---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think that an emphasis on the…"
description: "\"I don't think that an emphasis on the peculiar plight of black males at all suggests that others are not suffering, or that such attention suggests tha..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a4/michael-eric-dyson-1424_attention_i-don-t-think-that-an-emphasis-on-the-pe_2697773.jpg"
---

#  I don't think that an emphasis on the peculiar plight of…

![“I don't think that an emphasis on the peculiar plight of black males at all suggests that others are not suffering, or that such attention suggests that black men and women feel sorry for themselves.” quote by Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a4/michael-eric-dyson-1424_attention_i-don-t-think-that-an-emphasis-on-the-pe_2697773.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a4/michael-eric-dyson-1424_attention_i-don-t-think-that-an-emphasis-on-the-pe_2697773.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a4/michael-eric-dyson-1424_attention_i-don-t-think-that-an-emphasis-on-the-pe_2697773.jpg)

> “I don't think that an emphasis on the peculiar plight of black males at all suggests that others are not suffering, or that such attention suggests that black men and women feel sorry for themselves.”

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Highlighting black male struggles does not diminish other suffering; it calls for broader empathy without competition.

**In simple terms:** Addressing one group's pain need not ignore others.

Key Takeaway

Promote inclusive empathy.

Themes

justice intersectionality empathy

Mood

hopeful serious

Type

social inspirational

When to use this quote

- activism
- policy
- education
- community dialogue

Key Concepts

sociology race studies

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we honor all suffering?
- What structures enable shared empathy?

A Different Perspective

Focus on one group may create perceived hierarchy.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Black Male](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-male/) [Black males](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-males/) [Black Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-men-275532/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men and women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-and-women/) [Plight Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plight-black-2710075/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Sorry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorry/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Suffering Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering-attention-1623523/) [Suggests Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suggests-suffering-2710076/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [“Several researchers have found that the pressures that Black men and boys experience exact a toll on their (our)1 psychological and emotional well-being. How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro-a-noguera/several-researchers-have-found-that-the-pressures-that-black-men-and/)

[Pedro A. Noguera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro-a-noguera/)

> [“Patriarchal hip-hop ushered in a world where black males could declare that they were “keeping it real” when what they were really doing was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/patriarchal-hip-hop-ushered-in-a-world-where-black-males-could/)

[bell hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [There were so few black men who were successful and who successfully conveyed black male fear - how America can make you feel crazy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilton-als/there-were-so-few-black-men-who-were-successful-and-who-successfully/)

[Hilton Als](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilton-als/)

> [“As industrial jobs began disappearing from cities, many black men found themselves back in positions of economic helplessness, without the kinds of jobs that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-burrell/as-industrial-jobs-began-disappearing-from-cities-many-black-men/)

[Tom Burrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-burrell/)

> [The street is as diverse as any other sector, but in peoples' mind it gets appropriated as a black man who's tough. Trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-street-is-as-diverse-as-any-other-sector-but-in-peoples-mind-it/)

[Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/)

> [ The inspiration for this movie \[Something New\] was this Newsweek article that came out a couple of years ago that talks about 42.4 percent… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanaa-lathan/the-inspiration-for-this-movie-something-new-was-this-newsweek/)

[Sanaa Lathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanaa-lathan/)

> [It is extremely interesting to me that black males, and other black folk, are viewed as self-pitying, by either other blacks who have failed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/it-is-extremely-interesting-to-me-that-black-males-and-other-black/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [I am not worthy of my suffering. A great sentence. It suggests not only that suffering is the basis of the self, its sole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/i-am-not-worthy-of-my-suffering-a-great-sentence-it-suggests-not-only/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [I carry a lot of feminine energy as well as masculine energy, and that's the hit that people are getting. That vulnerable thing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-fishburne/i-carry-a-lot-of-feminine-energy-as-well-as-masculine-energy-and-that/)

[Laurence Fishburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-fishburne/)

> [One of the burdens of being a black male is carrying the heavy weight of other people’s suspicions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-capehart/one-of-the-burdens-of-being-a-black-male-is-carrying-the-heavy-weight/)

[Jonathan Capehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-capehart/)

> [Given the inefficiencies of what D.C. laughingly calls the 'criminal justice system,' I think we can safely assume that 95 percent of the black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/given-the-inefficiencies-of-what-d-c-laughingly-calls-the-criminal/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [I see many black males grasping for some thread of hope. There are so many destructive practices, glimpses into a psychic abyss. That must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusef-komunyakaa/i-see-many-black-males-grasping-for-some-thread-of-hope-there-are-so/)

[Yusef Komunyakaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusef-komunyakaa/)

> [The cops drive by to do some more good deeds A young black male spits a sunflower seed in the air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dred-scott/the-cops-drive-by-to-do-some-more-good-deeds-a-young-black-male-spits/)

