It is dangerous to be an American Negro male. America has never wanted its Negroes to be men, and does not, generally, treat them as men. It treats them as mascots, pets, or things.
James A. BaldwinRead
Rage cannot be hidden, it can only be dissembled. This dissembling deludes the thoughtless, and strengthens rage and adds, to rage, contempt.
Interpretation
Rage is an emotion that can't be suppressed and, when hidden, can lead to greater contempt and anger.
In this quote, James A. Baldwin emphasizes that rage is a powerful emotion that cannot be easily concealed. When individuals attempt to mask their anger, it does not disappear; rather, it often intensifies and can lead to a sense of disdain or contempt towards others. This suggests that acknowledging and addressing our emotions, rather than disguising them, is crucial for personal integrity and healthy relationships.
In practice
During a discussion about emotional health, one might refer to this quote to emphasize the importance of expressing and processing anger.
It is dangerous to be an American Negro male. America has never wanted its Negroes to be men, and does not, generally, treat them as men. It treats them as mascots, pets, or things.
The white man discovered the Cross by way of the Bible, but the black man discovered the Bible by way of the Cross.
Those kids aren't dumb. But the people who run these schools want to make sure they don't get smart: they are really teaching the kids to be slaves.
Experience, which destroys innocence, also leads one back to it.
The reason people think it's important to be white is that they think it's important not to be black.
The trick is to love somebody.... If you love one person, you see everybody else differently.
Be polite; write diplomatically; even in a declaration of war one observes the rules of politeness.
He had a mind so fine that no idea could violate it
What makes Superman a hero is not that he has power, but that he has the wisdom and the maturity to use the power wisely. From an acting point of view, that's how I approached the part.
I know not anything more pleasant, or more instructive, than to compare experience with expectation, or to register from time to time the difference between idea and reality. It is by this kind of observation that we grow daily less liable to be disappointed.
Nobody is a real loser-until they start blaming somebody else.
If I would be a young man again and had to decide how to make my living, I would not try to become a scientist or scholar or teacher. I would rather choose to be a plumber or a peddler in hope to find that modest degree of independence still available under present circumstances.
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