You’re Only On My Block If You Fit In

Colin Sand
Nov 4 · 4 min read

In today’s media, African American males are typically seen as the tough, athletic, cool people. They are with the “in-crowd” and are popular at parties. In the Netflix original, On My Block, this portrayal is no different; except for one of the four main characters. In the pilot episode of On My Block, Netflix send the cultural transmission that black males are portrayed as unusual or weird when they do not fit the stereotypical black male role.

The first major part of a common African American male stereotype is sports; in this case, football. In the opening scene, a high school party is going on. The few black kids that are there are the cool football players that several people gawk at. One that is especially intrigued is an incoming freshman named Jamal, watching from over the fence. He exclaims, “We’re going to die!” When asked why, he mentions how they play for “The Ridge” and that a “quarram of them died last year.” The fact that the football team has a title proves their importance in the community. Rumors that some died while playing is clearly false, but their reputation must be one of being tough. However, Jamal being scared shows he is not cut out for being a football player like his dad.

There is nothing weird about not being into football, but lying about it is. Jamal talks about how he can’t not play football, that “it’s a family tradition.” In fact, even when he was working at his dad’s shop, there are tons of pictures of his brothers in football uniforms, all playing for the high school. The issue is, Jamal is the “kid with no skills,” so he lies to his dad about playing football. He goes as far as to throw himself all over the ground, rolling around, and then spraying himself with water to get into character. This behavior is strange, and is used by Jamal to manipulate his parents into thinking he liked something. When his dad asks how practice was, his reply is, “ask all those D1 scouts who were all up on me.” Jamal is worried his dad will not take him in, or that his dad will get angry at him and force him to play anyways. This shows stereotypes that in order to create a bond with his dad, sports must be at the center of the relationship; without them, the relationship falls apart.

Going against the cool and collected trope, Jamal is also the one character on the show that cannot keep a secret. When asked about a rumor his friend started, he tries to resist, but eventually spills and is yelled at with, “you can’t even keep one secret!” in addition to, “do you need a muzzle?” Another example is after the four friends were spying on a senior, and he walked into the house. When they were asked if they were spying, everyone nodded no, except for Jamal who frightenedly nodded yes rapidly. The most ridiculous situation he cracked on was when his friends were stopped and asked for money, and they all said they had none, except for Jamal. He proceeded to ask, “what about that $20?” which they then had to pay. Stereotypically, an African American male would keep his calm, or even fight back, protecting his other friends. However, Jamal did the opposite by giving up money they would not have had to.

As much as it sucks to say it, clothes can affect how people perceive you. Jamal is often dressed in a brightly colored polo with a zip up sweatshirt. It is unusual to then see him have a flat top hat with “Cali” on it. It looks like he is trying to fit in, but does not know how. In addition to this, Jamal is trying to grow out a mustache, but it looks out of place. The other African Americans are either dressed in football clothes or clothes that most other high schoolers would wear to fit in. Jamal is trying to guess what to wear, but cannot find out the right combination, which appears to not be an issue for his black male counterparts.

Finally, Jamal is constantly scared. He worries about his safety at every given moment. When Jamal and his friend, who is a girl, have to ask a gang member about something, he makes her do it on her own. He chokes out, “don’t worry girl, I got your back. From right here” (motioning towards the ground).Even talking to his own dad he is anxious; he is visibly nervous and tells his dad what he wants to hear.

In conclusion, this is not a quality piece of media because it enforces cultural norms of a black male, saying that you must be good at sports, dress well, and be cool or you are an outsider. You will not be accepted by your family if you aren’t able to do these things. You will be an oddball with only a few friends, none of whose are other black males. This is detrimental because it tells young African American men that they won’t be accepted by many people if they act like Jamal, which may lead to reduced self-esteem or repetition of bad habits, such as not being able to keep a secret. If they aren’t athletic, or aren’t calm, they will never be able to fit in, so there is no point in trying.

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