Klippenstein 1

Brooke Klippenstein
Professor Jackie
English 114B
7 May 2015
The Road to Change
Miscegenation is the interbreeding of people considered to be of different racial types
(Merriam-Webster). In Adam Mansbachs novel Angry Black White Boy the ideas of
miscegenation are explored through hip-hop and black culture in a white community. Macon
Detornay is a twenty-year-old white college student who grew up in the suburbs and moves to
New York City in hopes of being able to associate himself with the black community. He rejects
his whiteness and tries to represent a hybrid identity. He goes to great lengths to get his point
across to the public. Macons new found identity conflicts with the rest of the world. After all the
chaos Macon created, both the black and white community start to reject Macon through
violence and criticism. As a result, Macon creates a separate identity where his whiteness is
tested. Adam Mansbachs novel exposes the racism in society while demonstrating the troubles
that come along with a hybrid personality.
Cultural appropriation is the adoption of elements of one culture by members of a
different cultural group. Macon is a white boy who associates himself with the black community.
Mansbach establishes Macons self identification with blackness, specifically with hip-hop
culture (Perez 34). Hip-hop is a big part of the African American community. By listening to
this genre of music, it makes Macon feel closer to his blackness. Macon also tries to dress like
an African American male. For instance, He was a thirteen-year-old white boy in a Malcolm X
t-shirt and baggy pants (Mansbach 17). Macon is trying to remove the whiteness by dressing

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and acting like an African American teenager. Macon is unable to relate to his own culture,
Hed retreated briefly into his own Judaism, Jewish-not-white, with its analogous history of
victimization and enslavement, but he couldnt make it fit, couldnt make himself feel Jewish,
didnt know what being Jewish felt like (Mansbach 17). Macon has trouble relating to where he
came from. On his arm is a controversial tattoo, which is not considered appropriate for his
religion. His Jewish heritage looks down upon tattooing numbers on their bodies but tattooed
on Macons biceps in small green characters was 4-29-92. It was the day the verdict had been
handed down, thee day Los Angeles had burned (Mansbach 48). Macon does this in order to
prove to others that he is different than the whiteness he was born with. Numbers tattooed on a
persons body in the Jewish culture has great relevance to the Holocaust, yet this date has great
significance in the black community. By doing this, Macon is performing for the public using
cultural appropriation and shows his efforts to change himself from his original identity. Macon
believes there is a lot of discrimination present in society due to privilege and does his best to try
and bring awareness to this issue in order to produce change.
Macon is a Jewish, white boy born with unearned privilege because of the color of his
skin. Privilege is a special right or advantage particularly in a group of people. The most
common form of privilege is racial and it is extremely prominent in the plot of the novel. In this
society, white people are given the most privilege. It gets them ahead in almost every situation
simply based off of the color of their skin. Macons privilege allowed him to go to college at
Columbia University, which his wealthy grandfather paid for (Mansbach 82). Being white gave
Macon a better chance of gaining entrance into college in order to obtain a higher education,
which during this time was not as easily accessible to African-Americans. His grandfather paid
for his schooling so he did not have to have the burden of paying back loans in contrast to other

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students that dont come from a privileged background. Aware of his privilege, [Macon
detaches] from [his] whiteness, and his view of himself as the exception, is also a dangerous
detachment from his own white privilege (Perez 39). Macon dislikes his privilege, which
makes him believe he is the exception to his unearned privilege. He thinks by removing himself
from his true identity he is relieving himself of the advantages that come with it. Macon becomes
frustrated with white privilege and believes that some extreme measures can create change.
Macon believes in racial retribution and in the possibility that acting out against Whites will
force them to come to terms with their racism and sense of privilege (Estremera 48). Macon
robs other white folks in order to stop the racism and privilege. He thinks going against his own
race and privilege will prove valuable to the public and influence change. Macon believes by
putting fear in the white people he can force them to realize their privilege and end the racism.
Throughout the years new laws and advances have been made to end racism, but
unfortunately it is still prevalent in society. In the novel Macon encounters the conflict that
America is still a nation that sees race, that believes heavily and ultimately in race as a powerful
social construct (Estremera 53). The society Macon describes is still extremely racist, which he
finds unacceptable, and the fact that the white community has more opportunity and treat the
black community with little to no respect is intolerable. Macon believes that white people
associate all the crimes and criminal activities with the black community. Macon drives a cab
and on several occasions he intentionally robs some of the white passengers to show that blacks
do not commit all crimes. Word got out and a rumor circulated that it was a black cab driver.
When Macon hears this he becomes outraged and decides to prove the public wrong. While
robbing another white man he asks him to identify the color of his skin, Its not a trick question!
Take a good look. What fucking color am I (Mansbach 112). Macon is upset by the fact that just

