Whole Class: The Hate U Give Discussions

I think that Khalil, and later Starr’s dad, both give really comprehensive understandings of what “The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everyone.” In my own words, however, it’s the idea that racism and all forms of oppression doesn’t only negatively impact its targets, but the entire community or country as a whole. Kahlil’s explanation is very succinct, but Starr comprehends what he means immediately, because it’s something that she’s seen and experienced her entire life. However, we can see that she doesn’t fully understand the message behind “Thug Life” in following page, when she questions whether Khalil sells drugs, and is clearly disappointed in him and doesn’t understand how he could have made that choice. Her later discussion with her dad about “Thug Life” is when her thinking begins to change surrounding Khalil’s own circumstances. Her dad helps her understand that the acronym means that oppression isn’t just open racism— it’s also the cycle of poverty, and the fact that those in power fear oppressed people, because they might rise up. The country failed Starr’s community specifically by keeping them impoverished by not offering good jobs or education, which feed into one another in a cycle. Therefore, Khalil’s choice to deal drugs was much easier, because he didn’t see any alternative. Therefore, the hate that he was given (lack of opportunities) meant that he had to join a gang, increasing the likelihood of him dying or going to jail, and the cycle continuing. In this conversation, Starr sees that the system itself is at fault for Khalil’s situation.

I think Angie Thomas chose this for her book title because it is at the heart of the novel. The police violence is at the center of the system that supports the drug trade and prison industry, and Starr knows that it will continue. She suggests that the riots occur because “the system’s still giving hate, and everybody’s still getting fucked” (171). Therefore, by making “The Hate U Give” the title of her novel, Thomas centers the ideas that the issues she presents in the novel are systemic and the system is still corrupt. Additionally, Starr’s dad tells her that “we won’t stop getting fucked tell it changes. That’s the key. It’s gotta change.” The book title is therefore not only a representation of the system, but also a call for people to speak out and for the system to change.

Throughout the novel you see the meaning of T-H-U-G-L-I-F-E or "The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everyone" being discussed. It is something Khalil told Starr that really stuck with her after he passed. My understanding of the phrase is the fact that racism and hatred, dealing with oppression is something that starts young, that we teach our children and that our children learn from such a young age then they grow up being angry at society and it quite literally fucks everyone. These notions don't affect a single individual or community, but society as a whole. When Khalil explains the meaning to Starr she seems to understand at first but clearly not fully, she seems to see it more individually at first tying it to Khalil potentially selling drugs. When her dad explains it however she understands how "Thug Life" is not only reflecting racism but the cycle of poverty as well, making it less individual but more a systematic problem that leads people to get wrapped up in drug selling or gang life. Thug Life then becomes to her more the system giving hate and the people getting fucked.
I think Angie Thomas chose The Hate U Give as her title because it is truly what the book is about. It reflects each idea and issue handed. It is a representation of the system that is continuously screwing them over.

The word THUGLIFE has always been used to oppress blacks for decades, especially in the USA after slavery. We were never seen as anything more than criminals because we were forced into deciding either to fight for our freedom or to be abused, sold, bought and simply treated as property. So we did what was necessary and fought for our right to not only be treated as humans but as equals. Just as our ancestors reclaimed our freedom, Tupac a famous black rapper and influencer saw the need to reclaim the word thug life, something used to categorize us and make us seem lesser than the average citizen. He tattooed T-H-U-G-L-I-F-E across his stomach which stands for "The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everyone". Which leads me to think about the fact there might have been some for of symbolism of the location he choose, as the stomach has millions of nerve ending which suggest that derogator term had affected millions of blacks. Or it could also been because the stomach has been synonymous with babies and pregnancies and Tupac had explained that "The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everyone." revolves around the seed ( seed meaning both babies and hate) that is planted will grow therefore the children will come up to hate those who have mistreated them and that will foster the continuous hate has and still is being given. (lol I could be reading too much into that)

He however redefined Thug life to mean that "we as a black community want self-determination. We want to do it by self-defense and by any means necessary. That came from my family and that's what thug life is. It's a mixture." He added "When I say 'thug' I mean, not criminal or someone that will beat you over the head, I mean the underdog. I mean someone who goes out there and succeeds who has overcame all obstacles." This new meaning challenges the narrative that was placed on us from birth merely because of the color of our skin, he gives the black community hope that even though we are the underdogs we can still fight and change the future for the generations to come. This was seen in the book as Starr found her voice and spoke out about the criminal narrative placed on Khalil and the racism within the police force.

