Today I was told that I acted white. I've gotten that before, but I never knew what that actually meant. I mean, I'm an absence of color, and this makes you want to paint me. I'm not too sure what that means. I'm an African American woman, who happens to like things that are out of I guess the social norms for a race. I never understood why we have these norms and why I am expected to act and talk a certain way just because I'm black. Once a young African American child came up to me and said that I talked white. I corrected her, and I quote.
"No, I talk like I'm educated." Now apparently that was not the right answer because her parents verbally assaulted me. Maybe I didn't have to say it like that, but still. Because I don't use slang, and I don't have an inflection I'm automatically less black than Tyrone. Who I just can't ever understand. Why are these barriers here that separate a race within a race. I don't like rap, why does that make me less black? I don't like fried chicken, I don't like bass in my speaker system, I don't really care for ridiculous weave. I happen to like anime, video games, swords, rock and other variations of it, I like to watch documentaries on dinosaurs. So why do my interest make me any less black than any other black person? I mean I used to live in the projects, but that didn't effect who I was or my interest. What makes me so out of my race??
Shae,
ReplyDeleteThis was your best post. It is interesting how certain characteristics are associated with race, and it is difficult to break free of them. You would think in the age of global communication and technology that this would be less of an issue, but I see it all the time. Thanks for sharing!
~Leigh