Black people and stereotypes

Great Debates
61

You know, when I was a half-Mexican teenager attending a mostly Latino high school, I was known to perpetuate a few stereotypes myself. With teachers that I felt displayed racist/classist attitudes – there were a few, and all of them were white – I would play the attitude-having, eye-rolling, finger-waving, red-lipstick-wearing, accent-flaunting, cha-cha stereotype to the hilt, because that’s what they expected from me. (My favorite was the one who stood up in front of her Business Education class on the first day and said, “Well, it’s obvious none of you are going to be doctors or lawyers, so you better pay attention in this class.” What the?) They also expected, because of that stereotype, that I was dumb as a post. When they saw through my schoolwork that I had some brains, they were frequently disinclined to believe that I had done it myself – until they spoke to other teachers who confirmed that I was not, in fact, an airhead.

My counselor once asked me why every semester she had to explain to one teacher or another that no, I wasn’t copying someone’s homework, and yes, I’d performed as well in other classes and on tests. All I could come up with as an explanation was, “Because…fuck them.” Were my little games stupid? Oh yeah. I was a snotty kid. Effective? Probably not. Whatever.

62

Hey! I fry chicken very well, thank you! I also like collard greens, so ptui! I’m a southerner, and soul food is southern food. White and black alike enjoy the same dishes where I come from. I do notice a more distinct cultural divide between white northerners and blacks than southern whites and blacks, though you won’t find too many white southerners or blacks copping to it.

63

Fine, I’ll reply to your little quiz.

Well, I don’t dance at all, except DDR (shut up) and the Happy Dance[sup]TM[/sup]

No Jordans. FUBU is verboten in the DC area, so the only people you’ll see wearing it here are either fashion clueless or just flew in from Cali. I have a puffy down jacket somewhere, for those “below zero” days.
I bet you’ve worn the combination of the above during the hottest days of summer.**
[/quote]
Nope.

I’m sort of neutral on rap. I like hip hop a bit better, but mostly I listen to jazz, some rock, gospel. Sort of a melange.

Fast food chicken is OK, but I’d rather go to Taco Bell. I like watermelon, but I havn’t had it in a long time, and honeydew is better anyway.

I don’t remember if I’ve ever played field hockey. I have played tennis and gone skiing.

Nope. In fact, I can think of a lot of young black men who wear fitted Dockers and a Polo shirt for dressy casual, and suits for formal.

I’m not sure if anyone in my family has ever lived in assisted housing.

Nope. My parents are still married, and I have one brother.

I have friends who have fathered children (hizzo? is that like hizzoner? I don’t think any of them have fathered the children of unpopular mayors.) and have been in jail. I don’t think those two groups overlap, though.

Well, I’m in college, so I really don’t have to know what it means yet. I know that it’s important to get one, and I think it has something to do with retirement.

No. In fact, in my experience, whenever anyone, no matter their skin color, says something like that, they’re grinning when they say it. I don’t know anyone who talks like that all the time, or seriously.

MDM. President:

  1. You’re forgetting that for a lot of children in disadvantaged areas, college seems as far away as the moon. (Notice Grundy’s story. The teacher told them that they would never go to college. So for all intents and purposes, many disadvantaged children see that avenue as being totally closed to them.

  2. In case you hadn’t noticed, there are plenty of non-black people buying into hip-hop culture, and there are plenty of black people who don’t buy into it. Let’s assume for the moment that all or most people involved in hip-hop are mean. Why would that correlate to skin color? Why would you consider the black person in a Polo shirt to be more disagreeable to you than the white person in baggy jeans, FUBU, and Jordans?

What’s more, that’s a stupid assumption to make. Where I live, hip-hop dress is pretty much the teen uniform. Whether that teen is in an actual gang or going to Harvard next year, that’s how they dress. It doesn’t say anything much about them, except that they may be slaves to fashion. And who wasn’t a slave to fashion in high school?

64

  1. Good point. I can’t believe more underprivileged kids don’t go to college just to prove their loser bigot teachers wrong and to spite them. And for every 10 teachers that are shitty like that doesn’t there have to be at least one ushering the kids down the right path?

  2. That’s exactly my point. We are saying the same thing. Skin color has nothing to do with it. It’s culture. There are white folks adapting this culture. And I’m not talking about the little 14 year olds trying to ‘find themselves’. I’m talking about 17 and up. Id trust the ‘chocolate’ man in polo WWAAAYYYY before I’d trust the ‘cream’ punk in FUBU.

