Column: Identities complicate moral choices

Floyd Mayweather is pulling my multiple identities in opposite directions.

If you do not know who Floyd Mayweather is, then you should. He is an African-American boxer with a clean 48-0 record with 26 knockouts. His recent victory against Manny Pacquiao has broken records and is being called the fight (or hype) of the century.

The controversy concerning Mayweather is his long history of domestic violence. He has been found guitly three times with one conviction resulting in a 90-day prison sentence.

I am conflicted because my black identity is sensitive to attacks on black masculinity and how black men are tormented in the media. Black men are seen as more aggressive, barbaric and dangerous. These stereotypes influence how black men are treated in our society.

I am also sensitive because of the frequent occurrence of white men with abusive pasts having the ability to dodge criticism in the mainstream media. For example, Tommy Lee, Nicolas Cage and Glen Campbell have all been accused of domestic violence.

We should all question why black men are treated harsher in the media than white men when it comes to domestic violence. Domestic violence is domestic violence. Everyone should be held accountable for their actions, but we don’t hear much about most white male offenders and their violent actions.

My black identity is also sensitive to the attacks from mainstream media trying to humble black men of their excellence as compared to how mainstream media uplifts and romanticizes white male arrogance.

The argument that Floyd Mayweather should be criticized because he is “overly confident” and “cocky” doesn’t fit right with me. He has mastered his craft; he deserves to be confident with his successes.

On the other hand, my identity as a woman wanted to boycott the entire Mayweather fight to stand firmly by my female victims of domestic abuse. Victims of interpersonal violence are constantly ignored.

Violence against women often gets swept under the rug. One may say Floyd Mayweather has paid the price for his actions, and he deserves to be able to move on. But what about his victims? Do they get to move on? Are we justifying their permanent scars? Our constant support and praise for Mayweather is detrimental to young women and domestic violence victims.

As a woman-identified feminist, I feel pulled to stand by my queens and scream for domestic abuse awareness. But as a black women, I have to protect black men at all cost from the media that really doesn’t promote the love of black bodies like it does for black culture. I am conflicted because my identities force me to contradict myself.

Because I belong to multiple identities, I feel the pressure to simply choose between womanhood and blackness in the most complicated situations, and it shouldn’t have to work like that. We are all complicated people with complex feelings, emotions and perceptions. Therefore, my decision to support or not support Mayweather is important, but it shouldn’t have the power to define who I am.