Arjon 1

Laura Arjon
Professor Jackie
English 114B
25 March 2015
Racism Will Never Leave
The history of our country has always had a controversial issue of
racism across the nation. Fortunately, racism legally ended with the ending
of the Civil War in 1865 and the enactments of the 13th, 14th, and 15th
amendments. The novel, Angry Black White Boy by Adam Mansbach explains
the true identity of racism happening in America through the actions of
young adults after it has been legally over. A young white boy, Macon, who is
influenced by the black culture moves to New York for college. He works
driving a taxicab and begins to rob his passengers; everybody thinks it is a
black man who is the suspect. It is then revealed that Macon was the one
who was behind every crime and he becomes a celebrity by the help of his
friends. Angry Black White Boy shows the actions of racial stereotypes and
racism that are occurring in the 21st century after years of it legally ending
because of the actions Macon and his friends go through. The novel also
explains a historical figure Malcolm X who Macon idolizes to show that he
knows about the black community.
The novel Angry Black White Boy is a controversy book that shows in
many ways that racism is still alive in the country. Macon who is completely
white starts off the book with being an employee of a taxicab and starts

robbing white men while on the job. Macon harasses his passengers at
gunpoint so that they are forced to leave all of their things in the cab. He
also never at one point pulled the trigger on anyone of his passengers. This
is an example that provides evidence of societies racial profiling because
society jumps straight to the suspect being black or of a colored race. An
example of this is when Macon asks his victims a simple question Its not a
trick question! Take a good look. What fucking color am I(Mansbach 112).
Also, in the 21st century racism is still alive anywhere because those of a
different color have been the face of violence and the target of police
brutality. Alternatively, in many different crime scenes that are showed over
the news or in reality it is very rare of the suspect being of the white race, it
is sad to know that if any other race would commit the crime it would be
considered normal that they did.
Another example, when Macon is being interviewed he talks about the
white race trying to be influenced by the genre of music, hip-hop. He knows
that the black community will never inspire the white race not even by their
music. During the time Macon is a celebrity his two friends, Andre and Nique,
book him many interviews and public talk shows. As Macon says on cameras
before his buddies Nique and Andre shut him down heres a sound bite.
White people arent evil, but evil is white people. Coming soon to a T-shirt
near you (Mansbach 114). The way Macon says this during an interview he
shows that he is disrespecting his own race and the others listening to him.
Others in the community do not see Macon as white because of how he acts

they judge him to be part of a different race. Lastly, Macon has no shame of
stepping out and speaking about the real issues happening.
During the book Macon is caught from the crimes he committed in the
taxicab. He is sent to jail but his friends Nique and Andre help him and bail
him out. As his friends later get him out of jail Macon becomes a celebrity
and his friends use him to make money off him as in taking him to
interviews, saying speeches and talking on the radio about the influences of
the black community. Also, while Macon is a celebrity he uses that as an
advantage to come up with a day of apology. Macon explains it during an
interview I herby declare this Friday to be the first Annual Day of Apology in
the city of New York(Mansbach 204). This day is to be used so that white
people can go up to black people and apologize for anything that they have
done wrong. Considering that Macon wants white people to just randomly go
up to black people and apologize would be considered a bit racism because
black people would be very discouraged on the fact that only white people
are going up to them and saying Im sorry. All in all, Macon himself was an
example of a stereotype because of the way he acted by robbing his
passengers.
At the end of the civil war racism legally ended, but in society today
there is still racism going on. Fortunately it is not as bad as how blacks were
treated before in the early ages. Macon in the book describes that society is
racist to the other skin colors he describes
they dont get the best jobs, get shot by cops, and turned down by
banks(Mansbach 203). He explains that black people do not get the greater

things and that white people will always have a better advantage for
anything. It is very rare that Macon being a white boy is protecting and
speaking for the black community on the issues that are going on in the
book. In addition, people of color will always be seen differently than those
who are of the white race because being white is considered normal. In the
article On Racism and White Privilege describes that many perks that
white people have while living in a country that is dominated by the white
race. An example, from the article shows that the normal race white
privilege shapes the world in which we live in(White Anti-racist Activism).
This can be recognized as being raciest because it shows that those of color
do not have an opportunity to achieve certain things since the white race is
the group that dominates. However, Macon who is trying to stand up for the
black community by saying that it influences him and that he wants white
people to apologize to black people just for anything their people has done.
There is a point in the novel where Macon is a little scared of the black race
because he racially profiles a black male. He is walking through a scary
neighborhood at night and comes across a big black man who then tells
Macon to follow him into the dark Macon did as he was told, scared witless,
too afraid to run(Mansbach 85). After Macon followed him it turned out that
the man just wanted Macon to be apart of a skit him and his friends were
doing, but Macon completely judged him in thinking that it was going to be
something worse. This is an example of a stereotype because if a black man
is hiding in an alley at night someone would automatic assume that they are

up to something that is dangerous. Racial profiling is a big issue on where we

live because many different things influence each person.
The stereotypes that are being described in the book are used to
represent a certain identity. Some way of knowing the stereotype is being
used is the way Macon appears to be dressed. The way he dresses is by
wearing a Malcolm X T-shirt, baggy pants, and his timberland boots. Which is
not the normal way a white guy from Boston would dress. In other words, the
way someone is dressed can be a typical stereotype of characterizing the
race they are intended to be. As Macon is wearing his idols shirt, Malcolm X,
everyone expects him to be a black man committing crimes. Malcolm X is a
black male who articulated concepts of race pride and black nationalism in
the 1950s and 60s(A&E Television Networks). Malcolm X was also a leader
of the Black Nationalist who served as a spokesman for the nation of Islam
and was also a Civil Rights Activist. Malcolm X received
terrible actions of racism through out his life. For example, when he moved
his family to Michigan they were attacked by the Ku Klux Klan and burned his
house down the white police and firemen came and stood around watching
as the house burned down to the ground(A&E Television Networks). Macon
idolizes Malcolm X he knows everything about the man because he has read
every article about him. It is very strange that a white boy would idolize a
black man and considering that he was against the white race. All in all,
Macon respects the black community even though the color of his skin does
not represent it.

Even though racism legally ended years ago there will always be
different people judging others or even characterizing as a different race. At
the end of the book of Angry Black White Boy, Macon is done being a
celebrity and jumps on a train to come to Los Angeles. He stops in Alabama
and while he is there he shoplifts a small convenience store to feed himself
but the clerk there recognizes Macon. The clerk and his buddy want him to
be a spokesman but Macon refuses so the clerk ends up killing Macon just
because the clerk is a very racist man and did not like anything that Macon
did for the black community. The ending to the book is very sad because it
shows that even a white man who is a clerk in Alabama has the audacity to
kill his own race.
Angry Black White Boy is a perfect novel explaining the hatred towards
the black race is still going on in todays society. Macon can be recognized as
a political figure because of the way he stood for the black community but by
the way he showed his actions were not the smartest. However, it is very sad
that after years of racism legally ending after the civil war but it still goes on
all across the nation because we live in a white dominated country. Racism
shows no hope to it being fixed even though historical figures are trying to
change, it will only change if everyone is on the same page. Truly, everyone
should be free and be able to express how they are as an individual without
any judgments by anyone.

Arjon 6
Works Cited
"Malcolm X." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Web. 14 Mar. 2015.
Mansbach, Adam. Angry Black White Boy. New York: Three Rivers, 2004.
Print.
Holladay Jennifer R. White Anti-Racist Activism: A Personal Roadmap.
Dostie & Douglass Books, Inc., 2000.