with fatalistic attitudes and physical strength. As Garner and Bates put it, Shaft is a paladin warrior for the black community in the film as he is allowed to commit any form of crime and still get away with it. As they confront the mafias, a lot of damages occured including death and exchange of fire which could amount to charges in court. However, the call that Shaft to the authorities is rather demeaning as he calls them to clean up the mess after allowing the rest of the gang to escape. This shows that he considers his actions permissible and greatly disregards the law due to black masculinity (Jackson 23). Although the original version of Shaft (1997) dwells more on the sexual prowess of the lead actor, the Singletons version is filled with action based on violent actions that fully muscularized the character of John Shaft. Singleton successfully brings out the relationship of violence and masculinization rather than the sexualized aspect in the original version (Katz 352).
Sexuality in Black Masculinity
Black masculinity has been closely associated with increased vitality in sexual activities. The black men have been considered more tactful and strong in pleasing the sexual desire of their women. Although the notion cannot be scientifically explained, the society has rather accepted this belief. According to Ronald in his book “Scripting the Black Masculine Body…” the male body has been labeled as a sex object in almost all cinemas and is a continuation of the slavery and racial identification of the black people. He notes that this is a large impact on the psyche of African Americans in the United States. Indeed, in the Shaft (1971) the lead actor John Shaft is used to bring out a subtext of sexuality in the film. John Shaft is seen to mesmerize and magnetize women in the film through his strength and role as a hero in the society. He is seen to seduce successfully both the white and black women easily and uses this as a daily requirement for his life. As a blaxploitation genre, the film displays Shaft as a hyper-masculine hero who must satisfy his sexual desires in order to maintain his role as the man in the society. The Singletons’ version of Shaft (2000) was advertised by use of a sexual line, “it is my duty to please that booty” showing the large influence of sexuality on black masculinity. The original film contains scenes where Shaft has se...