Thread: How the US handles the topic of race

Originally Posted by atomik_sprout

You can't fight racism if you're helping make a stereotype fact. When I moved to Burnsville and found there are still people tryin' to be hood out here, I was shocked and half-way appauled. BUT, not every black person is like that. Especially in the inner cities. I should know. I'm one of the few out of thousands who didn't follow the crowd, help the stereotype, or in laymans terms; "become a lazy, drunk, stoned nigga." I do smoke though, but I'm responsible. ^_^

My point is: If I can be black (well, half-way there) and not fall in to that trap, become a stereotypical posterboy; why is it so hard for everyone else to just say, "I'm not gonna be that guy, because I know white people already think I am that guy,"???

Fully agree. We can talk all we want about how other people are so racist, how they unfairly stereotype individuals of a different race, but if we do nothing to break those stereotypes within our own races we have no right to complain. I can't tell you how many times I've been told, "You speak so well!" by older white people (as if the color of my skin was a determining factor in my ability to use proper grammar and words more complex than "yo") and turned around to hear, "You talk white" from blacks, including members of my own family. I'm mixed as well, and even more appalling to me than discussion of my speech patterns is the question, "I know you're part African American, but what else are you?" Does it matter? It's as if when I say what else is in my blood they'll nod and think, "Okay, now it makes sense."
But the problem is just as aceman and sprout have put it, there are too many people who further stereotypes and make it harder for the rest of us to deal with the people who believe them all without question. If you're wearing jeans down past your a$$, a faux diamond encrusted grill, cussing loudly and butchering the English language like you didn't make it past the second grade, don't wonder why people of other races look at you sideways and hurry to the other side of the street before you start shooting. Me, I'll be glaring at you because you're a damn fool and making the rest of us look bad.

Originally Posted by gren

I can't tell you how many times I've been told, "You speak so well!" by older white people (as if the color of my skin was a determining factor in my ability to use proper grammar and words more complex than "yo") and turned around to hear, "You talk white" from blacks, including members of my own family.

I totally agree with you. I'm Latina, and I work as a waitress. There have been many occassions where older white people have asked me if I'm really a mexican because I speak english correctly. Or they will usually ask why I don't have a mexican name, or why I don't look mexican. . . . what's up with that?

There's also been a load of times where I've walked into stores at the mall in the west side of town (rich and mostly populated by whites) only to have security guards following me and uptight white saleswomen looking down on me. I really hate it when people act like being a different race is a disease.

Originally Posted by gren

Fully agree. We can talk all we want about how other people are so racist, how they unfairly stereotype individuals of a different race, but if we do nothing to break those stereotypes within our own races we have no right to complain. I can't tell you how many times I've been told, "You speak so well!" by older white people (as if the color of my skin was a determining factor in my ability to use proper grammar and words more complex than "yo") and turned around to hear, "You talk white" from blacks, including members of my own family. I'm mixed as well, and even more appalling to me than discussion of my speech patterns is the question, "I know you're part African American, but what else are you?" Does it matter? It's as if when I say what else is in my blood they'll nod and think, "Okay, now it makes sense."
But the problem is just as aceman and sprout have put it, there are too many people who further stereotypes and make it harder for the rest of us to deal with the people who believe them all without question. If you're wearing jeans down past your a$$, a faux diamond encrusted grill, cussing loudly and butchering the English language like you didn't make it past the second grade, don't wonder why people of other races look at you sideways and hurry to the other side of the street before you start shooting. Me, I'll be glaring at you because you're a damn fool and making the rest of us look bad.

I couldn't have said it better myself! ^_^ I think that the phrase, "You speak well," we hear from old white people is hilarious!!! It's the same thing you hear them say when they listen to Bush address the nation. "He speaks so well!!" It's kind of offensive if you look at it like that though. LMAO! When black people tell me, "You talk white," I simply tell them, "Thanks, it took years of effort. You know massa don't let no n*gga read!"

I mean it's like we're a national phenomenon or somethin'! If I had to guess, bi-racial people will be the dominating "race" in about fifteen years. So, why do people look at us like our parents should be incarcerated? Ugh... Anyway, I think that just becaue you're colored different than somebody, you shouldn't be looked at/spoken to like you're SO different from everyone else that you have to be treated with "kid gloves" or subjected to racial comparison.

Originally Posted by Cheza

I totally agree with you. I'm Latina, and I work as a waitress. There have been many occassions where older white people have asked me if I'm really a mexican because I speak english correctly. Or they will usually ask why I don't have a mexican name, or why I don't look mexican. . . . what's up with that?

There's also been a load of times where I've walked into stores at the mall in the west side of town (rich and mostly populated by whites) only to have security guards following me and uptight white saleswomen looking down on me. I really hate it when people act like being a different race is a disease.

Yeah, I've been there. Stalked by the white, suburban, customer service guy. I think it's funny as hell sometimes. I make a scene when they approach me. Like, "Can I help you find something?" Umm, yeah, can you please help me stuff this pair of jeans in my back pack? Or, "Sir, is there something you're looking for?" I NEED AN ADULT! I NEED AN ADULT!!! STRANGER DANGER!!

One thing you gotta realize is that sometimes, it's not the old white people's fault. Some old white people have never really interacted with any people of color, so a boat load of stereotypes and suspicions flood their brains. Not to mention, being old comes with paranoia, skepticism, doubt and worry. Old black people are the same way. My grandfather asked me one day what I wanted to do for a living. When I told him I want to be a cartoonist, he asked me, "Do they have room for blacks in that field?" It kinda goes both ways.

