In the reading by Goffman, he writes
about how others perceive the expressed actions of individuals. This idea of
perception comes from two parts as described by Goffman as, “the expression
given” and “the expression given off”. The expression that is given comes from
the intent of the one doing the action. Whatever objective one wants to
accomplish from an action, they are going to try and portray in their expressed
action. The expression they “give off” is how others interpret this action.
Goffman uses a teenage girl living in a dormitory as an example. He explains
that she may arrange for phone calls to be made during the time she is in her
dormitory, to give the perception that she has many friends and is “popular” or
“cool”, and will therefore be accepted and possibly even admired by the other
girls living in the dormitory.
Another example of Goffman’s
idea is the “cool pose” that we read about in the longer reading that was
assigned, titled Cool Pose: The Dilemmas
of Blackhood in America. Major and Billson describe, “cool pose” as a
“presentation of self many black males use to establish their male identity.”
Historically African Americans use this “cool pose” culture in order to
convince others that they are “calm and collected”. But what exactly is the
definition of “cool”? Major and Billson state several different definitions from
many sources in the reading but they are all different to some extent. The
reality is, that what is “cool” changes over time. The African Americans who
had this “cool pose” used it as a way to cope with their past of being degraded
as slaves at first, but it has evolved into a way of showing masculinity or
acceptance among groups in society. I found it interesting that the whole
reading about “cool pose” was only about how it is used by black males in
society.
I do agree with Majors and
Billson with the idea that African American males did and are still using this
pose for the reasons mentioned in the reading including; as a coping strategy,
a way to survive, and a way to show their masculinity. However, what about
others in society trying to portray these same characteristics to the groups
around them? Males of all ethnicities around the world express their actions
with the objective of showing or proving their masculinity, and “cool pose” is
a way of portraying this objective.
Additionally, I found it
compelling how Majors and Billson talked about black athletes and their
“stylish dunking of the basketball and spontaneous dancing in the end zone”.
This stuck out to me because I used to watch sports, including basketball and
football, with my father all the time, and not only do we see black athletes
portraying “cool pose” on the court or field but we also witnessed a lot of
white athletes doing this as well. Even my father, who is a middle aged white
male, plays basketball in an adult league and you can’t stop him from
celebrating when he makes that game winning basket either.
In addition, a well-known modern
example of a white man portraying “cool pose” is Joseph Fauria, a player on the
Detroit Lions professional football team. Fauria portrays his “coolness” quite
often. He continuously does celebratory dances in the touchdown zone, arguing
that this is not only a African American phenomena but males everywhere use
“cool pose” culture in order to stand out in society and impress the social
groups around them. Historically black males are the origin of the “cool pose”
but it is spreading to other social groups in society. In America the culture
of being “cool” is appealing to many groups and is continuously being adopted
by many different types of people.
I completely agree with your outlook on the ‘Cool Pose’ being something many races adopt; however, I think Majors and Billson are focused more on the reason why black people act cool compared to that of other races. For white people ‘being cool’ is just an extra added onto their expensive private school educations and paved roads to success; whereas for black people, it has become a way of life and needed for survival in society. I agree with Majors and Billson’s case in the 19th and 20th centuries, but nowadays there is practically nothing holding African Americans back from achieving the same success as white people. In the 21st century I think the ‘Cool Pose’ has become more of a way out for all races as opposed to attaining success in one’s life. Being a cool guy and living your life for cool are two very different things.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement that a majority of races/culture have adopted this "cool pose", but the reasons behind this set of body techniques are far different for both groups. The black male is stated to adopt these poses for outright opposing the mainstream society as a survival technique. The white male (as an example) has slowly started to mimic these different poses and attitudes that are portrayed in the black society, not because they are unable to fit in, but because people they value (i.e. athletes, rappers, actors) portray their bodies in these ways. White males see the success that these people have and imitate it to perhaps also have the ability to pick up a "bad bitch". We are able to tie this back to our discussion in class on Monday with the idea about prestigious imitation. Although, I do find this case to be unique because, here, a socially marginalized group is being imitated. So why is this cool pose desirable and being adopted by other ethnicities if it originated in a racial minority?
ReplyDeleteFor the most part, I agree with the idea that other races and cultures have adopted there interpretation of the "cool Pose", however, the reasons for using the "cool pose" are very different. Athletes that are not Black use the technique as a means to incorporate themselves in what they think is popular culture. They see Black athletes, actors, and musicians and want to take that aspect of African American Culture. On the other hand, Black males use "coolness" as a means to express their creative symbolic energy. Anyone else, who uses these body techniques, doesn’t also have to be stigmatized by what the “cool pose” and how it opposes society’s male expectations. A result of denied access to mainstream society is the Black male strategic style of changing appearance in mainstream society.
ReplyDeleteThe “Cool Pose” used by African American males was quoted to be the reason that they die faster and quicker than their white counterparts- from homicide, suicide, and stress. This behavior was also said to put the African American on a course to collision with other African American males and whites alike. As you, and the reading, said this behavior is suggested to be used to form their masculine identity and create a place in society. The attitudes and behaviors are said to offer both benefits as well as obstacles. In more modern times, with a lot of races and cultures adopting similar behaviors- not universally, how do would the negatives associated with the “cool pose” be affected? If the “cool pose” is associated with increased conflict then would that mean that there would be an increase of conflict in more races? Or have the risks established by Major and Billson been minimized by the use of “cool pose” by less marginalized groups? Also is the adaptation of "cool pose" by majority groups seen more as simple actions rather than a way to form identity?
ReplyDeleteWhile I certainly agree with Brooke’s belief that white athletes may be inclined to imitate the “cool pose” Majors and Billson describe—after all, masculinity is often seen as an ideal for men regardless of race—I also believe, like Jihad, it is important to note that their motivations and methodology would be far different based on their background. As Brooke noted in her post, the reading maintains that the adaptation of poise and detachment for black males stems from racial degradation and having been “denied access to mainstream avenues of success” (Majors and Billson, 2). As such, even though white athletes like Joseph Fauria might benefit from displays of masculinity in terms of “coolness”, the fact that his race does not equip him with the aforementioned disadvantages means that his adapting these sorts of behaviors must come from a different source than that of black males (ie. seeing other popular black athletes do it).
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