In an era when emojis have become words, 140-character tweets have become essays, and pictures have become stories, it is easier than ever before for an object to take on stereotypical symbolism. Despite the fact that we have more access to information than we have ever had at any earlier point in human history, the sheer amount of the information is overwhelming, particularly because so much comes at us at one time. So we have less time to give to each incoming stimulus, and it is easier for objects to take on stereotypical meaning. One object that has taken on this sort of weight is the “hoodie.” Who would have thought that a sweatshirt designed to keep your head and neck just as warm as your torso on a cold day would also get people to refer to you as a thug, just because you happened to be African-American while you were wearing it?
One of the ironies of the 2016 presidential campaign is the popularity that Hillary Clinton has among African-American voters. Even though Bernie Sanders has received a host of endorsements from African-American leaders and cultural figures, Hillary has won the majority of African-American votes in each state that has voted in a primary or caucus up to this point. I suppose that not a lot of these voters were paying attention during a campaign speech that Ms. Clinton made last summer. At that time, she was talking a little bit about race, and she said, “I mean if we’re honest, for a lot of well-meaning, open-minded white people, the sight of a young black man in a hoodie still evokes a twinge of fear” (The Federalist Staff, web).
First of all, how does Hillary Clinton know what a lot of other “well-meaning, open-minded white people” (The Federalist Staff, web) think about young black men wearing hoodies? Is that something that she sits around and talks with other white people about on a regular basis? If it is, why does this topic occupy so much of their time? After all, a hoodie is a fairly comfortable garment that a lot of people (of all races) might enjoy wearing. They are generally pretty soft on the inside. They are usually sized generously because the manufacturers expect you to wear another shirt underneath. The hood can feel good against your neck and head when you pull it up.
Are there some young black men who commit crime while wearing hoodies? Yes. It’s true that putting up the hood allows you to evade detection from security cameras. However, there are people from other ethnic backgrounds who commit crimes while wearing hoodies. The vast majority of people who wear hoodies, no matter what their ethnic background, are law-abiding people who do not have any intention of breaking the law whatsoever. Even so, the hoodie seems to have become a symbol for potential criminal behavior, especially when African-American young men decide to put one on for the day.
Of course, it probably should not surprise anyone that a person with the last name “Clinton” is trying to find ways to connect African-American young men with crime. Back when Bill Clinton was President, he signed a big crime bill into law. Part of this bill was the “federal ‘three strikes’ provision” which required life sentences for criminals who got a violent felony conviction after two or more prior convictions (Diamond, web). The fact that this included drug crimes meant that the American prison system began to fill up – disproportionately with African-Americans.
At the time, Hillary (as the First Lady) went out in public and spoke in favor of this law, saying that the legislation was a “well thought-out crime bill that [was] both smart and tough” (Diamond, web). Now that it has become clear that the United States, while leading the world in little else, is the world’s foremost nation in per capita incarceration, the winds are shifting a little bit, thanks to the energy that has come from the progressive left. Protests across the nation about the accelerated pace of incarceration now have members of a very centrist Democratic Party giving at least lip service to the idea that, maybe, incarceration should come down. Clinton is talking about “providing more opportunities for low-income areas, where tensions with police have boiled over” (Diamond, web). However, the fact that, in the same campaign, Hillary Clinton is still talking about hoodies in this way indicates that her feelings about the true causes of crime may not have changed.
The use of the hoodie as a stereotypical object that an African-American male would put on before heading out for a day of crime is just one way in which culture ensures that prejudice is likely to continue. It is true that crime is a problem in the African-American community, but using stereotypes to discuss the problem just lets us ignore the root problems – a lack of opportunity, a lack of hope, a lack of any chance at escaping the generational poverty cycle. As long as one garment can consign a young man to the metaphorical dungeons of prejudice, our society will never move closer to equality.
Works Cited
Diamond, Jeremy. “Bill Clinton Concedes Role in Mass Incarceration.” CNN 7 May
2015. Web. 21 March 2016.
The Federalist Staff. “Hillary Clinton: Let’s Be Honest, Black Men in Hoodies Are
Scary.” The Federalist 23 July 2015. Web. 21 March 2016.
