The Macon Trap
Reading Angry Black White Boy has been quite a trip. Beyond
the just plain confusing and absurd moments within the novel (especially near
the end of the novel), reading through the laser-precision tearing apart of and
analysis of whiteness has been amusing. When Macon made his disses against
white people, I couldn’t help but feel satisfied, taking me back to the middle
school days of brutal roasts, kids eagerly standing on the side, waiting to
join in on the chorus of woops and screams in praise of the brutal cooking of
whatever subject was at hand. I couldn’t help but wince and hoot a little while
reading the book. If you witnessed this, you know what I’m talking about. I
swear I’m not crazy, the roasts were just a little too hot.
But that kind of reaction is exactly what Macon wants to invoke,
and what I’d argue Mansbach wants the reader to have. So, I thought about where
the borders between fiction and the author’s objective was, and I came to the
conclusion that while they are very similar, they diverge in far extreme ways. I
think Mansbach wrote Macon to share the similar beliefs that he has, but made Macon
be extremely flashy for the amusement of the audience, and a forewarning of the
dangers of going “too far”. Macon’s obsession with fighting whiteness
blindsides him from the other estranged and oppressed groups. He’s so
entrenched in hip-hop culture that he doesn’t see the blatant sexism that
clouds his everyday thoughts.
But that brings us back to the allure of Macon’s
character. Despite his somewhat perverse sentiments of doing all that he can to
be black, a lot of the points he raises ring very true. The beginning of the
novel knocks the readers off their seats with an explosion of violence and moral
evilness to show that this dude is just objectively bad, and yet we as the
readers are hooked by his somewhat compelling reasoning that is kind of a
stretch but makes sense at the same time. And in that way, I think Macon’s
character is just complete genius because Mansbach both accomplishes warning
the reader of the potential shortcomings of an obsession with a singular socially
progressive cause, and piling his views on a social issue he has strong
feelings about.
I think you're right to point out how Macon's singular focus is his downfall. I wrote some about how Macon doesn't really help anybody with his actions-- sure his ideals are good but the execution is harmful. I think that Mansbach includes all of these juicy details as a way to both draw the reader in to Macon's allure and to kind of punish them for being interested.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting interpretation of Macon, and I think a really valuable one. I don't think humans are physically capable of advocating intensely for every single socially progressive cause, but I think there's value in paying attention to and being aware of them. Macon really doesn't pay attention to any other social issue besides race, and it's a real shortcoming of his. It's fine that he's chosen his main cause to advocate for, but the problem lies in that it's his only cause.
ReplyDeleteI really like this approach because in all my contemplation about Macon's character, I never really considered the message or point that Mansbach was trying to make through Macon. Macon could definitely be used as an example of when radical views and actions go too far. As you point out, through this, Mansbach is simultaneously raising issues to discussion and also warning of taking things too far, but in a bit of a satirical way. Another thing that you point out that hadn't occurred to me was the fact that Macon completely ignores all other activism and social problems. Sure, you can have a main focus, but he has no acknowledgement of them, even his sexism, like you point out.
ReplyDeleteI agree, there were some S P I C Y roasts in this book that I also winced a bit at.
ReplyDeleteI think Macon as a whole was created to be an offensive character. It's admirable to see people really passionate about something and driven to create a change, but it is also really hard for me to condone Macon's behavior because his views on women and other social issues (aka views that are just blatantly wrong, in my opinion??? We respect women in this household). He's not well rounded, and his radical words would probably be more meaningful and easier to get behind if people saw him as someone worth fighting with instead of a raging, dangerous lunatic.
Nice post. There's a lot to digest about what you said. I agree with you, first and foremost, that the author does an awesome job of creating the personification of controversy through Macon. As Kate said in her post, he is self-centered and also self-critical, which I think are the least and most admirable things that people can be. The ending of this book strikes me because it feels very different from the ending of White Boy Shuffle, which I apologize if you haven't read. I won't spoil, but I'll just say the ending is extremely bleak, and almost calls the reader out for letting the main character "entertain" them throughout the novel - but ABWB keeps Macon a clown all the way through his last words. There's nothing particularly serious about the absurd circumstances under which Macon dies. I don't know what that comparison means, but Macon cites the main character of White Boy Shuffle as being one of his favorite writers - so do with that what you will. Nice post!!
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