Thoughts on Angry White Black Boy

Macon vs. Mansbach           

In class we talked about the similarities between the main character of the novel Angry Black White Boy, Macon Detornay, and the author Adam Mansbach. Mansbach intentionally makes the parallels easy to spot by making both him and the character Boston based Jewish men. Despite these similarities, Mansbach makes the differences in their approach to white privilege quite clear. Macon’s obsession with black culture is fueled by his hatred of white privilege and whiteness. Mansbach views white privilege differently saying “Of course, the opposite of white privilege is not blackness, as many of us seemed to think then; the opposite of white privilege is working to dismantle that privilege”.

            Mansbach uses Macon as a commentary on white people who like hip-hop. Macon is a representation of someone who Mansbach is addressing in his quote and who he sees as motivated by the wrong reasons. From the beginning of the book, Mansbach points this out by highlighting Macon’s hypocrisy. When Macon arrives at Columbia University, he tries to impress his black roommate, Andre, and his roommate’s friend, Nique, with his knowledge of the history of hip-hop. His goal is to fit in with them and for them to no longer see him as white. He wants to get to the point where they are completely fine talking about things they would never talk about around other white people, where the ultimate goal is to be able to complain about white people without restraint. Ironically, when Macon sees a black person, their race is what he focuses on most. When he meets Andre and Nique, he immediately tries to appeal to them with his knowledge of black culture. Initially, they do not even give him much indication that they are interested in hip-hop, but because of the color of their skin, he immediately assumes certain things about them. In his effort to show that he is “on their side” and that he is “woke”, he actually takes a step in the other direction. He wants other people to not see him for his race; however, he restricts what he thinks of other people based on their race.

            On the other hand, Mansbach critique of Macon shows where he stands. Mansbach places characters like Andre and Nique to show the flaws of such a character. They constantly remind Macon of his place. They show the boundaries of a white person who is part of the movement. When Macon critiques the black student union, his ideas are eventually unsuccessful which shows his limits. By including these characters, Macon’s flaws are exposed.

Macon’s Redeeming Qualities?

            Macon is not a completely flawed character, there are times where he makes important points. Some of his talk show appearances fall apart, but on the Joe Francis Show, he challenges other people who view themselves as activists. He criticizes subconsciously thinking that white as “normal” and the inferior education that black students receive despite legal “equality”. At times like these, Macon is respectful and seems to make progress. This sets up Macon, who is overall quite an extreme character, as one that can be identified with real life people. The critiques of Macon can be extended to real life white activists.

Unequal Punishment and Legacy

            Throughout the novel, Macon is conscious of the favored treatment he receives because he is white. When he is bailed out of prison, he comments on how the bail would have been higher for a POC. Another reappearing idea is Macon’s critique of white people historically praised as martyrs for the black rights movement. He talks about how John Brown was not really committed to the cause, and it is apparent that Macon views himself as superior to John Brown. When the book ends, Macon is killed by a white supremacist, but this takes places after Macon has moved to “embrace his whiteness”. However, Macon is still being talked about in the media as his old self. It is easy to imagine that Macon will be remembered as a martyr and not for walking away at the end of his life. In the end, Macon’s criticism of John Brown came true for himself. Despite Macon’s failures he will still be revered for his brief period of activism. Mansbach critiques the unequal treatment of black activists and white activists, and the reverence afforded to white activists is always disproportionately higher.

Sorry this post was all over the place, it is my only post on Angry Black White Boy, and I just had a few things I wanted to comment on.