Photo: Morsa Images/Getty Images
<p>The internet recently began buzzing about a new social media trend that took off among <a href="https://dev.theshaderoom.com/pastor-jamal-bryant-shares-idea-of-drawing-black-men-to-church-by-raising-cannabis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Black men</a>.</p>
<p>Centered on highlighting and promoting a &#8220;soft&#8221; lifestyle, the videos show Black men simply going about their day-to-day routine—and there are quite a few examples floating around!</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">The Trend Takes Off On TikTok</h3>
<p>Uploads that followed the trend showed men engaging in soothing activities, like caring for houseplants, drinking tea, or just chillin&#8217;.</p>
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<p>Working out and having hobbies like bowling and podcasting were included, too.</p>
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<p>Some contributions made by a user going by <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@nicenonss" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@nicenonns</a> are focused on showing what &#8220;dinner with a soft Black man&#8221; looks like.</p>
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<p>All in all, most videos of the trend were pretty straightforward and focused on calling attention to the &#8220;soft&#8221; life.</p>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">Viewers Have Mixed Reactions</h3>
<p>As the trend continued to take off, people began chiming in on other platforms like Twitter.</p>
<p>Many critics found the videos to be pretty mundane, as they were focused on showing &#8220;an adult doing things that adults do.&#8221;</p>
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<p>It was even alleged that there was &#8220;something sinister about [TikTok] turning every basic action into a life aesthetic or personality trait.&#8221;</p>
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<p>However, others thought the trend was &#8220;cute&#8221; and simply looked like &#8220;peace, happiness, and success.&#8221;</p>
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<p>Overall, supporters thought the backlash was strange, as the &#8220;soft life&#8221; trend was all about promoting chillness.</p>
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<p>On the other end of the spectrum, it was asserted that the overall trend is &#8220;inherently racist&#8221; at its core, as it applauds Black men for &#8220;doing the bare minimum&#8221; with adulting.</p>
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<p>Users also called for &#8220;a particular brand of bullying&#8221; to be brought back. Similarly, others implored people to leave the trend in 2022, as &#8220;we used to build and hunt.&#8221;</p>
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<p> ;</p>
<p> ;</p>
<p>Are you here for the &#8220;soft life as a Black man&#8221; trend, and what do you think about the criticism against it?</p>
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