# "Wassup" with black men? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 6, 2003, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wassup-with-black-men/193448 "2003-08-06T22:50:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wassup-with-black-men/193448/41 "2003-08-07T12:54:49Z")
It isn’t only black guys, I do it myself. I talk to strangers in line at the store, to people in the street, anywhere I see someone I’m liable to say something to them. “What’s up” is only one of the things I say. It used to drive my ex batty…🙂 ---
**Author:** ![roadrunner70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@roadrunner70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roadrunner70)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wassup-with-black-men/193448/42 "2003-08-07T13:11:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Who\_me? \* > \*\* “What’s up” is only one of the things I say. > > \*\* Just like a damn white boy. 😃 [sub]It’s WAZZZUUUUUUP!![/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wassup-with-black-men/193448/43 "2003-08-07T13:15:47Z")
Actually, it’s more, “sup!”. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wassup-with-black-men/193448/44 "2003-08-07T13:26:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Who\_me? \* > \*\*It isn’t only black guys, I do it myself. I talk to strangers in line at the store, to people in the street, anywhere I see someone I’m liable to say something to them. “What’s up” is only one of the things I say. > > It used to drive my ex batty…🙂 \*\* Glad to hear I’m not the only one. I’m just as liable to speak to a stranger as someone I know. Once you get the knack of it, it is easier to talk to a stranger because he/she doesn’t expect it. If you make a fool of yourself (which is what you’re scared of doing) what does it matter? And you know they are enjoying telling the story about this nut they ran into. [ul]😛 [sup] **Actually isn’t that what we’re all doing here on SDMB?** [/sup][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wassup-with-black-men/193448/45 "2003-08-07T13:27:49Z")
Reminds me of a superb Fast Show sketch, where an extremely well-dressed black couple got out of their Rolls Royce, went into a little English country pub, and the gent said to the barman in a cut-glass upper-class accent: “Oh helloooo. We’re Yardies. Check me one time, whitey.” (I think you had to be there.) ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wassup-with-black-men/193448/46 "2003-08-07T13:34:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Biggirl \* > \*\*Because if white guys did it they may be accused of being “wiggers”. Punching “wigger” into google, the first site that’s not someone’s name that came up was [http://hem.passagen.se/sir166/](http://hem.passagen.se/sir166/). ---
**Author:** ![Aries28](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Aries28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aries28)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wassup-with-black-men/193448/47 "2003-08-07T13:36:32Z")
Steak knives AND a toaster??? Damn…so what do you get if you are a black gay guy and you bring in a recruit and turn him not only gay…but black too? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![moejuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@moejuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moejuck)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wassup-with-black-men/193448/48 "2003-08-07T13:43:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Eve \* > \*\*About 20 years ago when I was young and thin and gorgeous, I was walking down Broadway. This black gentleman passed by, looked me up and down and said, “Mmm-_mm!_ You _baaad_ as a motherfucker!” > > I, being a polite and well-raised young lady, smiled sweetly at him and said, “Why, thank you–I’m sure _you’re_ as bad as a motherfucker, too!” > > He laughed his ass off. \*\* I started laughing my ass off when I read this, which is not a good thing to do when your summer school students are quietly researching on their computers. Now they really think I’m wierd. As to the OP, I say Wassup all the time. I say it to people I don’t know when I pass them, if I make eye contact with them. I say it to every student I see in the hallway. I am white! Or am I? ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wassup-with-black-men/193448/49 "2003-08-07T13:54:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Aries28 \* > \*\*Steak knives AND a toaster??? Damn…so what do you get if you are a black gay guy and you bring in a recruit and turn him not only gay…but black too? 😉 \*\* You get to be RuPaul for a day. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wassup-with-black-men/193448/50 "2003-08-07T14:02:57Z")
Black men always speak to me when I pass them. I alway just assumed they did because I was drop-dead gorgeous. After reading the OP, however, I wonder if I’m really just a white male… ---
**Author:** ![ouisey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9fc29f/32.png) [@ouisey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouisey)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wassup-with-black-men/193448/51 "2003-08-07T14:09:15Z")
That’s what I love about black men. They’ll actually stop, look at you and tell you how fine you are. White guys don’t do that. They just yell “hey baby!” while driving by. Black guys have made my day more than once.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![auntie\_em](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@auntie\_em](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auntie_em)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wassup-with-black-men/193448/52 "2003-08-07T14:11:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by betenoir \* > \*\*Really? If they suceed in turning someone black, do they get a toaster? \*\* Hell, no–we get deep fryers. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wassup-with-black-men/193448/53 "2003-08-07T16:02:38Z")
A variation of “wassup” or “whuddup” or “zup” from several years back is “what it is?” to which the answer of choice is “what it shall be.” ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wassup-with-black-men/193448/54 "2003-08-07T16:06:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by auntie em \* > \*\*Hell, no–we get deep fryers. \*\* Why? I couldn’t be black, then. I like toast. ---
**Author:** ![TheInterruptingCow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9c0ed/32.png) [@TheInterruptingCow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheInterruptingCow)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wassup-with-black-men/193448/55 "2003-08-07T18:49:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zeldar \* > \*\*A variation of “wassup” or “whuddup” or “zup” from several years back is “what it is?” to which the answer of choice is “what it shall be.” \*\* I believe the entire exchange goes as follows, in a call-and-response fashion… “What it is…” “What it was…” “What it shall be…” “Someday…” “Right on…” IIRC, it came from a movie, but the name escapes me. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wassup-with-black-men/193448/56 "2003-08-07T19:46:19Z")
**TheInterruptingCow** , (heh heh heh – Knock Knock!) 🙂 Yes, I seem to recall the movie myself. It would be the sort of thing that Franklin Ajaye might have done. Or Frankie Faison. Or any one of the blaxploitation gang. Some fun stuff. Might even have been the Wayans gang in Scary Movie or the like. Living Color maybe even. A work buddy and I used to go through that bit and call each other “Blood” and do all that jive stuff. It were cool, you see. ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wassup-with-black-men/193448/57 "2003-08-07T20:05:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TheInterruptingCow \* > \*\*I believe the entire exchange goes as follows, in a call-and-response fashion… > > “What it is…” > “What it was…” > “What it shall be…” > “Someday…” > “Right on…” > > IIRC, it came from a movie, but the name escapes me. \*\* I remember watching Robin Williams do this in a “Mork & Mindy” episode in the late 70s, but I don’t know if he originated it or was quoting someone else. ---
**Author:** ![kputt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f475e1/32.png) [@kputt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kputt)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wassup-with-black-men/193448/58 "2003-08-07T20:05:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Giraffe \* > \*\*Whenever black men say friendly things to me, I always assume they’re happy because they just bought some malt liquor or fried chicken or something. Of course, if I say anything back, they’ll probably mug me, so I just stare straight ahead until they’re gone. Then I go home and eat some mayonnaise on Wonder bread to calm myself down. Now that’s good eating! \*\* I certainly hope you are only kidding. This is the biggest bunch of crock I heard of if you are not only joking about it. ---
**Author:** ![roadrunner70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@roadrunner70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roadrunner70)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wassup-with-black-men/193448/59 "2003-08-07T20:10:17Z")
\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>ZOOOOOOOOOOM\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\> ---
**Author:** ![Dragonblink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Dragonblink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragonblink)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wassup-with-black-men/193448/60 "2003-08-07T20:11:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kputt \* > \*\*I certainly hope you are only kidding. This is the biggest bunch of crock I heard of if you are not only joking about it. \*\* Holy _shit_ the planes are comin’ in low today. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wassup-with-black-men/193448.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wassup-with-black-men/193448.md?page=4)