I can completely understand why Thomas would name her book 'The Hate U Give' because the message of the systemic/institutionalized racisms and how it affected the different characters is threaded through each page. The book's narrative is from the perspective of Starr a young girl who has constant dialogue with other youths which in this case can be termed as the "infants" Tupac was talking about. They were not only affected emotionally by the death but also mentally by witnessing the injustices and racisms first hand. Unfortunately these experiences will be passed down to not only their children but others around or apart of the Black community and this will fuel these cyclical issues.

In the novel 'The Hate U Give', I think Maverick explains the acronym T-H-U-G-L-I-F-E, "The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everyone," very accurately. This novel was meant to shed light to the way society and the system not only views black people but treats them and it does look and feel a lot like 'hate.' Hate that is deliberately dished out on black people because of our skin color. It's not just the hate they give us directly but its the hate they give us indirectly by making us predisposed to a life of hardship and disadvantage. It's the unequal opportunity that black people face. I do believe the use of 'little infants' is also symbolic. Children are molded and shaped by those set before them before they are able to make decisions for themselves. When society paves a path of hard life for them then what else can be expected for their future? When they grow up watching their black parents struggle to feed themselves and feed them or pay a bill instead of being able to buy groceries, children will yearn for a better life for themselves. This better life, to them, may come by any means necessary and unfortunately due to the lack of opportunities they face they feel they have no choice but to resort to criminal activity in many instances. It 'fucks everyone' because they are viewed then as degenerating society or eating up hardworking tax payer dollars by only being good for one thing and that one thing being prison. It is also the 'hate' given that continues to perpetuate the cycle of racism. Children see this hate and then they grow to be the one dishing it out. They may watch their racist parents, uncles and aunties give hate and then do so themselves. This furthers the racism that black people feel and further makes their lives a living hell.

I don't think Starr understood exactly what THUGLIFE meant when Khalil explained it to her because she did what many do. Instead of focusing on the hate that society gives black people, she focused on what we do in turn to screw over everyone. She viewed Khalil at that moment as what many do, a reason for the system versus a product of it when she wonders what he's doing to "fuck everybody" (17). She doesn't see the meaning in what Khalil was doing. Her dad may have introduced her to Tupac before and she may have heard the word THUGLIFE but Starr never truly understood this acronym. She didn't fully understand it until her father explained it to her more and she had really lived in the life. She may have lived in Garden Heights but I don't think Starr truly experienced Garden Heights and saw it until after Khalil's murder.

I think its very fitting that Angie Thomas entitles the novel 'The Hate U Give'. She depicts the systematic racism that black people experience and she shows how they react to this. She also does an excellent job of depicting how its not just the system that distribute this hate, U (individual), are also responsible based on reactions to a disproportionate and unfair system. By seeing injustices and not fighting for it we also give the hate, hate that is passed down to our children.

A lot of what I would have discussed about this passage has already been significantly explored in this discussion (and might I say in great ways). One part that really sticks out to me is the moment where Maverick is asking Starr questions and he asks "So, what's the hate they're giving the 'little infants' in today's society?" I believe this highlights how systemic racism and forms of microaggressions have come to change as history/society has evolved. Like I stated in my group wiki, these systemic blockages towards the BIPOC community have changed from blatant slavery to new forms of racism, not necessarily in better ways but in different ways. Starr goes on to answer Maverick very intellectually, bringing up lack of opportunities that black people face! The discussion goes further with Maverick stating that "Corporate America don't bring jobs to our community... so many schools in our neighbourhoods don't prepare us well enough... It's easier to find crack than it is to find a good school around here." This statement helps us to explain the increased crime rates for drugs and other charges prevalent within the black community, since opportunities are not given to predominantly black communities the BIPOC community is forced to search elsewhere to survive and to support their families. Corporate America and multibillion dollar industries like the drug and prison industries are formed against black individuals in the sense that the drug industry is one of the only prominent opportunities provided to the black community, thus forcing the black community to face more prison charges (and I won't get into how the prison industry enslaves the black community).

