Respectability politics is defined as an attempt to police members of a specific group into mainstream values rather than challenging the mainstream for not accepting difference. In today's world we mostly see respectability politics existing towards black America. The idea that African Americans should behave better, dress well-bred and talk right in order to receive respect and better treatment has been a concept wrongly inbred in the minds of Americans since black folk have been around.
In the midst of all the accounts of police brutality that have occurred, you've probably heard not only white people, but even our own say things like "Well if he would've just said yes sir.." or "Well if he weren't sagging.." NONE OF THIS MATTERS. If someone wants to discriminate against you, that's what they're going to do. Time and time again we have seen that all the masters degrees in the world, a big house, white friends, good grades and nice clothes are not enough to save us from racism.
These brainwashed perceptions of respectability politics are what's truly splitting us apart. It's the Stacey Dashes, Raven Symones, and Wendy Williamses in the world who believe that there are good Blacks and bad Blacks and that acting right is what's going to elevate Black people in this world. Respectability politics allow these people to feel as if they're better than other blacks because they've chosen to be less of themselves, or in other words less Black, but in reality a white supremacist doesn't care about them anymore than he cares about the kid you keep yelling at to pull up his pants, and racism is going to play out how it wants to.
It's absolutely mind-boggling that people think wearing our hair a certain way, dressing in Tommy Hilfiger rather than a dashiki, not wearing grills, and losing the Ebonics is what's truly going to prevent cops from killing us and racists from being racists. Get a grip! Respectability politics do not work. When a black man is executed by a cop, don't let the first thing to come out of your mouth be he shouldn't have been wearing a hoodie or he should've pulled his pants up so he wouldn't have looked so suspicious. Hell, Martin Luther King Jr, one of the most respected people to ever grace this planet was even shot in a suit. Let respectability politics go because to say a man should've said "yes sir" in order to save his life is downright disrespectful and ignorant.
The issue with respectability politics is that they just don't work. The issue with respectability politics is that they are not saving the lives of African-Americans. The issue with respectability politics is that despite "acting right" at the end of the day you will still be Black, and just that is dangerous whether we want to admit it or not.
