Jordan Calhoun: The Richard Wright of Blerd Culture

Jordan Calhoun has accomplished a lot in his life. Contributing Writer for The Atlantic, Huffington Post, Vulture, Electric Literature, and Black Nerd Problems; Author of The Atlantic’s: Humans Being newsletter, and Editor-In-Chief for Lifehacker and The Takeout by G/O Media; His ability to blanket the reader in his honesty is what gravitated me toward his memoir Piccolo is Black: A Memoir of Race, Religion and Pop Culture (Piccolo) and hit my soul in a way I’ll never forget.

The Past

I first read his work on the website: Black Nerd Problems. His critical, yet impartial perspective on various pop culture shows, movies, and literature assisted me in understanding his approach to how he sees the world; with HONESTY and LOVE. Through the words of the topics he critiques, he either recommends, or rebukes it, with mild contempt. His criticisms, however, leave you with a frame of thought that make you say to yourself, “I’ll give it a shot, even if it’s bad”. In his analysis of the media, he leads you, with a hand, into his world and while the moment with him is brief, the magic he provides, is also what makes Piccolo a phenomenal and emotional read.

His story starts with his religious upbringing followed by a heartening tale of how pop culture, friends, family and his “ride or die” brother, Darryl, helped him in answering some of life’s personal dilemmas when faced with “coming of age” situations. In the process of his life, he found love, experienced diverse friendships, endured racism (microaggressions and otherwise), and battled one of his greatest familial antagonists. Yet, through it all, he discovered himself and his purpose, and that is what made me understand and respect both, the man and his character; making me, above all, a fan of his work.   

Blerd Origins

As young Jordan navigated his ecosystem, we see him go from boy to teen to young man as his “superpowers” start to develop throughout his journey. His “religious roots” lay the foundation of his moral compass and it guides him well in a world filled with, as his teachers say, SIN. Yet, as these same roots start to grow, and branch out, they also try to snuff out his “Nerd Side” by identifying the “SIN” in the media he’s watched and interacted with during his advancement. His biggest discovery, however, isn’t his “Nerd-ism” or his religious upbringing; it’s the unearthing of who he is racially, and it is both beautiful and tragic as he discovered the one identity that will be with him till the day he dies…..

HIS BLACKNESS:

 “….I was just the poor Black student from Detroit. It had become my new, third identity that trumped the others. I was the Black kids. Black, as in urban. Black, as in the kids who knows rap. Black, as in token Black. Black, as in fast. Black, as in slow. Black, as in first to be chosen in pickup on the first day. Black as in intimidating. Black as in angry. Black, as in curiosity. Black as in deserving to be suspended from school for a middle finger from a plastic fork. I wasn’t a nerd, or an Adventist, I was Black.” - Jordan Calhoun

That part hit me. DAMN NEAR CRIED.

Black: Gifted or Cursed?

Black is beautiful, and he demonstrates that context throughout the story, yet he comes to the realization that being Black is both a gift and a curse. While the curses happen within the story (for example, he endures racism with a particular student in his school’s biology class as well as defending himself against a parent because of a conversation about fellatio), the curses occur intermittently, and doesn’t anchor our hero and his emotional and social progression. It does, however, inform non-melaninated readers that despite any age, Black children, teens, and men are subjected to racism in some form or other during their life.

The gifts, however, move more like ammunition in a spirit bomb in a Dragonball Z episode. As our hero starts to come into his own, each person that entered his life from the beginning and contributed to his development, unconsciously, provide their lifeforce, giving him the strength to take on life and the familial antagonist in the final chapters. For Jordan, the ability to question his existence, and acknowledge his purpose in life is awesome as a “human being” finally comes into his own.  

Jordan found a way to take his identities, used them within the context of his life and masterfully navigate a volatile world in which one’s Blackness isn’t accepted by all. This assemblage of strength isn’t without a foundation as Darryl, the Big Brother (I give him Capital B’s out of RESPECT) and his idol, provided the foundation for that energy. Jordan’s “super sibling” is both iconic and spectacular as he provides, in Jourdan’s humble beginnings, the strength, wisdom, and protection to take on the world. It’s similar to when Ian Lightfoot, from Disney’s ONWARD realizes that his brother, Barkley Lightfoot shared all the activities of what a father does. That’s love right there and it deserves recognition, followed by an applause. The bond that these two share… Brothers? Yes. Absolutely. But what is expressed here is that these brothers were each other’s “ride or die” and it shows. throughout the pages  BAD BOYS FOR LIFE..

From reading Jordan’s memoir, I found myself reflecting on the life of Richard Wright’s (RW) memoir Black Boy. Just as RW had to navigate an ecosystem filled with trials and tribulations, Jourdan too, had to traverse his world which shaped his identity and self as well. His tools, a plethora of Black pop culture characters, an awesome big brother, and an observational prowess has made Jordan, in my humble opinion, the Richard Wright of the Blerd Universe.

Jordan: The One

His approach to scrutinizing the subject matter, whether it be his life, food, people, or otherwise, is similar to a surgeon on an operating table. The reader (patient) is trusting their life with what Jordan places on paper, and very meticulously, he crafts and sets the scene for the reader to picture in their subconscious. With Piccolo, as you read his life, he lays out for you and masterfully identifies, his idols, demons, and the in-betweens in his work. But he doesn’t stop there….

He takes you on an emotional journey as you read about a person who has seen and experienced life in an interesting way and was able to maintain himself as both a Nerd, Adventist, and a BLACK MAN; with you rooting for his success until the final page.

Loved the book. RESPECT to him and his story.

I can’t wait till the movie drops (Speaking it into existence).