Thursday, April 25, 2013

Cool Pose Study Guide (Derek Miller)


By: Derek Miller

1.     What is “cool pose?” How does it operate in relation to positions of status for black males?  (Cool Pose is a term created by Majors as a way to explain the persistence of racism in sport today.  Cool Pose characterizes the style of some black male athletes.  Examples of Cool Pose are everywhere around us because they are a set of expressive lifestyle behaviors.  Examples of Cool Pose can be intertwined in speech, gesture, clothing, hairstyle, walk, demeanor, and handshakes.  Having unique and expressive styles separate black males.  There is a reason why the word “Cool” is used in Cool Pose.  The more expressionistic and unique a black male is, the more he separates himself from the rest of the black males.)
2.    What are some ways that “cool pose” illustrates “cultural resistance to racism” (p. 112)?  (Sports are a realm that allows for creativity and character.  The article by Majors primarily focuses on basketball players as a source of Cool Pose in sports, but in my opinion, Deion Sanders is the King of being Cool.  Deion even made up a nickname, “Prime Time!”  In any other career Deion Sanders may have been looked at as a fool, but the sports world allows black males the freedom to be expressionistic and have conspicuous styles.  In the sports world, being different is acceptable, however, beyond the arenas’ stonewalls and out of the public spotlight he social structure judges black males far more harshly.  The sport platform is the only place where black males can have pride because in society, there is still a structure of racism that judges them strictly on appearance.  The open expression and creativity in sports is a way for black males to revolt against the oppression of society today.)  

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