Racism and Love Ethic

 Carldricken Lenard 

Dr. Harris 

English 2017 African American Literature  

May 1st, 2025 

Racism and Love Ethic 

In the novel salvation: Black People and Love by Bell Hooks, the concept of love ethics  is introduced. Bell Hooks’ version of the love ethic is a way to love that involves respect, care,  commitment, knowledge, and trust. Bell Hooks, through her personal experiences and the  experiences of others, talks about many obstacles that interfere with African Americans' ability to  achieve a universal love ethic. The most important of these obstacles is racism which hinder the  African American community. Bell Hooks’ book was released in 2001, and the experiences  happened in the 20th century. Still, I believe America has made little in being an environment  where a universal love ethic can thrive for African Americans. 

Bell Hooks grew up in a time when advert racism was common. She speaks about her  experience in a school during the time of integration. In her retelling of her experience, she talks  about how the teacher told Bell Hooks that she was smart and that because of her intelligence,  she would not have a black partner. Bell Hooks also talks about how black male students were  kept out of gifted classes not due to their lack of intelligence, but due to racist motives to keep  these black students away from female white students (Hooks 63). This type of behavior,  although wrong, was normal at the time. This experience of Bell Hooks is an example of blatant  and systemic racism in education that prevented the black people of the time from achieving a  universal love ethic. It shows Bell Hooks school's lack of respect towards Black students which 

Lenard 2 

could cause them to see themselves negatively. In their eyes, to be a Black male is to be  academically inept or inferior to that of the white students. Such thinking does not seem to have  changed over the years when looking at the treatment of black students and white students. For  example, when looking at punishment in schools, studies reveal that black students receive  harsher punishments than white students for similar misbehavior (Darling-Hammond and Eric).  No student should misbehave but if they do, the punishment should be administered equally and  separate from the race of the punished. Such racial biases in punishment may not be intentional but that does not make it any less racist. This discrepancy in punishment prevents love ethic  because it promotes a level of unfairness and disrespect that shows that white students are  favored over black students. 

Stereotypes also prevent African Americans from achieving a universal love ethic because they push misinformation that reflects negatively on the black community. A well known stereotype that Bell Hooks brings up is the welfare queen. This term was coined in 1974  by George Bliss but became increasingly popular due to former president Ronald Reagan. This  stereotype hinders love ethic because it pushes an untrue narrative that black women are lazy  parents who’d rather receive a check from the government than work. Not only can this lead to  feelings of shame for black women in situations that rely on government aid but also impacts the  public’s view on helping black families. This fact can be seen today with studies showing that  many people are opposed to welfare when it is associated with African Americans (Brown Iannuzzi, Dotsch, and Payne). This and many other stereotypes hinder black people’s ability to  achieve a universal love ethic because it depicts black people as a group not deserving of love or  care. These stereotypes also show a lack of knowledge towards black people which in of itself is  one of the key components of love ethic.

Lenard 3 

Bell Hooks also discusses specific parenting techniques. She describes how black  parents, before the civil rights movement, taught their kids certain skills that helped them survive  in times of high racial tension. Bell Hooks expresses her dislike of these teachings because she  claims they “were not rooted in love” and led to “soul murder” (Hooks 23). Regardless of if you  agree with Bell Hooks’ statement or not does not matter. The important thing is the reason why  the parents had to teach their children this During this time hate crimes against African  Americans was high, and parents taught what they believed would bring their children back to  them alive and safe. The treatment of black people during this time prevented African Americans  from achieving a universal love ethic not only because it showed America’s lack of care for black  people but because it made black parents teach kids how to survive rather than love. Although  the hate crimes towards black people have decreased, the life of an African American seems to  have less value than that of a white person in today’s society. When you look at areas such as the  justice system you can see the value of a white person and that of a black person. Black people  are more likely to be killed by police officers compared to white people (Thomas). This shows  the lack of care for black lives and also reinforces the reason why black parents teach these skills  that Bell Hooks’ opposes. Black people cannot achieve a universal love ethic if America sees  their life as less valuable than that of a white person.  

Bell Hooks brings up the brutal treatment of female slaves specifically how they were  sexually assaulted. She explains how these female slaves were seen as “superhuman, animalistic,  and monstrous capable of enduring atrocities that would break the spirits of real women by their  oppressors” (Hooks 95). The impact of sexual assault alone is psychologically and physically  detrimental to mainly the victim but also to their family. To further try to justify it by calling said  victim inhuman is irredeemable. To see black people as inhuman is not the views of a society 

Lenard 4 

that allows for the birth of a universal love ethic. The view of black people being super human  has not changed. This view can be seen in the treatment of black people in the medical aspects of America. Studies show that black patients are significantly less likely to receive pain medication  than white patients for the same self-reported pain. Also, when black patients are given pain  medication, they are given less than their white counterparts (Hoffman). Many of these cases can  be attributed to the untrue belief that black patients feel less pain than white patients. Not only is  such a belief detrimental to the health and well-being of African Americans, but it further proves  how America has not become a place where a universal love ethic can thrive. Love ethic cannot  thrive when black patients endure unnecessary pain due to racial bias and ignorance.  

It is known that Bell Hooks was very anti-capitalistic and emphasized the importance of  emotional gain over material gain. While that may be true, financial gain is also significant for  the betterment of black people. Many agree with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which states that  certain needs must be met before emotional needs can be prioritized. To establish a universal  love ethic, we must meet those baser needs. That can be difficult for black people because of  increased difficulties in getting jobs that stem from racism. For example, studies show that a  white person without a criminal record is more likely to get a call back than a black person  without one. This information is not new. The shocking thing is that white people with a criminal  record are more likely to receive a call back than black people without one (Pager). If there were equality in the job market, one would expect that black people without a criminal record would  have around the same number of call-backs as their white counterparts. This was not the case, and this could be due to employers linking all black people as more criminal than the actual past  criminals. A universal love ethic can not be achieved if black people have to worry about their  basic needs. Of course, just giving people jobs will not eliminate poverty, but it is a start.

Lenard 5 

Racism is at the root of America. Though some racist policies have been  

addressed, it's still alive in the system of America, and it has gotten to the point that those  negatively impacted by it can no longer see it. Such a fact makes me question if a universal love  ethic can ever be achieved in America.

Lenard 6 

Work Cited 

Brown-Iannuzzi, Jazmin L., et al. “The Relationship between Mental Representations of  Welfare Recipients and Attitudes Toward Welfare.” Psychological Science, vol. 28, no. 1, 22  Nov. 2016, doi:10.1177/0956797616674999.  

Darling-Hammond, Sean, and Eric Ho. No Matter How You Slice It, Black Students Are  Punished More: The Persistence and Pervasiveness of Discipline Disparities, 20 Nov. 2024,  doi:10.1177/23328584241293411.  

Hoffman, Kelly M., et al. “Racial Bias in Pain Assessment and Treatment  Recommendations, and False Beliefs about Biological Differences between Blacks and Whites.”  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 113, no. 16, 4 Apr. 2016, pp. 4296–4301,  doi:10.1073/pnas.1516047113.  

Pager, Devah. “The Mark of a Criminal Record 1.” Race, Law and Society, 15 May 2017,  pp. 169–207, doi:10.4324/9781315245423-9.  

Thomas, Marilyn D., et al. “Black and Unarmed: Statistical Interaction between Age,  Perceived Mental Illness, and Geographic Region among Males Fatally Shot by Police Using  Case-Only Design.” Annals of Epidemiology, vol. 53, Jan. 2021,  

doi:10.1016/j.annepidem.2020.08.014.