The quotes Rankine draws from Fanon and Baldwin speak to how people who have been impacted by bigotry respond to such offenses. Fanon, for his part, considers the mistreatment Algerians face in Europe, whereas Baldwin focuses on racism against black people. Both, however, acknowledge the impulse to fight back against racism, framing this emotional process as immediate and practically overwhelming. But Baldwin goes on to suggest that it is often necessary to make an “adjustment” to this kind of emotional response. This aligns with the notion that anger sometimes only invites more racism and mistreatment. Baldwin seems cognizant of this dynamic, which is why he upholds that black people must at least try to find ways to keep themselves from “smash[ing]” the white people who treat them so poorly. Of course, the fact that he says it is necessary to
try to make this “adjustment” implies that it will not always be possible to do so, as emotion can overtake people. That Zidane is about to headbutt Materazzi is a perfect illustration of this.