A great example that highlights the differences between how racism used to look and how it looks now is the recent release of a movie called 'Antebellum,' portraying the excruciating horrors that black people had to face before the 1900s versus the microaggressions that are still very prevalent in modern day society! The main protagonist seemingly jumps through time beginning between the 1700s-1800s where the audience sees her as a slave. The movie brings light a depiction that I have never been able to fully understand about slavery because of my privilege but does an amazing job at showing what black people had to go through. From watching loved ones get burned alive, to branding, being forced to not speak, raped, abused and assaulted, miscarriages, and many more unimaginable horrors! When the main protagonist is shown in modern time it shows what she misses out on in her first life as a slave; she is married and has a child, and is a successful politician! I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone who wants a better understanding, and I believe it can help anyone have a better understanding!

T.H.U.G.L.I.F.E. is a tremendously important acronym that is highly underrated! It starts amazing discussions and helps people to understand more about the injustices that has happened throughout history and what is happening in modern day society!

At the end of chapter two, Khalil explains Tupac’s T.H.U.G.L.I.F.E acronym to Starr, stating that “what society gives us youth, it bites them in the ass when we wild out” (17). Although Khalil explains the meaning to Starr at the beginning of the novel, she is still confused and wonders if he was selling drugs, something that she does not agree with. Later in the novel, Starr develops a better understanding of the term after her father offers his interpretation, explaining that T.H.U.G.L.I.F.E represents “a system designed against [them]” (170).

I think that Maverick offers an insightful and accurate view into the meaning behind the term. My interpretation of T.H.U.G.L.I.F.E, is that it is representative of systemic racism and the intergenerational oppression that the Black community has faced. I also believe that this intersects with the cycle of poverty and crime which, as Maverick notes, has been perpetuated by a lack of opportunity in Black communities (169). When a community is founded on the blatant discrimination of minority populations, it can be difficult to break the cycle when children are facing injustice and inequality since the day they were born. From an outside perspective, it is easy to view the cycle of poverty and crime as a “choice” however, that perspective would fail to acknowledge the reality of this systemic issue, where Black communities were quite literally, and heartbreakingly, set up to fail.

I believe that Angie Thomas used Tupac’s statement as the title of her book, because it serves to represent the central message of the novel, that the hate that is given to Black communities through lack of opportunities and generational inequality and injustice, represents a system that is broken and a system that has failed. While the title references these injustices, it is also symbolic of the fight for systemic change where at the end of chapter ten, Starr realizes that the cycle of hate that has been given to Black communities cannot continue, and that citizens must raise their voice against injustice to create a world where children will not be born facing inequality and discrimination.

In the discussion with Starr and her Dad in his car about black communities and oppression, he brings up Tupac's "T-H-U-G-L-I-F-E." Starr's Dad explains how some black people will have the acronym on their knuckles as a way to show understanding for the meaning of the acronym "The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everyone." It represents the tireless force of poverty, police brutality, violence, and drug use, all part of systemic racism that affects communities such as Garden Heights. The "hate" that is given to black and marginalized communities is through a long history of systems that are used against these communities. People will face oppression right from childhood until they have their own families and die, and as families raise new children, the cycle repeats itself and nothing gets significantly better. The amount of obstacles for a black individual to go through to do what they want in society and in their own life is significantly more than probably most of Starr's classmates at Williamson.

Angie Thomas chose this statement for her book because it encompasses all of the hardships through the entire book, and gives background to the societal oppression that is caused by people in power. Similarly, it draws upon a famous artist who became an inspiration to black communities through his lyrics. Tupac, as Starr's Dad explains, shined a light on many black individuals' lives.

I think the explanation and reaction to T-H-U-G-L-I-F-E was the first time we see the crack in Starr’s separation between Williamson and Garden Heights. It is almost as if Starr feels guilty for her previous opinions of Tupac, or more importantly that she never cared enough to investigate before forming an opinion. At the beginning of the book Starr, whether subconsciously or not, places herself at a higher standard to those around her because she goes to Williamson. I also think Starr is oblivious to the culture she is missing in attending Williamson. When Khalil explains the lyrics, we see that Starr is in awe of its meaning and reflects on the words. I don’t think it is a coincidence that this acronym is explained just moments before Khalil’s death. I think Angie Thomas used this as the title not only because of its constant reflection throughout the novel, but because its placement in the book is what sends the reader on the journey with Starr. I think the battle Starr faces begins when she hears these words.