Pat Parker; For The White Person...

Pat Parker

For the White Person

Who Wants to Know

How to Be My Friend

         

                          “don’t make a labor of it.” –Pat Parker

Argument: In his poem, Pat Parker argues for the personal rights of an individual man that is a part of a certain race and in this case, the African American race. In his rather comedic poem he pokes fun at the stereotypes of being a black man. For example soul food, the better love of a black man, the soulful music of Aretha Franklin and the negative stereotypical actions associated to all black people (rape, mug, steal..etc). With each stereotype he presents he tells the reader or “the white person that wants to be my friend” exactly who he is and how to treat him, with these specific presumptions about him based on his race. I think it easy for us (speaking as a white person) to automatically lump people of a race into their category and don’t think twice. Pat Parker however, is opening up our eyes to see that there are individuals apart from their the race. To demonize one man solely because of his race doesn’t make sense. I think that Dr. Bogad’s ideology metaphor of a glass that obscures our visions of the world, even without seeing it applies to this poem. We assume that all black people like soul music and haven’t been exposed to classical composers, that when you hear about a rape or a theft by a black man we automatically assume that all black men are capable of this act solely because of this glass that deems blacks are usually the cause of all these wrongs and it is okay to assume so. This poem is definitely a tap on that glass, Pat Parker exposes some of the stereotype’s and dismisses them with a snarky and funny comment that explain why and how they are not true for every man.

-Last semester I had a great opportunity to go to a lecture given by author Chimamanda Adichie. In this lecture, The Danger of a Single Story, she shares her experience coming to America from Nigeria and how assumptions were made about her by Americans and how she was viewed and treated as if the stereotypes were right. I think this connects to Pat Parker's poem because Adichie reveals the danger of a single story based on race and the demographics of her upbringing and he reveals the danger of stereotype's based on race. (p.s this is a REALLY great lecture, if you have the time to watch it I suggest you do. So Good!)

Comments/Points to Share: Speaking for myself, I know I am guilty of exactly what Pat Parker describes in his poem: Instantaneously categorizing an individual based on their race and assuming most of the stereotype’s. I think the best piece of advice Parker gives is “don’t make a labor of it.” Through this poem, I have learned to think before I ‘think’ or assume things about others based on racial profiling. If you want to have friends, you don’t have to pinpoint out your racial or cultural differences, friendship comes naturally so don’t make it your job or “a labor of it.”