Originally published in 1973, Black Players was the first book to do a thorough examination of the urban pimp culture. Social anthropologists Richard and Christina Milner were allowed access to the secretive and controversial world of pimps and prostitutes. Black Player guides the reader through every aspect of this unfamiliar world, allowing the Players to describe themselves, and the rules of the game in their own words. The Milners interviewed many of the top pimps in the Bay area and other parts of the country during the late 60's/early 70's. There is even a rare interview with legendary pimp-turned-author Iceberg Slim in this book. Out of this experience, has come one of the most fascinating journeys into a secret culture ever written.
Author(s): Richard Milner, Christina Milner
Publisher: King Flex Publishing
Year: 1973, 2010
Language: English
Pages: 357
Contents
Foreword iii
Preface v
Contents 11
Chapter One 3
The Player’s World 3
Urban Ecology 3
The Subculture of The Life 8
Chapter Two 17
The Setting: Bar Life 17
“Take A Free Peek”: “The Player’s Inn” 17
Field Strategy and Methodology 27
Overcoming Obstacles to Research 30
Chapter Three 34 Talking Game and Slapping Hands 34
Chapter Four 55
Playing by The Book: Man on Top 55
Male Dominance: “Men Have to Control” 57
Ambiguity, Stress, and Change: Act Like You S ’pose
to 73
How Pimps and Hos Get Together; Copping,
Choosing, and Turning Out 88
The Boss Player and the Simple Pimp 104
Fantasy, Front, and Illusion 108
Chapter Five 118
Ghetto Roots 118
Paranoia 118
The Hustler as Horatio Alger 134
Junior Pimps and Hos 136
Pimps and Hos at Home 141
Some Juicy Gossip 152
Change in American Society, the Ghetto, and The
Book 156
Relations Between the Generations 164
The Cat Versus the Bad Nigga 166
Chapter Six 173
Sex, Race, Manhood, and Womanhood 173 Man and Woman: The Players’ View 174
“We Have Lost It”: The Abandonment of Natural Sex
Roles 181
Race and Sex 193
Sadism, Masochism, and Violence 219
Chapter Seven 227
The Pimp Game as a Model of the World 227
The Game of Life 228
Players’ View of the Square World 244
Pimps and Politics 254
Chapter Eight 258
The Secret America 258
The Black Pimp and Other American Heroes 259
Chauvinist Pigs, White Slaves, and Other Fables 261
Othello and the Dope Fiend Broad 264
An Unspoken Conversation 266
APPENDIXES 270
I. Pimp Poems and Stories 271
Pimp in a Clothing Store By Soulful Spider 271
A Pimp Toast (Collected by Dr. Neil Eddington) 274
Adam and Eve, A Traditional Pimp Origin Myth 277
Whore by Ali Akbar 278
Graffiti Collected During Study Period 278
