“A Hip hop motherf**ker carries hip hop with him everywhere he went, and knows when to hold it on its shoulder or hide it in his heart.”
The protagonist is a white young man but he is obsessed with black culture and adopts the hip hop culture. He fetishizes the idea of being accepted to the extent of terrorizing white people in order to brand himself as an ally of social justice. Through hip hop, he feels himself close to the community and the culture without the grasp of knowing what it is like to be African-American. The author explores the universal nature of the hip-hop culture as it crosses ethnic boundaries and unites people. However, Macon is an embodiment of young white males who consequently delude themselves to understanding the struggles of black people through it. Therefore demonstrating the push-pull dynamic between the universality of the culture and appropriation of the hip-hop culture.
“From Macon’s confusion had bubbled anger. How dare black people not see him as an ally, not recognize that he was down?”
Mansbach creates a character who takes a selfish approach to correct the racial problems and tensions in our society. Rather than view the issue as a pursuit for equality and a sense of community he handles it as a quest for vengeance. Therefore his initial approach becomes another version of racism since he is inflicting violence on other white people. His other approach of sanctioning an apology day for racial oppression done misses the point by a mile. Consequently, Macon is frustrated as his efforts are met with backlash but he does not consider his inner motives which are rather selfish. Macon’s efforts stem from a place of white guilt rather than a place of advocating for justice and equality.
“…right for us to room together, so I called the housing office. The sins of the fathers and everything”
Macon intentionally allocates himself to housing that a black roommate will occupy to express his camaraderie with the black community. Since his forefather was a baseball player similar to the roommate he believes his friendship is a step towards solving racial tensions. However, his unconscious intentions exude white privilege and white guilt rather than empathy for the struggles of black people. He is seeking to absolve himself and the white community of the sins of their fathers as a shortcut to justice. The path towards racial reconciliation, equality, and justice requires thorough and active contributions on a personal level towards ensuring them. Macon exemplifies the need to absolve white guilt without actually correcting the racial problems in society.