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because a robbery takes place, society assumes it was a black man without even knowing for
sure. The society he lives in has created stereotypes and beliefs that make them act in a
prejudiced manner. Macons goal is to make white people realize that racism still exists and there
needs to be something done to change it. For example Macon states, The funny thing is, though,
who am I exposing White people to? It aint news to Black folks that Whites are still racist. I
guess Im exposing White people to themselves. Weve gotten so good at pretending were not
racist that weve started to believe it (Mansback 141). Macons point is that white people dont
even realize that racism exists. During a talk show a civil rights worker calls in to talk to Macon
and tries to tell him that racism has been eliminated. Macon responds, I hate to say it, but those
victories just make it easier for white people to act like racism is a problem that got solved back
in the sixties (Mansbach 194). White people think that racism was eliminated a long time ago.
They dont realize the fact that it is still going on and it has become normal part of society.
Leveling the races is everything that Macon stands for and his goal is to change society and end
racism for good. White privilege causes Macon to feel a certain amount of blame and guilt for
the continued discrimination against other races that remains unacknowledged by white society.
Although Macon associates himself with the black community he does feel a lot of guilt
and blame for certain events that have transpired that have stemmed from a racist and privileged
society. He feels guilty for his racial privilege and blames the white people for the racism that
exists. He not only repudiates his Whiteness but he believes that Whites should pay for their
injustices by destroying the privileges they have and forcing them to face the neo-racism that
they have constructed in present-day society(Estremera 42). Macons belief is that white people
can alleviate some of their guilt by paying for their past transgressions against the black
community. He insists all white people participate in the day of apology. Macon says, I herby

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declare this Friday to be the first Annual Day of Apology in the city of New York. It might be
good for white folks to humble themselves to black folks (Mansbach 201). This is Macon
blaming racism solely on white people. He wants the white people to apologize to all blacks
even if they havent done anything directly to the black person they are apologizing to. Macon
thinks by doing this the white people will see what they have done wrong for so long and this, in
turn, will create some change. Unfortunately, the Day of Apology does not go as planned for
Macon. The city breaks out in violent riots because the white people cant back up their
apologies. After all the chaos, Macon makes a public appearance and criticizes society. He
blames himself for thinking that society could handle the task and try to change. He announces
that he has given up his capacity to bring about change. Macon is going to leave all his efforts
behind and return to his whiteness. Macon says, Im getting the fuck out of here. As far away
as possible. Im sure as hell not going to jail. Ten years of getting raped for what I dont really
believe in when push comes to shove? Ill pass (Mansbach 262). Macon blames himself for the
way the Day of Apology turned out. Additionally, he feels so guilty for the chaos he brought to
New York City that he decided to walk away from all his beliefs. The overwhelming guilt Macon
experienced for his role in the chaos overtook his desire to right the wrongs. Macons whole
purpose was to bring about change and make the white people aware of their influence on
racism.
Throughout the novel Macon was constantly struggling with the pluralistic identity he
was trying to live by. He was attempting to embody both a black and white identity
simultaneously. Macons main battle was with a racist society. He made it his mission to fix the
problem in an effort to create a level playing field. Born a white boy, he identifies with his
privilege and tries to work against it to change society. He recognizes the racism and brings it to

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the publics attention in hopes they will realize there is an actual problem. Both the racism and
privilege take a toll on Macon and he starts to feel a lot of blame and guilt for the events that
were created when he forced his beliefs on society. Feelings of guilt for the racial privilege he
has been afforded and the continued discrimination that Macon believes is the fault of the white
people leads him to create a day dedicated to the African Americans. When events go awry
Macon begins to unravel. He beings to lose himself and reverts back to his whiteness until he is
tested and realizes that his beliefs were still present and the most important thing.

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Works Cited
Estremera, Cynthia. NAVIGATING THE MISCENGENATED IDENTITY: FAILURE, SUCCESS
AND THE POST-RACIAL CONFLICT IN JOHNSON, HURTSON AND MANSBACH
(2014): n. pag. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.
Mansbach, Adam. Angry Black White Boy, Or, The Miscegenation of Macon Detornay: A Novel.
New York: Three Rivers, 2004. Print.
Miscegenation Def. 2. Merriam Webster Online, Merriam Webster, n.d. Web. 21 Mar 2015.
Perez, Laura R. In the Middle, In Between: Cultural Hybridity, Community Rejection, and the
Destablization of Race in Percival Evertt's Easure, Adam Mansbach's Angry Black White
Boy, and Danzy Senna's Caucasia (2011): n. pag. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.