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Emily Kane
Professor Walzer
RC 5100
February 22, 2019

Respectability politics is the idea that minorities, in order to be taken seriously in society,

should behave in a way that is respectful or, rather, like the dominant group. Roxane Gay, in her

essay “The Politics of Respectability” speaks out against this idea as it pertains to race

specifically. She argues that white people, as the dominant majority in America, do not actually

care if African-Americans are respectable or wealthy, and that deep, widespread societal change

is the responsibility of all citizens. Gay argues for the end of respectability politics using the

language of her opponents, engagement with popular culture, and an appeal to ethos, in a manner

that is concise, successful, and convincing.

Prominent black voices, Gay notes, argue for respectability politics. She paraphrases an

interview between the New York Post and Bill Cosby, saying he argues that “if we [the black

community] just care enough about ourselves and our communities, we will reach a hallowed

place where we will no longer suffer the effects of racism” (258). Further, news anchor Don

Lemon argued that “black people should stop using the N-word, black people should respect

their communities by not littering, black people should stay in school, black people should have

fewer children out of wedlock, and, most inexplicably, young black men should pull their pants

up” (258). Gay starts out her essay with this viewpoints that so thoroughly oppose hers because it

sets the stage for what the problem with respectability politics is. She specifically chooses these

examples that are so lofty and detached from reality in order to strengthen her own argument.

The implication is that her critique of respectability politics is grounded in reason and facts, and

it is not as easy to attain true equality as Cosby and Lemon make it out to be.
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Gay also engages heavily with popular culture, which shows that she knows who she is

catering to. Rather than using standard academic English, she incorporates terms such as

“bougie” and “ratchet” (257). The effect of using these terms is that readers do not immediately

shy away, instead assuming that the piece will be topical and accessible to them. Gay also uses

an example of something that happened to Oprah, who is easily one of the richest black women

in America. Oprah was told that a bag she was interested was too expensive for her, and Gay

writes of it “we don’t need to cry for Oprah… but we can recognize the incident as one more

reminder that racism is so prevalent and pernicious that we will never be respectable enough to

outrun racism…” (260). Here, Gay shows how the idea that being wealthy will end racism; even

Oprah experiences it. That means respectability politics is not working. Finally, she closes the

essay referencing a speech by President Obama in which he argues for racial change through

means such as “ending racial profiling, reexamining state and local laws that might contribute to

tragedies like Trayvon Martin’s murder, and finding more effective ways to support black boys”

(260). Gay proposes these ideas as a solution to racism that might actually work. She

acknowledges that they are vague, but “Obama’s ideas place the responsibility for change on all

of us…” (260). This strategy not only uses a name that everyone in America knows and many

people respect, it also proposes a solution to the problem of respectability politics. Gay does not

simply end the essay with further critique; she gives the reader something to use going forward

and that is extremely important.

Gay’s inclusion of Obama is important for another reason, too; it issues an appeal to the

reader’s ethos. It projects the issue of racial inequality as one that is the responsibility of every

American citizen, rather than making it the minorities job to prove that they deserve equal rights.

In other words, Gay issues a call to action in her closing paragraph, one that the reader should
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feel responsible for acting on. Further, Gay writes “it’s a nice idea that racism is a finite problem

with a finite solution… but we don’t live in that world and it’s dangerous to suggest that the

targets of oppression are wholly responsible for ending that oppression” (259). The word

“dangerously” especially works to appeal to ethos; it is dangerous to ignore race issues, and if

the reader then chooses to ignore them they become complicit in the continuation of a dangerous

system. Therefore, ethically the reader has only one option: to try to fight against the notion of

respectability politics and work to actually protect black bodies, or else the responsibility for

change will continue to lie in the wrong place. These passages are extremely powerful, and play

an extremely significant role in enforcing Gay’s argument.

Respectability politics is an idea that is only functional in an ideal world, and Gay’s essay

makes that abundantly clear. Despite its brevity, the essay invokes ethos to encourage the

audience to actively change society, as well as engaging with a language and society that is

accessible to its readers, and debunking the counterargument. Gay’s mastery of rhetoric is

extremely present in this piece, and she successfully leaves the reader feeling both culpable and

responsible for change.