65

So?

You seem to base all this on the assumption that these stereotypes are undesireable to african americans, when in reality they simply make you uncomfortable.
YOU wish they would go away, not the people actually talking in the theaters, not the people actually wearing the bandanas, etc.

(prepare to have your mind blown) It could very well be that these people are acutally happy with how they dress, act, and hog the ball.

66

Well then these people wont mind that I categorize them as punks. So these jerks are happy being what I like to call Not Good People “hog the ball” = selfish = bad people, talk loud in theater = inconsiderate = bad people. Obviously these folks aren’t bothered by what others think of them or what stereotypes they are perpetuating.
If every single time you went out in public you saw people with *red shoes on and ONLY people with red shoes on and ALL people with red shoes on picking their noses, what would you start to associate with red shoes? Nasty freaking boogers. Oooo Oooo you’re stereotyping!!! Shame!

*Notice how I didn’t say red heads? It has nothing to do with the pigment of a person’s hair. It has to do with a culture that always, only chooses to wear red shoeses.

Disclaimer: I have nothing against red heads or red shoes or even red shoeses. The above scenario is supposed to be a comical example mainly for entertainment purposes.

67

Only from your single viewpoint. I don’t know about hogging the ball because I know nothing about basketball and court culture, but if everyone in the theater is talking, than it’s not inconsiderate, it’s accepted (and expected). The one who doesn’t talk is the odd one. Imagine if you attended a live performance in a community where applause is not customary. Would you be “polite”, and refrain from holding up the show with brutish clapping, or would you deem everyone else rude for not showing their appreciation for the performer? You seem to advocate the latter.

And on a side note, I’ll always defend movie talkers because I don’t mind them at all. Movies aren’t a church service, nor are they live performances that can be interrupted, and they’re watched communally for a reason. As long as everyone is talking about the movie, it’s fine; besides, the speakers are so loud in theaters that you can’t possibly miss anything said.

68

Well, not everyone has your moral fortitude. Also, even the ones who would like to “stick it to the man” often don’t know how to go about it. Stuff like preparing for SATS, knowing where to applygetting applications in, possibly having to stand over deadbeat guidance counselors to send in letters–you get the idea. It’s not impossible, but it can be very hard.

You’d think so. But if that is the ratio of good teachers to bad in poor schools, how much is that teacher going to be able to do for people who’ve internalized what the bad ones have been telling them?

We’re not saying the same thing, though I seem to have misunderstood your argument. In certain areas (like mine), virtually all teenagers dress like “thugs”, for lack of a better word. Ergo, it is impossible to determine whether or not a teenager will be disagreeable to you or me or anyone based on their fashion choices. At the most, you may be able to say that that person is being a slave to fashion, but for all you know they may be a person who feels comfortable dressing that way, and will dress like that when they’re forty.

69

No pizzabrat, It’s not just his single viewpoint. I, and everyone I associate feel the same way. Talking during a movie that others are trying to pay attention to is rude. You will always defend people who talk during a movie because you don’t mind them? How thoughtful you are of others. Well, let me go out on a limb [sarcasm] and tell you that most people do mind people who talk during a movie. And I love your logic that its ok to talk during a movie as long as they are talking about the movie. Do you assume other people might want to hear the conversation that way?

70

No reason to be a snot. By the way, who said anything about not going to college? And how, exactly, would that prove said loser bigot teachers wrong? If anything it’d prove them right.

**

Maybe. Maybe not. In my personal experience, probably not. I took all the honors-level classes I could, and most (but not all) of those teachers were pretty good. But in the classes that were not available at any advanced level (for instance, the aforementioned business ed or general music appreciation), those teachers were, to a man, subpar, and several of them seem to openly dislike we brown folk.

71

  1. as long as you’re ok with your bigotry and inability to see things from more than one perspective…

  2. that was exactly my point, the OP seems to think that all black people should be trying to counter his stereotypes of them.

  3. and as long as you’re ok with typing like gollum…

72

The last time I saw Rocky Horror Picture Show the audience was predominantly white

73

You and everyone you associate with can just go to a non-talking movie theater, then. There are plenty (I’ve only run across a situation where people talked twice). But you and everyone you associate with aren’t everyone, that’s why there are still theaters full of people who like to make comments. I’m thoughtless because I don’t mind people talking? Maybe I am of people who demand silence. But if I did mind, I’d be thoughtless of the other half, so I can’t win there. And obviously other people don’t mind the conversation either. I’ve never heard anyone who talks in a theater openly compain about another person’s talking.

