# Black people and stereotypes **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 6, 2003, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-people-and-stereotypes/199964 "2003-09-06T18:35:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-people-and-stereotypes/199964/121 "2003-09-10T18:07:09Z")
[quote] In regard to the OP’s idea about stereotypes, here’s another take. Can African-Americans expect that the stereotype of black people as criminals will ever go away, when a sizable number of black people choose of their own volition to “present” themselves _as_ criminals (thugs, pimps, etc.)? If the shoe fits… (gloves are apparently a different matter). [quote] Hold up–why is it permitted to stereotype all blacks because some black youth wear thugged pout clothes when one can see white kids wearing the exact same gang-bangin’ wannabe ensembles at any suburban mall? Shouldn’t we use the same basis to stereotype white people? > [@](#): > > They should have never been freed, if you ask me. Excellent point. The Romans found the Angles and Saxons to make outstanding slaves, and it would do wonders for the unemployment rolls. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-people-and-stereotypes/199964/122 "2003-09-10T18:25:18Z")
> [@](#): > > In regard to the OP’s idea about stereotypes, here’s another take. Can African-Americans expect that the stereotype of black people as criminals will ever go away, when a sizable number of black people choose of their own volition to “present” themselves _as_ criminals (thugs, pimps, etc.)? If the shoe fits… (gloves are apparently a different matter). Hold up–why is it permitted to stereotype all blacks because some black youth wear thugged pout clothes when one can see white kids wearing the exact same gang-bangin’ wannabe ensembles at any suburban mall? Shouldn’t we use the same basis to stereotype white people? > [@](#): > > They should have never been freed, if you ask me. Excellent point. The Romans found the Angles and Saxons to make outstanding slaves, and it would do wonders for the unemployment rolls. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-people-and-stereotypes/199964/123 "2003-09-10T18:46:25Z")
gobear, I loves you and all but you have got to be the worse coder out there. Do all gay people code as badly as you? ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-people-and-stereotypes/199964/124 "2003-09-10T19:23:34Z")
> [@](#): > > gobear, I loves you and all but you have got to be the worse coder out there. Do all gay people code as badly as you? Given that IT seems to be the gayest profession in Northern Virginia, I certainly hope not. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-people-and-stereotypes/199964/125 "2003-09-11T04:54:26Z")
It ain’t just that way in Virginia, **gobear**. 9 years ago, when I was working at NEC Systems Labs, half of the IT staff were lesbian, and the other half were pre-op intersex. (Of course, the entire IT staff only consisted of two people, so it might not’ve been a representative sample. Did I mention that my project lead, our secretary, and a junior programmer were gay? Well, they were.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-people-and-stereotypes/199964.md?page=6)