[Dred Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dred-scott/)

> [The Bureau of Justice reports that one in three black male babies born this century will go to jail or prison - that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/the-bureau-of-justice-reports-that-one-in-three-black-male-babies/)

[Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/)

> [I think that one of the hardest things in the world to be is a black male. I mean everyone hates your guts. White…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-think-that-one-of-the-hardest-things-in-the-world-to-be-is-a-black/)

[Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/)

## More by Michael Eric Dyson

> [Jeremiah Wright is one of the greatest prophetic preachers that black America has produced. What I find striking is that many white brothers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/jeremiah-wright-is-one-of-the-greatest-prophetic-preachers-that-black/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [ What are you for? It may be, to a degree, consoling that white brothers and sisters did not vote for \[Donald\] Trump, and do… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/what-are-you-for-it-may-be-to-a-degree-consoling-that-white-brothers/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [I went to school four years later than most people because I was a teen father, hustled on the streets, worked, lived on welfare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-went-to-school-four-years-later-than-most-people-because-i-was-a/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [It is true that race is a social fiction, a myth perpetuated by a variety of peoples throughout the modern period, especially, to further…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/it-is-true-that-race-is-a-social-fiction-a-myth-perpetuated-by-a/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [ I've written a lot of other books and this book \[Tears we cannot stop\] was different. I couldn't just say what I wanted to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-ve-written-a-lot-of-other-books-and-this-book-tears-we-cannot-stop/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [“And there is a paradox that many of you refuse to see: to get to a point where race won’t make a difference, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/and-there-is-a-paradox-that-many-of-you-refuse-to-see-to-get-to-a/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [ Elvis \[Presley\] had a stepstool, if you will, to success because he came from the dominant culture. They identified with him. Michael Jackson had… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/elvis-presley-had-a-stepstool-if-you-will-to-success-because-he-came/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [I believe in a God of a second chance and a God of love and mercy, because I need so much more of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-believe-in-a-god-of-a-second-chance-and-a-god-of-love-and-mercy/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [Hurricane Katrina overwhelmed levees and exploded the conventional wisdom about a shared American prosperity, exposing a group of people so poor they didn't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/hurricane-katrina-overwhelmed-levees-and-exploded-the-conventional/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [I was very struck when Min. Farrakhan said if Jesus and Muhammad were here today, they'd be embracing each other. That's a tremendous message…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-was-very-struck-when-min-farrakhan-said-if-jesus-and-muhammad-were/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [“O! save us, we pray thee, thou God of Heaven and of earth, from the devouring hands of the white Christians!!! . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/o-save-us-we-pray-thee-thou-god-of-heaven-and-of-earth-from-the/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [We can't exempt ourselves from the same moral calculus that we are willing to apply to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/we-can-t-exempt-ourselves-from-the-same-moral-calculus-that-we-are/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [New Orleans invented the brown paper bag party - usually at a gathering in a home - where anyone darker than the bag attached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/new-orleans-invented-the-brown-paper-bag-party-usually-at-a-gathering/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [“Whiteness is an advantage and privilege because you have made it so, not because the universe demands it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/whiteness-is-an-advantage-and-privilege-because-you-have-made-it-so/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [I'm just challenging white supremacy at its intellectual heart every day. It's a pedagogy that I deploy against some of the most vicious resistance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-m-just-challenging-white-supremacy-at-its-intellectual-heart-every/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

[Explore all 242 Michael Eric Dyson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

## More Attention quotes

> [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/)

[David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/)

> [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/)

[Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/)

> [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/)

[Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/)

[Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/)

> [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/)

[Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/)

> [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/)

[Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/)

> [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/)

[Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/)

> [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/)

[Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/)

> [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/)

[Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/)

> [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/)

[Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/)

> [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/)

[Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/)

> [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/)

[Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/)

[Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I don't think that an emphasis on the peculiar plight of black males at all suggests that others are not suffering, or that such attention suggests that black men and women feel sorry for themselves.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michael Eric Dyson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-don-t-think-that-an-emphasis-on-the-peculiar-plight-of-black-males/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Attention"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-don-t-think-that-an-emphasis-on-the-peculiar-plight-of-black-males/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a4/michael-eric-dyson-1424_attention_i-don-t-think-that-an-emphasis-on-the-pe_2697773.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a4/michael-eric-dyson-1424_attention_i-don-t-think-that-an-emphasis-on-the-pe_2697773.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a4/michael-eric-dyson-1424_attention_i-don-t-think-that-an-emphasis-on-the-pe_2697773.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I don't think that an emphasis on the peculiar plight of black males at all suggests that others are not…” — Michael Eric Dyson",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Michael Eric Dyson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I don't think that an emphasis...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-don-t-think-that-an-emphasis-on-the-peculiar-plight-of-black-males/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-don-t-think-that-an-emphasis-on-the-peculiar-plight-of-black-males/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