74

If I’m watching a scary movie, I love it when people talk to the screen. That’s hilarious.

75

  1. It doesn’t take an enlightened and open perspective to know that selfishness and inconsiderate people are poop heads. And don’t call me a bigot… you poop head.

  2. If the stereotype is bad and they don’t like it, they should be trying to stop it, at least not perpetuate it. If the stereotype is bad and they don’t care whether they are perpetuating it or not, they are poop heads.

  3. Rhyming humor escapes you…

poop head.

76

As far as I know, black people can own any type of stereo they want…:smack:

77

Monstro, I took your poll (which is brilliant tongue-in-cheek, BTW).

God, I’m white. Painfully white.

78

Shoeses is pretty derogatory, we much prefer to be called “shoes”.

Sneaks and tennies are okay, but only if you’re “in” the shoes group.

Footwear is the formal mode of addressing us.

Thank you,

Ms. Plaid Teal Canvas Shoes Only.

79

hijack//

There’s a BIG difference between making occasional “appreciative” comments regarding the movie to your companions in a reasonably low speaking voice and loud obnoxious “LOOK at ME!” shenanigans by a whole group of rude people.

Or, people who feel they MUST keep up a constant running commentary on the action. I’d likely turn my popcorn over someone’s head if they sat there narrating a show.

“That’s Johnny Depp, he studied for the pirate part by observing that guy from the Rolling Stones. Oh, check THAT out, hey, I bet he’s going to steal that boat, OOOooh gross, look at those disgusting pirate bones, I didn’t see THAT coming, hey Monty? want more popcorn? I’m gonna get pop, you guys want some??? Oh check it out, look at that monkey”. etc etc etc etc.

If you sat next to someone (specially if it was someone who had seen the show before and was telling everyone in earshot, “Watch THIS, HE’S gonna Tell Scarlett ‘Frankly I don’t GIVE a Damn’ and then he’s going to LEAVE her” etc) I bet you wouldn’t think it was a “normal and expected” part of movie going.

80

Oooh, cool. Games. Am I black or white?

WHITE: 7 out of 12. Marginal.
T - I bet you can’t dance very well.
F - I bet you own a pair of raggedy docksiders and khaki cutoffs.
Not even sure what they are
F - I bet you’ve worn the combination of the above during the cold of winter.
F - I bet you either really love heavy metal or country music.
Hate country, like some old metal with heavy blues influences.
F - I bet you like mayonaisse.
Well, not unless I made it myself out of egg & olive oil.
T - I bet a collard green has never touched your lips.
What’s a collard green? I eat all greens I’ve ever tried though.
F - I bet you look your nose down on people who wear big baggy jeans and bandanas tied around their head.
Not big on the nose-looking-down based on fashion. Any fashion. Though I think Goth is the cutest.
T - I bet you live in the suburbs.
T - I bet you live in a middle class household.
T - I bet you don’t have any black friends.
very few blacks here. i have Asian friends, does that count?
T - I bet you don’t know what “Dark-n-Lovely” is or what it does or how it smells.
T - I bet you’re a big nerd like all white people.

Am I BLACK? Only 3 out of 12. Probably not.
But gosh, these questions are pretty mean and rude, some of them. Especially towards the end.
F - I bet you dance very well - but only to hip hop.
F - I bet you own 30 Jordans and giant oversized FUBU jeans and a big puffy down jacket.
F - I bet you’ve worn the combination of the above during the hottest days of summer.
F - I bet you really love either rap or hip hop.
T - I bet you love KFC and watermellon.
there is better fried chicken than KFC
T - I bet a hockey stick, tennis racket or ski pole has never touched your hand.
F - I bet you look your nose down on people who wear suits, fitted cotton Dockers and Polo golf shirts.
F - I bet you live in some sort of assisted housing.
F - I bet you live in a broken household with a single mom and twelve brothers and sisters.
F - I bet at least one of your friends knocked up some hizzo and another is in jail.
T - I bet you don’t know what a 401k is or what it does.
F - I bet you talk like “fo-shizzle my nizzle!” like all black people.