Group 4: Kiese Laymon

Major Themes:

• Family
• Pain
• Societal constructs
• Popular Culture
• Internal Conflict

Kiese Laymons’ compilation of essays How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America reflects the contemporary pain and anguish felt by millions of African-Americans in America, particularly in the South.  As these self-reflective essays entail him and his families personal life experience, we are able to witness first hand through personal anecdotes the complexity of the identity of African-Americans in modern society.  Common themes seen through these essays include the novel representation of black families of the 21st centuries, the common pain felt throughout the black community facing the restraints of oppression in American culture and the long-standing societal constructs that continue to negatively impact African-Americans.  This collection of essays is a reflection of the realities of the African - American populous in America, and forces reader to grapple with the multifaceted ideals that encompass our society.  

In How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America, Kiese Laymon grapples with the barriers that African Americans face on a daily basis.  In this collection of essays, Laymon provides insight to his life as an oppressed African American individual and highlights the things in his life that stood in the way of his success, such as societal constructs.  Throughout Kiese Laymon’s childhood, he was faced with deep racism.  Laymon had to figure out that specific individuals living in society were trapped in a history they did not understand.  As a black man, KIese was constantly faced with many challenges that he had to overcome in order to become successful in a society that did not want to see black people prosper.

As Laymon interprets the contemporary moment, he uses popular culture to analyze the effect of societal constructs on individuals and the people around them. He does this by critiquing one of Kanye West’s most critically acclaimed albums, My Beautiful Twisted Dark Fantasy. In this modern era, Hip Hop is central to popular culture. It is widely purchased and listened to by youth. As Kanye does produce magnificent art, Laymon believes that Kanye should use his agency to positively portray and represent black women. Kanye West has been a constant advocate for the plights of underrepresented populations, even on national stages; however when it comes to women in his music, West often succumbs to the misogynistic culture of hip hop, while also furthering the negative societal construct of women in hip hop, particularly black women.

Additionally, this causes Laymon to self reflect and realize the effect his behaviors on women around him. Even though he realized that societal constructs and people continue to marginalize women, it is difficult for him to acknowledge publicly, or to himself the wrong he has done. This is a reflection of our patriarchal society. It also demonstrates how even after we realize the wrong  done, we often operate under a warped innocence, much like we do when realizing the effects of racism on American society.