—Mazidul Ahmed
James Baldwin’s two approaches to hatred he discusses can be associated with a broader view of the world’s injustices. All things that provoke anger within us lead up to these two approaches: acceptance or confrontation. In Baldwin’s situation, he had to face these very two paths, but he realized that taking either path would result in heavy consequences. Accepting the injustices he faced would be a shameful response that would result in no progression. On the other hand, confronting the injustices headfirst can also be an ineffective route that leaves one rash and bitter to the world. Interestingly, Baldwin seems to inter-merge both approaches to have more effective results. By accepting the racism, homophobia, and stereotypes of society, Baldwin feels he is more capable of addressing them in ways that prove his worth and value. To elaborate, Baldwin seeks to flip those stereotypes by becoming a voice that can be heard through literature and as a figure that the public will take note of. An example of this can be seen in many protests of today’s societies, such as the Black Lives Matter movement. Of course, there are clear injustices within our authoritative system in America and African Americans (and Americans in general) have the right to be enraged. However, some of the protests transitioned into chaotic riots which diminished the impact of the message the movement was trying to convey. The more effective demonstrations where the movement’s message was heard included peaceful protests and when many notable speakers and figures spoke out about the injustices and racism still present in our society. Baldwin expands upon the issues of anger by showing that giving into the emotion can really destroy our sanity. It takes a lot to get past the anger, but it’s something that must be done for the greater good. Utilizing that hatred or anger as a form of motivation to confront or get over a struggle/obstacle is overall much better than continuously building and giving into the anger.
