A Narrative of Suspectivity: Tupac’s Me Against the World?

by Brian Foulks
Rhetoric Race and Religion Contributor

There appears to be a consistent narrative associated with young black males-criminal minded. You can spin that in many different directions with many different outcomes but the end result is relatively the same. Young blacks males are catching hell (some warranted as well as stereotypical) in our ever changing world.

Let me first acknowledge that this is not some outdated, outcry for racial injustice. This is not a plea for the frivolous but it is an observation on the periphery of discontent among the “brothers.” I use the term brothers with the intention of highlighting the connection between black males and their proverbial debate with the Ultra-Conservative Right-all of America. Whether intentional or not, the young black male has embraced the ethos of Tupac, “Me Against the World.”

There is a systemic disconnect rather on the part of the black male or others, that they/we are of little benefit to the civility of society. This is a “deemed nature” that has been heaped upon the soldiers of the black males. Some of it is the results of blatant ignorance on the part of the black male which I dare not discredit but even laced within that presentation is the overlooked symbolism of distrust that engulfs the presence of black males.

The narrative of suspectivity is laden with childish speculation and a misinterpreted cultural hermeneutic. Tupac in a Socratic tune laments, “What’s the use unless we’re shootin’ no one notices the youth.” I am not sure if this is an outcry for attention or sarcasm that publicity is only gained when negativity is displayed. I would navigate toward the latter as Pac continues to highlight the evil that is symbolized against the black male.

His ability to critic both the black male and his surrounding simultaneously heightens the prophecy that he starts to develop from the beginning of the song. He sees that there is major trouble due to the fact that the children are so indoctrinated in the scenery that they have become addicted to the killings, if not finding it appealing to do so.

Pac’s genius is captured in its fullness when he turns the vision inward and deals with his own struggles. Here is the place where he shares that he is the very thing that he has spoken about previously. He is the black male, stuck in a city that is the catalyst for developing “Baby Capones.” He is one of the black males that are in the need on some sort of comfort that appears to evade him on the regular. He concludes that the final answer is to shoot himself, but that want bring attention to the problem either because only the shooter not the one shot gets attention- Trayvon Martin.
just my thoughts…