Originally Posted by atomik_sprout

I couldn't have said it better myself! ^_^ I think that the phrase, "You speak well," we hear from old white people is hilarious!!! It's the same thing you hear them say when they listen to Bush address the nation. "He speaks so well!!" It's kind of offensive if you look at it like that though. LMAO! When black people tell me, "You talk white," I simply tell them, "Thanks, it took years of effort. You know massa don't let no n*gga read!"

I mean it's like we're a national phenomenon or somethin'! If I had to guess, bi-racial people will be the dominating "race" in about fifteen years. So, why do people look at us like our parents should be incarcerated? Ugh... Anyway, I think that just becaue you're colored different than somebody, you shouldn't be looked at/spoken to like you're SO different from everyone else that you have to be treated with "kid gloves" or subjected to racial comparison.



Yeah, I've been there. Stalked by the white, suburban, customer service guy. I think it's funny as hell sometimes. I make a scene when they approach me. Like, "Can I help you find something?" Umm, yeah, can you please help me stuff this pair of jeans in my back pack? Or, "Sir, is there something you're looking for?" I NEED AN ADULT! I NEED AN ADULT!!! STRANGER DANGER!!

One thing you gotta realize is that sometimes, it's not the old white people's fault. Some old white people have never really interacted with any people of color, so a boat load of stereotypes and suspicions flood their brains. Not to mention, being old comes with paranoia, skepticism, doubt and worry. Old black people are the same way. My grandfather asked me one day what I wanted to do for a living. When I told him I want to be a cartoonist, he asked me, "Do they have room for blacks in that field?" It kinda goes both ways.

Yeah, there r sterotypical Whites too. Those who, as Atomik has already stated, do not know any different. This is 'cause of how they were raised, racism is somethin' that is taught; one is never born wit it. U don' know if u wanna b angry or simpathetic towards them. It gets me upset sometimes when ppl behave like that, but they can break the cycle. I should know, my Dad is livin' proof of it. He was raised in a racist family and was racist himself, until he met my mom. After he met her, he began ta break the things he learned about race wit her help and taught my siblings and I ta not be that way. My mom even influenced his dad ta not b that way b4 he died. That's one of the many reasons why I have such profound respect for my parents. They rise up in the face of adversity and conquer, and influence others along the way. One of the things that my Dad would always say is, "Don' do as I do (did), do as I say." And on the subject of race he'd add, "And I say don' b a racist." I have a half-African-American cousin that my dad adores and he was about the only one in his family that would have anythin' ta do wit her for the longest. His stance against the other members of family who swore that they were "ashamed" of her, made me respect my Dad all the more.

So we can break the sterotypes, if only we choose ta do so.

I agree with you. It's pretty bad when they have people flat out saying they didn't vote for obama becuase he's an African American. It's ridiculas. It's annoying to be the only one in my family who doesn't care about race or ethnicity. We argue alot because i don't see things they way they do. To be honest I don't think we can blame anyone but ourselves.

It's mankind's nature to be afraid of things that they don't understand. When White people first met black, they didn't know if it would wash off or even get on them. They'd shake their hands, only to look at theirs to see if any came off. And since they were members of the British Empire, & therefore the greatest people in the world, they saw them as nothing but lesser people than themselves, suitable only as slaves, & used them as such.

Stereotyping I guess would have hung around ever since then. That's a good hundred years or more of racism plaguing the world. It might just take as long to really push it back, though I think we will never fully remove it. You'll always get the idiots who reinforce certain stereotypes, those who embody other stereotypes, & those just to narrow minded to see outside them. It's sad, but It's most likely true...

Originally Posted by atomik_sprout

I couldn't have said it better myself! ^_^ I think that the phrase, "You speak well," we hear from old white people is hilarious!!! It's the same thing you hear them say when they listen to Bush address the nation. "He speaks so well!!" It's kind of offensive if you look at it like that though. LMAO! When black people tell me, "You talk white," I simply tell them, "Thanks, it took years of effort. You know massa don't let no n*gga read!"

I mean it's like we're a national phenomenon or somethin'! If I had to guess, bi-racial people will be the dominating "race" in about fifteen years. So, why do people look at us like our parents should be incarcerated? Ugh... Anyway, I think that just becaue you're colored different than somebody, you shouldn't be looked at/spoken to like you're SO different from everyone else that you have to be treated with "kid gloves" or subjected to racial comparison.



Yeah, I've been there. Stalked by the white, suburban, customer service guy. I think it's funny as hell sometimes. I make a scene when they approach me. Like, "Can I help you find something?" Umm, yeah, can you please help me stuff this pair of jeans in my back pack? Or, "Sir, is there something you're looking for?" I NEED AN ADULT! I NEED AN ADULT!!! STRANGER DANGER!!

One thing you gotta realize is that sometimes, it's not the old white people's fault. Some old white people have never really interacted with any people of color, so a boat load of stereotypes and suspicions flood their brains. Not to mention, being old comes with paranoia, skepticism, doubt and worry. Old black people are the same way. My grandfather asked me one day what I wanted to do for a living. When I told him I want to be a cartoonist, he asked me, "Do they have room for blacks in that field?" It kinda goes both ways.

If i cut out sections of this quote, the colors are gonna be screwed up. So, I just included the whole thing.

Anyway, I'm a Catholic Cuban-American with a stereotypical jewish last name. [My friends call me (catholic + jew = ) cashew (lol)] I go to one of the best high schools in the country, and when people hear my last name, I can almost hear them thinking, "Oh, well that makes sense. An intelligent, rich jewish boy goes to a great school." Then, when I eventually tell them what the majority of my ethnic makeup is, they say stuff like, "I didn't know you mexicans spoke english that well!"

Racism exists in America not because of its tarnishing of its values but a simple ignorance of the cultures themselves.

And, like atomik said, this is not just from white people. This is from people of all races. Until we recognize this and learn about each other's culture's in a more direct and truthful way, racial bigotry will be hard to overcome.